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n the late 1990s, Bishop George Biguzzi of Sierra Leone put his life on the line to help secure a lasting peace for his West African nation. With a lot of faith and daring, the Italian-born bishop went into the "bush" of his country with members of an interreligious council to hammer out a peace agreement with the rebels, to end a bloody war there that lasted several years.
"I was scared stiff," said Bishop Biguzzi, a Xaverian bishop of the Makeni Diocese in northern Sierra Leone, during a recent visit to the Xaverian Provincial House on Helene Court here last month. "The rebels jumped me. They held me prisoner twice. They took my cross and my ring. They detained me for three days and threatened to kill me."
After a peace accord ended the war that had torn apart Sierra Leone, Bishop Biguzzi went about the great task of helping rebuild his beloved nation. With the help of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and many other entities, the Makeni Diocese reconstructed churches, schools, rectories, convents, the seminary and even the bishop's residence that were destroyed by the 1991-2001 war.
For several years now, one Paterson Diocesan parish has been aiding the Makeni Diocese and one parish in particular, Christ the King in Binkolo, in their rebuilding efforts - Our Lady of the Valley (OLV), Wayne. The suburban Passaic County parish has been tithing about $25,000 yearly to the Xaverians for the rebuilding of Bishop Biguzzi's region, which started in 2002.
On Sept. 17, the 69-year-old Bishop Biguzzi came to OLV for a Mass during his visit to the U.S. to give parishioners a big "thanks" and to update them on the rebuilding efforts. Because much of the rebuilding has been completed, the bishop asked OLV to earmark some of their contribution specifically for the tuition of their seminarians.
For Father Daniel Murphy, OLV's pastor, the Wayne parishioners have been giving generously to the Sierra Leone missionary effort over the years, but they are also receiving something in return.
"It's important for OLV to have contact with the larger Church," the pastor said. "Parishioners also are learning about the life of the Church somewhere else."
OLV's "twinning" outreach to Sierra Leone started several years ago during the pastorate of Msgr. James O'Rorke, head of the parish 1993-2003, who maintained a close relationship with the nearby Xaverians. They had cultivated a close bond with OLV ever since it was founded in 1960, saying weekend Masses, hearing confessions and attending special events.
There was noting left. We lost everything the Xaverians built over 50 years. The entire territory of the diocese was affected. Tens of thousands of people were displaced and many lost their lives.
Years ago, OLV received a rebate for a diocesan campaign when the parish collected contributions that put them far over goal. Looking for several benefactors, Msgr. O'Rorke asked the Xaverians, who suggested the Sierra Leone outreach.
"We were showing our appreciation to the Xaverians," Msgr. O'Rorke said of the tithing outreach to the West African nation. "The parishioners felt good about it. They are fulfilling the Gospel of Jesus to help the less fortunate. The parishioners were always generous whenever there was a need, whether it be financial, physical or spiritual," he said.
Next weekend, Catholics of the Paterson Diocese - along with faithful around the world - will honor the selfless efforts of missionaries such as Bishop Biguzzi who serve the poorest of the poor and to spread the Gospel across the globe. Local Catholics will be asked to contribute to the collection for World Mission Sunday during "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world" (see Redemptoris Missio 81), according to his organizer, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
"The offerings that will be collected (on World Mission Sunday) are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in the Pope's name, by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith among the missions and missionaries of the entire world,"' the Propagation said.
(News Editor, from The Beacon, Diocesan Catholic Paper of Patterson, NJ)