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WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 AUGUST <strong>23</strong>, 20<strong>18</strong><br />
From Africa to <strong>Lynnfield</strong><br />
For the past four years, priests<br />
from the Society of African<br />
Missions (SMA) have assisted<br />
the <strong>Lynnfield</strong> Catholic<br />
Collaborative for one month<br />
during the summer. This relationship<br />
provides a unique opportunity<br />
for sharing cultures, and<br />
learning what makes us different<br />
and what makes us the same.<br />
This year, Father Francis<br />
Barka Nado, SMA, from the<br />
Central Republic of Africa, is<br />
living and working in the parishes<br />
of St. Maria Goretti and<br />
Our Lady of the Assumption for<br />
the month of August.<br />
Father Francis has quickly<br />
become part of our community<br />
– celebrating mass, attending<br />
ministry meetings, joining in<br />
parish social events, and sharing<br />
his smile and personal stories.<br />
Tell us about your homeland.<br />
Central African Republic<br />
(CAR) is a landlocked country<br />
in the heart of the African continent.<br />
It is comparable to the<br />
size of Texas with a total population<br />
estimated at 4.5 million.<br />
A former French colony, CAR<br />
became independent in 1960,<br />
but has long experienced political<br />
instability. A military coup<br />
in March 2013 tore the country<br />
apart with brutal humanitarian<br />
crimes. The country is ranked<br />
among the poorest in the world,<br />
but the soil is rich with many<br />
natural resources. Protestants,<br />
Catholics, Muslims, and traditional<br />
worshippers have long<br />
coexisted, but our social cohesion<br />
is suffering from religious<br />
manipulation by individuals<br />
and foreign nations who have<br />
their own agendas.<br />
Since the country’s official<br />
language is French, how did<br />
you learn to speak English so<br />
well?<br />
I can express myself in<br />
English but I am not so sure<br />
if I speak good English. Back<br />
home, we speak our national<br />
language, Sango. We begin to<br />
learn French in kindergarten.<br />
For theological studies we<br />
are expected to be bilingual<br />
in French and English since<br />
they are the two official languages<br />
of our missionary<br />
society. I speak Sango,<br />
French, English, and Fongbe,<br />
which is spoken in the Benin<br />
Republic.<br />
Tell us about your work as an<br />
SMA priest.<br />
After nine years of parish<br />
ministry in different African<br />
countries, I started working<br />
in administration in 2009.<br />
Currently, I am the leader of<br />
the SMA Fathers in the Central<br />
African Republic including the<br />
Central African SMA priests<br />
and seminarians, and all the<br />
SMA missionaries from other<br />
countries who are working<br />
in CAR. I supervise the SMA<br />
outreach program in an area<br />
that was at the traumatic epicenter<br />
of the rebel battle in<br />
2013. We have a clinic, run<br />
by a nurse/nun, that tends to<br />
13,000 patients per month. We<br />
also provide services to orphans<br />
and widows through our<br />
Association Mama Theresa.<br />
Many of them are receiving<br />
treatments for HIV.<br />
The Animal Hospital of <strong>Lynnfield</strong><br />
Vaccination Clinic<br />
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Leptospira.<br />
It can cause serious damage to the kidney and liver and may be fatal in some<br />
cases. The bacteria is passed in the urine of infected animals and can survive<br />
in the environment for long periods of time in warm stagnant water or moist<br />
soil. Dogs can get infected from wild animals including skunks, raccoons,<br />
opossums, rats, coyotes and deer.<br />
Canine influenza or the dog flu, is caused by the canine influenza virus (CIV).<br />
It is highly contagious and easily spread by direct contact with an infected<br />
dog or through barking, coughing, sneezing or contact with contaminated<br />
objects such as kennels, food and water bowls, collars and leashes.<br />
There are vaccines available for both Leptospirosis and Canine Influenza.<br />
They need to be administered twice within 3-4 weeks, then yearly after that.<br />
The Animal Hospital of <strong>Lynnfield</strong>, will be holding three vaccine clinics at<br />
1 Bay State Road, <strong>Lynnfield</strong>, MA to administer these vaccines this summer.<br />
The date of the clinic is:<br />
Thursday, August 30 from 4-7 p.m.<br />
The cost of the leptospirosis vaccine is $37.50<br />
and the influenza vaccine is $42.00.<br />
COURTESY PHOTO | MARIE LAGMAN<br />
Father Paul Ritt, pastor of <strong>Lynnfield</strong> Catholic Collaborative,<br />
left, with Father Francis Barka Nado at Our Lady of the<br />
Assumption Church.<br />
What are some of the biggest<br />
challenges facing your country/<br />
region?<br />
Our national army has been<br />
dismantled. Rebel groups control<br />
the majority of the territory.<br />
Our civilian population have had<br />
to seek safety in the forest or<br />
have become refugees in neighboring<br />
countries. Our country<br />
has received the lowest world<br />
ranking for quality of life. There<br />
is no security, no running water,<br />
high unemployment, and no<br />
justice for criminals. There is a<br />
high rate of rape for women and<br />
girls, many of whom have been<br />
infected with HIV. Families<br />
have been devastated; towns<br />
have been emptied. There are so<br />
many wounded souls.<br />
BOSTON<br />
FENCE<br />
Where has your ministry as an<br />
SMA father taken you to work?<br />
I have worked in Benin<br />
Republic (2000-2005), South<br />
Africa (2005-2009), Nigeria<br />
(2009-2013) and since 2016, the<br />
Central African Republic in administration<br />
and as team leader.<br />
Tell us about your family and<br />
childhood.<br />
My dad was 20 and my mum<br />
was 16 when they got married in<br />
the Protestant church. I am the<br />
fourth born of eight siblings, but<br />
with the addition of extended<br />
family members, there were 15<br />
kids living in the same house.<br />
Because our home was not far<br />
from the Catholic church and<br />
minor seminary, we lived in a very<br />
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Catholic environment. We followed<br />
the rhythm of the seminary<br />
bell to wake up, study, play sports.<br />
I was 13 years old when we lost<br />
our mother. We have one priest<br />
and two Protestant pastors in the<br />
family. My dad has retired to our<br />
village. My siblings are married<br />
and live in different locations.<br />
Tell us about your vocation<br />
journey.<br />
Living near the Catholic<br />
Church and seminary in our village<br />
had a great impact on me.<br />
Although Protestant, my father<br />
was appointed principal of the<br />
Catholic girls school, and the<br />
nuns allowed my siblings and<br />
me to attend school there. The<br />
French missionary priests and<br />
nuns are well respected in our<br />
village – they know us and our<br />
culture, they speak our language,<br />
and they greet everyone no matter<br />
whether they are Catholic or not.<br />
Our Protestant church was too<br />
far from home and their sermons<br />
were too long. I was attracted to<br />
the pictures inside the Catholic<br />
church with the beautiful scenes<br />
of the Bible and Holy Eucharist.<br />
I loved going inside that church.<br />
I finally asked my mum if I could<br />
become a Catholic priest. I registered<br />
for catechism classes and she<br />
provided me with all the necessary<br />
items. During Lent, she even<br />
cooked special meatless meals just<br />
for me. It took me two attempts to<br />
pass the test, but I joined the seminary<br />
training at the age of 13. I<br />
decided that missionary work,<br />
specifically in Africa, was what I<br />
was being called to do, so in June<br />
1992, I joined the SMA Fathers.<br />
What is your favorite<br />
American food?<br />
I enjoy seafood (lobster in<br />
particular) and ice cream.<br />
Is there something you are<br />
hoping to see or do during your<br />
stay in the U.S. this time?<br />
While here, I would love to<br />
see where the Boston Celtics<br />
play and go a movie theatre to<br />
see one American movie.<br />
INDEX<br />
Classifieds.......................13-16<br />
Obituaries...............................5<br />
Police Log...............................4<br />
Real Estate.......................13-16<br />
Religious Notes.......................8<br />
Bostonian<br />
Shadow Box<br />
Seniors...................................6<br />
Sports................................9-11<br />
For more information call The Animal Hospital of <strong>Lynnfield</strong> at<br />
781-344-4161 or email us at reception@animalhospital.com.<br />
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