Summer 2012 - The Mill Hill Missionaries

Summer 2012 Advocate:Layout 1 19/07/2012 12:14 Page 11The pastoral and sacramental work ineach parish is basically the same. Peopledepend on missionaries to help them bothspiritually and materially - even to facilitatethem to sell their cash crops such asrice and coffee.For a few years schools were State runand religion had been banned from theschool curriculum. Eventually, the governmentreversed its disastrous policy onschools and a new contract betweenChurch and State was negotiated. Theneach parish resumed the gigantic task of reestablishingPrimary and Secondaryschools for teachers and pupils.Djolu is a small shantytown. It had a fewsmall shops containing very little merchandise.From time to time they acquired suppliesof salt and soap, which were sold outalmost immediately. Djolu was also the administrativecentre for the region with amilitary camp. In those days Loyalty toboth president and to the political party wasparamount. In such a milieu we were constantlyunder surveillance and it was notunusual to experience harassment.Nevertheless, among State and the civilianpopulations there were good honourablecitizens who knew in their heartthat the mission of the Church is for thebenefit of people and the glory of God.It is almost thirty years since I was inAfrica; I have not returned after completingthe first ten years of my priesthood inZaire/Congo. In the intervening years Ihave ministered in New York, Los Angelesand Dublin. But there are still occasionswhen I have dreamt about being back againin Basankusu meeting people I once knew;seeing them gathering for mass and hearingabout the latest palaver. In my dreams,travel remains unpredictable and risky, butalas it is still reality for people in Basankusu.This photo (as well as the photo at the beginning of the article) was taken in Basankusu in recentyears - life in the rainforest has not changed much since Fr. Molloy worked there.10