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Lynnfield 8-23-18

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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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Looking for<br />

past issues?<br />

Find them on<br />

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