elebrations for the centenary of our Archdiocese are involving all the parishes” said Regional Superior of the Xaverian Missionaries Fr Gianni Brentegani in Bukavu, main town of South Kivu region of Democratic Congo, where celebrations to mark the centenary of evangelization started on
Sept. 15. “But everyone is deeply saddened and concerned for the health of our Archbishop Charles Kambale Mbogha who is in hospital” the missionary
said (Bishop Mbogha died Oct. 8).
Centenary celebrations started with a pilgrimage to Nyangezi where the first White Father missionaries arrived on Sept. 15 1906 at 9 in the morning. During the Mass in Nyangezi the country was entrusted to God as it proceeds on the path of democracy: “May we all work to build a new Congo founded on law, peace, justice and work where all are reconciled with each other”. “In the month of October there will be special commemorations of two previous archbishops Cristophe Munzihirwa and Emmanuel Kataliko” said Fr Brentegani. Archbishop Munzihirwa was killed on Oct. 29 1996 in an attack during the advance of troops fighting the Mobutu regime which took power in May 1997. Archbishop Kataliko died of illness on Oct. 4, 2000 in Rome: for 7 months the rebels would not allow him to return to his diocese.
In the midst of this celebration, about 20 Bishops from Burundi, Rwanda and Congo were present for the blessing of a new parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist in the southern outlying Cahi Cidasa district of Bukavu.
May we all work to build a new Congo founded on law, peace, justice and work where all are reconciled with each
other.
Nyangezi 1906
The Catholic Bishops had come to Bukavu for a meeting to discuss how to rebuild peace and reconciliation held Sept. 21-25 at Amani Spirituality Center in Bukavu. The meeting was organized by the Justice and Peace commission of ACEAC Association of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Central Africa in collaboration with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of D. Congo.
Bishop Kaboy reflected: “We come as bishops and heralds of peace. We have come to discuss how to build peace. We all join you our brother bishops of Burundi praise the Lord because the country has taken a step towards peace holding recent democratic elections. However winning an election is one thing, building peace is another”. Their closing Mass was held at Cahi Cidasa parish run by Xaverian Missionaries, which serves a population of 60,000 people half of whom are Catholics.
Centenary celebrations in Bukavu will last for two years in two separate stages: stage one from Sept. 15 2005 to Sept. 15 2006, during which associations, movements, religious communities, parishes are encouraged to organize meetings, retreats and pilgrimages and religious institutions are asked to produce a written history of their presence in the archdiocese. Stage two, from Sept. 15 2006 to Sept. 15 2007, associations, movements, religious communities, parishes will commemorate their patrons and founders in the perspective of the centenary of the Church’s evangelization in Bukavu.
(From Fides Service)