am writing from
Chemba, Mozambique, with some photos and a request: please send me more mission
rosaries. Over here they are much appreciated, because of their shining five
colors, and they're well made.
This request stems from our planned visit to the mission communities of our parish church here at Chemba. They are 90 of them, divided in 12 areas. It will require a lot of walking, and spending time with the catechists, catechumens, the various groups that form these small Christian communities.
Weekend of Preparation of Leaders
The first gatherings will be in the 12 area communities (which will gather from 4 to 8 villages), and we will prepare the catechists from Friday to Sunday with liturgical celebrations, Eucharist and important passages of the Bible. This year’s program includes Moses and the many passages of the Bible which refer to him. There will be sharing of different events of his call and life; we have also some well-prepared drawings; and all this will be crowned with a celebration / theater on Saturday night.
During the baptismal ceremony we give out a rosary to the families, to encourage them to practice their faith
Finally, on Sunday afternoon we’ll re-enact the journey from Egypt, with its slavery, to the Red Sea crossing (all in procession), the desert experience, with the lamentations of the people of Israel for lack of water and food, and our final chapter in the gathering space / church where we will ask God to bring forgiveness for our sins and accept us as partakers of the Table.
It is about a 4-hour celebration, but no one is tired because of it, for the celebration becomes lively and intense as the journey continues.
The
visit of 90 Communities
Our second visit will be in each of the 90 communities, as we will celebrate the baptisms of the newly born. It is during the baptismal ceremony that we give out a rosary to the baby and to the families, to encourage them to practice their faith and come to know the mysteries of Christ’s birth, life, cross, and resurrection.
We thank God for the witness of these Christian communities, who inspire us to reach out to so many other communities who do not know Christ. In our parish, this past Easter we celebrated over 150 adult baptisms, with many more catechumens ready to start their journey of Christian initiation. How generous is the Lord, indeed.
Please keep us and the church in Mozambique in your prayers.
(From Xaverian News)