Mission Magazine Autumn 2023

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Photo credit: Nancy Wiechec/CNS 26 From the Dioceses: Some give by going – others go by giving By Michele Meiers, TPMS Philadelphia The home was one room made of dirt with a roof of corrugated waferthin tin panels. It was so dark that one could hardly see anything. The blackness was all-encompassing. We encountered Michael, a sick and suffering man, in this dark room. His stomach was enlarged, and no one could determine the cause. He had no money, and he relied on the support of the local priest to survive. He depended on this community to take him to a local clinic for further testing. Kenya Population: 53 million Catholics: 10 million 83 percent of the population lives with less than $6 a day
He had no diagnosis. No electricity. No running water. No bed: he spent his days and nights lying atop straws and leaves to cushion the dirt floor. The tin roof and the lack of windows under the scorching Kenyan summer sun also meant there was barely any air to breathe. And yet, when you entered this home, where Michael’s outline was barely identifiable, his large, unforgettable eyes shone like two beacons full of hope. Michael is one of too many people who live in Makuru, a collection of 30 slums in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. These “informal settlements” that occupy a five-mile area are home to over 750,000 people who live in one-room dwellings stacked atop each other. Families of four, six, and up to ten people live in corrugated tin boxes with nothing but mud for the floor. For the tens of thousands who left their rural homes fleeing poverty and dreaming of a better life with jobs “in the big city,” a river of sewage serves as a road, unmapped by Google Street View cars. Michael, whose eyes filled to the brim with hope I cannot forget, is but one of the people I encountered during my mission trip to Kenya. Soon after the oppressive experience of visiting this man, we went to Saint Mary’s parish, which was also located in one of Nairobi’s “informal settlements,” but in a beautiful mountain oasis that reminded me of the story of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. I felt God’s loving presence the second I set foot in this parish for Mass. He was there among His people. A choir of angels was singing, and all were dancing, praising the Lord, accompanying the choir with these beautiful, birdlike African sounds. In a language that escaped me, the meaning behind these words was clear: “God, we love You, please, hear our prayer!” The vibrancy of this congregation was contagious. Despite the sweltering heat of the mid-afternoon sun, everyone was dressed in their Sunday best. Crisp white shirts, ties, hand-made skirts, and lovely simple dresses adorned each person, whether 18 months of age or eighty. Seeing them dressed to the nines, I couldn’t avoid wondering how they managed to have their clothes spotlessly clean in a village without electricity or running water, much less a washing machine. None of the people I was traveling with understood a word of Swahili, the language used during the three-hour Mass. Yet the love for God the faithful had was palpable. They praised Him in every motion and with every word. As 27
Page 1 and 2: A MAGAZINE OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSIO
Page 3 and 4: 2 A letter from Monsignor Harringto
Page 5 and 6: In the mission countries, I have no
Page 7 and 8: Archbishop Christophe Pierre with P
Page 9 and 10: “And something happened to me tha
Page 11 and 12: 9 Missio: In 45 seconds By Monsigno
Page 13 and 14: 11 Help us support the faithful who
Page 15 and 16: of my home country and the presence
Page 17 and 18: Cameroon to continue their tireless
Page 19 and 20: “Obviously, there is incredible e
Page 21 and 22: 19 Archbishop Borys Gudziak in Ukra
Page 23 and 24: 21 Pope Francis’ words resonate n
Page 25 and 26: 23 León, one of the residents of D
Page 27: 25 She persisted, they relented. In
Page 31 and 32: 29 But I could see God’s reflecti
Page 33 and 34: We are called to be missionary disc
Page 35 and 36: In support of those spreading the G

Mission Magazine Autumn 2023

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