Catholic Church Good Shepherd Parish Kassala Sudan

Catholic Church
Good Shepherd Parish
Kassala Sudan
P.O. Box 137
Tel./Fax: 00249/411/823191
Description
Kassala is the eastern province of Sudan,
about 600km from Khartoum capital city.
Population of the province: 300,000.
The province contains many tribes, such as,
Beniamer, Hadendewa, Hedareb, Halanga
and other tribes coming from eastern and
south Sudan.
Religion: 90% are Muslim. The Christians
are displaced people coming from South
Sudan and from Eritrea and Ethiopia as
refugees .The standard life of the population
is agricultural and commercial.
Historical Background
The Kassala parish was founded in 1968 by the Comboni Fathers as a rest house. They called
it “rest house”, because they have a mission in Port Sudan, 1100km distant from Khartoum,
the capital city. So to travel to Port Sudan takes a long time. To reach the missionary station
in one day was impossible. Therefore the Comboni Fathers decided to built a rest house in
Kassala for two purposes:
1. When travelling to Khartoum or to port Sudan they pass the night in Kassala.
2. To make a catechetical service for the few faithful living there: some officials, workers of
the rail way coming from South Sudan. Until now the building is not legally registered as a
church, the documents are still those of a rest house, but in practical by the people and the
local authorities it is known as a Parish Church: Good Shepherd Parish.
How it became as Parish
Due to the political instability at home the Eritrean people were forced to seek political
asylum in the neighbouring country, the Sudan. Many of the Eritrean people settled in
Kassala area, because of its vicinity to the Eritrean-Sudanese border. Most of them came from
urban centers.They also had with them a large number of children, who had interrupted their
spiritual education. The Archbishop of Khartuom tackled to resolve the problem and gave the
hospitality to the Capuchin friary to assist the faithful according to their liturgy with the full
authority of a Parish: the Good Shepherd Parish.
After some years due to the political conflict between South Sudan and the government in
Khartoum many Sudanese fled from the south to north and eastern Sudan (Kassala Region).
Until now the parish is under the pastoral care of the capuchin friary.
Centres:
Kassala Parish supports further 5 centres:
1. Wau Nur Centre: Mary Immaculate
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2. Hai El Areb Centre: John The baptism
3. Shimal Halanga Centre
4. Wad Sherife Centre: Holy Saviour
5. Aroma Centre
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Wau Nur Centre
This is the biggest centre. Most o of the faithful live in Wau Nur. According to their standard
of life they prefer to live out side of the city, because it is easy to make a house by grass and
wood. If they stay in the city, they have to rent house, which is according to their living
standard very difficult.
In the centre we have 300 families. Many of them have no work, so their living standard is
very low. The majority of the men are soldiers. In order to bring up their children many
women produce local beer, but with a great risk: According to Sharia law alcohol is forbidden
and so it is not allowed to make local beer. Many times the police takes the women with all
their materials to the police station to be imprisoned almost for three to five months.
Hai El Areb Centre
In the Hai El Areb Centre the faithful are 95 families. We have one part-time catechist. As I
explained above, the living standard of the faithful is very low. The centre is 8km far
westward from the parish.
Aroma Centre
Aroma is 60km outside from Kassala on the way to Port Sudan. Most of the faithful are
Soldiers. They are 40 families. We have one part-time Catechist who does twice a month
pastoral activities. We don’t have a building in the centre, because we didn’t get a permission
to build some. Now we are on the way to to be given the permission to build a house.
Shimal Halanga Centre
Since 1992 many displaced families were in the Shimal Halanga Centre: Through the
expansion of the city all the faithful leave the place. They change to Wau Nur Centre and
some of them go to dislocated Centres. This centre is in a distance 3km north from the parish.
Wad Sherife Centre.
Wad Sherife is a big refugee Camp of Eritreans and Ethiopians. There are 30,000 refugees,
who are under the assistance of the UNHCR.The Catholic families around the camp are 165.
Since 1997 the catholic families were about 300.
The centre is in 25km distance North-East from Kassala.
The living standard of the refugees is very poor. Always they attend their ration which they
receive every three months from the UNHCR. But, with this ration they can not raise their
children in a sufficient way. The Catholic Church opens the school since 1983 in the camp.
For the pastoral service we did our best: weekly holy mass, twice a month catechetical
service.
The problem of the Parish: Financial need and economical poverty of the
faithful.
As we explained above the Capuchin friary takes the responsibility to open intermediate and
senior school, since 1977, for the Eritrean rand Ethiopian refugees. At present it hosts 1200
students. It is a school which gives equal opportunities to both Christian and Muslim children.
For this reason it is kept in high esteem by both Christians and Muslims. Our main objective
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in fact is to give the children a basic education and, at the same time, help them to grow up in
a peaceful way with reciprocal respect, regardless of their different religious doctrines.
In these long years of our educational and pastoral activities, thanks to God, we have been
supported by many organizations and men of good will. This has enabled us each year to
finish the school year without incurring in debits. Now the time and the situation have
changed in a tremendous way: According to the salary of teachers has increased very
much and because of economical poverty of the faithful - we cannot attend a
contribution from the faithful – the budget of the parish became very tight
Parish Projects:
1. A Tent for celebration during the big feasts: At the big feasts the church cannot take
all the faithful during the celebration, because the building is very small. So we are
compelled to celebrate outside in the compound of the church. We do the Holy Mass
morning and evening. For the morning mass we usually provide a tent and chairs,
hiring from the market. During the morning mass it is difficult for the faithful to
stay without an umbrella because of the heat. The costs we have to face to during the
celebration are very high: over 500 Euro! Our capacity and the contribution of the
faithful could not cover such expenses. The costs of a tent will be about 10 Million
SDD, equal to 3500 €
2. Loudspeakers for the celebrations: The price for a system of Loudspeakers is about
8 Million SDD, which is equal to 3000 €.
3. Chairs: 1000 chairs for 5 centres will cost 20 Million SDD, equal to 7000 €
4. Benches: 150 benches for the committees and for catechetical assemblies for 5
centres will 4,5 Million SDD, equal to 1700 €
5. Transport and Breakfast for voluntary Religion teachers: 3 Million SDD per Year,
equal to 1100 €
6. Feeding of 20 children in Wad Sherife Centre: 15 Million SDD, equal to 5600 €
7. Generator or Solar System???
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Wau Nur Centre
Mary Immaculate Centre
The Wau Nur pastoral-centre is the biggest offshoot of the parish of Kassala. The
center is situated approximately 7 km north of the centre of Kassala. After a twenty minutes’
trip, one comes into an area, that is admittedly positioned geometrically (rectangular ordered
crossroads, that form the residential-area somehow), but on the other hand it cannot hide its
poverty: Everywhere wood-cottages with reed-roofs and reed-walls or cottages out of clay
with reed-roofs. Here and there one can see a donkey-cart transporting a water-barrel,
occasionally teenagers ride around by bicycle or even by motor cycle. The chickens and the
goats run in the wide streets, that can be regarded quite also as communication-centres for the
people. Curiously, more and more children and teenagers appear to see the visitors.
The population of this area consists of
refugees from the former civil war-area of
the South-Sudan. The standard of living of
these people is very low, and in accordance
with this low standard, these people want to
live also outside the city-area because it is
easier there to build houses from reed and
wood. Inside the city they would have to
rent houses, in which they could not afford
the rent.
Many of the people here are unemployed which results in a very low standard of living.
Soldiers are the majority of those men, who have work, and thus they get a small income.
With the women, the situation of employment is especially bad. In order to rear up their
children many of them produce "local beer". So they obtain a low income through its sale. But
the brewing of beer is a very risky issue: So much in the South-Sudan beer may belong to the
reason-foods, however, it is prohibited in the Muslim embossed north according the Islamic
law, the Scharia. If women will be caught by brewing beer, they will go to prison for three to
five months. Many times the police will take also away most of the materials belonging to the
women.
Because the distance to the "Good Shepherd" - Parish in
the centre of Kassala however is rather big, the pastoralcentre
of Wau Nur has been opened in this area. The place
is approximately big 25m times 25m large and comprises a
chapel (about. 4m times 15m big), sanitary facilities and a
surrounding wall. At the moment bigger events take place
outside, smaller meetings of activists as well as catechism
and primary school-instruction take place in the chapel.
The Wau Nur centre takes care of approximately 300 Christian families, what corresponds to
a number of approximately 1500 believers. Events and church services always take place in
the evening, because then the people are at home from work.
There is also a plan to set up further buildings on the site: A school class for children for
catechism and primary school-instruction. Further it is planned to build a multi-function-room
for women ("women’s hall"), it should serve as meeting place and as a vocational training
centre for them. The women should learn to sew there in order to have thus an alternative to
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making money by illegal brewing of beer. A sacristy should be added at the west-side of the
church. Finally the toilet room should be removed and built up again outside the enclosure.
The planned activities are to be seen as the beginning of a process being aimed at a maximum
of independence and self-support.
Toilettee
sacristy
Celebrating Easter in the Wau Nur Centre:
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N
Kapelle
Eingang
„kindergarden“
Womens’ Hall

Enclosed, the calculations to the planned activities are presented:
Women Hall:
Material Local Currency Euro
Zinc 612.000 229.2
Cement 566.000 211.9
Stone 450.000 168.5
Woods for roof 540.000 202.2
Bricks 600.000 224.7
Sand 480.000 179.7
Door 280.000 104.8
Windows 770.000 288.2
Cabord 650.000 243.4
Table only one 350.000 131.0
2 Sewing Mach. 845.000 316.4
Contractor 2.300.000 861.4
Total 7.558.000 2.830.7
Secresty Calculation
Material Local Currency Euro
Zinc 255.000 095.5
Cement 256.000 095.8
Stones 300.000 112.0
Woods for roof 240.000 089.9
Bricks 360.000 134.8
Sand 240.000 089.9
Door 280.000 104.8
Windows 440.000 164.8
Cabord 450.000 168.5
Table 350.000 131.0
Contractor 1.600.000 599.0
Total 4.471.000 1.787.2
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Shimal Halanga Centre
The pastoral-centre of Shimal Halanga is about 3km north from the Good Shepherd Parish in
Kassala. Since 1992, many displaced people coming from South-Sudan have lived in the
settlement-area of Shimal Halanga. Fr. Ghebrai estimates the number of the now here living
families at 200-300, what corresponds to a number of 1200 to 1500 inhabitants. Through the
expansion of the city many families have been forced by the authorities to leave the
settlement-area. They change to Wau Nur or leave Kassala at all.
Some time ago there were many believers in Shimal Halanga , now the families due to the
swift growth of the city move away to Wau Nur. About 10 families still gather round the
centre of Shimal Halanga. They live near the pastoral-centre.
Formerly Moses the catechist lived inside the pastoral-building with his family. However the
roof of the meeting-centre collapsed because it was dilapidated. The house stands empty since
that time and is used only for the purpose of meeting of the faithful of this area and for
religious further education. It should be repaired soon, otherwise the showers of the rainy
season make the damages irreparable. In the centre no masses are celebrated. The faithful
move by taxi to Good Shepherd Parish to attend the service.
Erneo Mohammed lives with his family here.
He has 11 children and is the chairman of the
parish council since seven years.
Since 2002, more and more young men moved
into the environment of Shimal Halanga from
the regions around El Gedaref and Port Sudan in
order to work in the local brick-factory. Their
residential-area looks like a military hiding
place with trenches, and they called it Kandahar
after that city in Afghanistan where the Taliban
were expelled by the Americans at the time of
the foundation of this settlement.
While the previously mentioned families live around the centre, the factory workers live in 1
km distance to the pastoral-centre. The number of the here living workers is about 50. Each of
them has a wood-grass-cottage. However, that is only temporary since all of them would like
to build a better house. Partially these factory workers have already established families.
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The people have a very good community
among each other here. They meet in the
pastoral-centre to for religious instruction.
To the church services in the centre they
move by rent-cars - like the families, who
live around the centre.
Their aim is to reactivate the dilapidated
centre and then to organize a church
service there every Friday and Sunday.
Below a calculation of the costs of the

eparation of the building:
This is the Calulation of the house in Shamal Halanga
Material Local Currancy Euro
Zinc 1.624.000 0.608.2
Wood for roof 1.650.000 0.617.9
Cement 1.460.000 0.546.8
Bricks 1.250.000 0.468.1
Windows 1.870.000 0.700.3
Main Gate 0.700.000 0.262
Contracter 03.500.000 1.310.8
TOTAL 13.014.000 4.874.0
Toilet Room
Material Local Currency Euro
Zinc 120.000 044.9
Cement 160.000 059.9
Stones 150.000 056.0
Bricks 180.000 067.4
Two Doors[small] 320.000 119.8
Two small windows 110.000 041.1
Total 1.040.000 1042.67
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Hai El Areb
Centre
John the Baptist
The Hai el Areb pastoral-centre one
will find approximately 8 km west of
Kassala central-parish. 35 Protestant
families and 36 Catholic families
belong to the Christian population
here. Both Christian confessions use
the centre. The standard of living of
these people is very low.
The site is approximately 25 times 25 m² big and is surrounded by a clay-wall. A full-time
catechist is living in the centre. Beside his residential room/dormitory there is a small school
class , where the children get elementary education and religious instruction. The altar for the
mass is outside on the site. Every Thursday evening, a mass for the believers is celebrated
under free sky.
The pastoral-centre has a water
pump with water-connection.
However, there is no electricity and
the rent for an electric-generator
(e.g. for Easter) is very high.
Therefore, an electric connection is
desirable. At the same time it should
be considered, whether a
photovoltaic system calculates itself.
As the existing class-room is very
small, it is planned to build further
class-rooms in order to be able to
teach more children there.
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Altar
entrance
toilette
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Class room
living room

Wad Sherife Centre.
The Holy Savior
Approximately 25 km north easterly from Kassala, one car-hour on the sand-track, there is the
refugee-camp of Wad Sherife. Passing first the original mountain-forms of the Kassala Hills
one reaches big plantations with banana-groves, plantations of millet and maize. That area
seems to be fertile. That is not any miracle either, since this area is very close to Gash-River
coming from Eritrea. Although this river during our visit was entirely dry, it provides the
agriculture by sufficient subterranean water reservoir, which is capable to feed the entire
plantations.
Wad Sherife is found at the edge of this beautiful oasis already in the dust-dry desert. Here is
one of the biggest camps for refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia. In the 80ies, this camp
registered a record number of over 100.000 refugees, now there are only about 30.000 people
under the protection of the UNHCR. This camp exists since 1977. Many refugees have now
been living here for 25 years. They were able to go back to their homes anytime, unless they
had to face big problems in their home country, which made a return almost impossible:
Recently in 1998 warfare flared up between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
The refugees are very poor. As there is not any help of the state Sudan, the UNHCR is
responsible for them. The Office is in the centre of Wad Sherife. The people live mainly on
the food-rations allotted every three months there. However, this care is not enough to nourish
the children sufficiently and to bring them up.
As a result of the precarious economic situation of the individual refugee-families many men
are forced to earn money as day labourers. They look for casual works in the camp or work as
a fieldworker on the plantations. Their income amounts about 5 Sudanese Newpounds, which
is equal to 2 Euro on the day.
For the women, beer-brewing represents the main-income. This brings them into severe
danger, because production and consumption of alcohol is prohibited in the Sudan under the
Islamic law. Alternative sources of income therefore are in demand.
The Catholic Church runs a big school in Wad Sherife like the one in Kassala since 1983.
Approximately 200 students get education from primary school to maturity examination. Fr.
Ghebrai Beidemariam is the responsible for these two schools.
The Pastoral Centre (Centre of the Holy Savior)
In some distance of the big Eritrean
Refugees' School in Wad Sherife, the
pastoral-center of the camp is situated.
The area is approximately big 30m
times 50m large. On the place we find
a chapel, a shelter for schoolinstruction,
a small kitchen and a small
apartment for the catechist. Beside it
we see remains of a collapsed schoolbuilding.
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25 Eritrean refugee-families from the group of the Habescha-tribes (each of them having up to
6 children) are members of the parish. They live in the surroundings of the centre and belong
to different tribes
Further 100 families that belong to the tribe of the Kunama, live in some distance. (The
Kunama are a group coming from the southwest of Eritrea, ethnologically and linguistically
however they differ quite a lot from the Habeshagroups
in Eritrea). The Kunama still are a very
original people-group, that still has a big desire for
development. Above all among the women, the need
of catching up education is big. There are several
women-groups that meet in the "class-room"
regularly to be instructed in sewing, cooking, and
house-keeping in order to be able to provide the daily
needs of the family independently. The Kunama-men
work mainly in the fields of the surrounding
plantations.
An important concern of the parish is the education of
children and teenagers. In the year 2005, the schoolbuilding
on the place collapsed. Up to 500 students
until that time visited this school. At the moment only
a rubble-pile can be found at this place. Only 13
children are taught in the shelter (without walls)
beside the church in three school-steps momentarily.
There are still newcomers, who are taken in here. A
cook is responsible for the feeding.
Twice weekly, Fr. Ghebrai comes to Wad Sherife, in order to take care of administrationworks,
to accompany pastoral-work and to coordinate the social activities of the centre.
The chairman of the pastoral-committee of the Centre of the Holy Savior is Ghebrezghi Fidel.
He lives with his family near the pastoral centre.
As Sunday is a working day, the mass is celebrated on Friday because that is the Muslim
week-holiday. In the damaged chapel, the masses are celebrated for smaller groups. Most
services and all sacred holidays are celebrated outside because the chapel is too small.
Because there are many different groups of believers, the celebrations are apportioned. Fr.
Ghebrai says the mass in Tigrinya (the official language in Eritrea) and in the Kunamalanguage
according to the same-named tribe differing fully from Tigrinya.
The most urgent measures that have to be done
The chapel must be repaired. Reparations having been carried out are destroyed again during
the rainy season, however. Every year, 2000 New pounds (=800 €) are spent for mending the
damages. This is always too little, however, so that the parish has to add the open amount.
For a final repair better material would have to be brought here: e.g. a new corrugated ironroof
for the chapel (instead of the present thatch) is urgently necessary so that the damages
could be stopped done by the water during the rainy season. The costs can be determined
however not yet, but there will be a calculation soon.
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In planning is: 1 kitchen, 1 bedroom for the cook. There is a plan to improve the school too.
The shelter should be equipped with walls so that the individual school classes get a certain
separation (3 classrooms, 1 abidance-area).
Furthermore the parish wants to buy a big tent with variable size. The costs for one shelterelement
are one Euro, 1 camp element (= 1 unit) is equal to 2,5 New Sudanese Pounds , the
costs for the whole camp would be 10.000 new pounds (= 4.000 €)
WC damaged
Kitchen
class Tree
Destroyed
School
Entrance
Shelter for teaching
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WC
Chapel