Sakania (Dem. Rep. Congo). On 24 January 1926, the first six Daughters of Mary Help of Christians arrived in Sakania, beginning a fruitful missionary adventure in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Exactly a century later, the FMA of the Our Lady of Africa Province (AFC) celebrated with gratitude and hope one hundred years of presence, service, and mission in the heart of the Congolese land.
Although the major provincial celebration is scheduled for May, the Mary Help of Christians Community in Sakania wanted to give solemnity to this historic date. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by Bishop Gaston Ruvezi of Sakania-Kipushi, in the presence of a large and diverse assembly: FMA Sisters from different communities, religious Sisters from other congregations, diocesan priests and Salesians, civil and religious authorities, members of the Salesian Family, guests from other religious denominations, as well as numerous faithful, including a good number of young people.
In his homily, Bishop Ruvezi thanked the Lord for the work born from the charism of Saint John Bosco and Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello, rooted for a hundred years in Congolese soil. Referring to the commemoration of Mary Help of Christians, celebrated on the 24th of the month, he invited the faithful to meditate on the Virgin Mary’s presence at the wedding at Cana and to live out the Marian exhortation: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). He also emphasized the courage, availability, and fidelity of the first missionaries, whose commitment continues to bear fruit in the educational, pastoral, and missionary fields.
Special recognition was given to the missionary sisters present, with a special mention for Sister Lucie Camperos, who is celebrating 70 years of consecrated life.
Before the final blessing, two presentations enriched the celebration. Mr. Sébastien Ngandwe Lingi, the parish coordinator, expressed the Christian community’s gratitude to the FMA Sisters for their constant commitment to serving the population. Sister Virginie Songe, the community animator, then briefly outlined the history of the FMA presence in Sakania, heartily thanking all the people and authorities present.
After the Eucharist, the faithful gathered on the football field for the symbolic release of balloons into the sky, as a sign of continuity and the missionary spirit of the FMA Sisters. The visit to the historic Kapoquiet tree, also a century old and planted by the pioneering sisters, represented an intense moment of remembrance and gratitude.
The day continued with a fraternal lunch and recreational activities in the large room of the feasts, accompanied by the presentation of gifts offered to the Sisters by the faithful as a token of gratitude.
A future entrusted to Mary Help of Christians
The celebration concluded with the Goodnight message from the Provincial Superior, Sister Clarisse Ngoie Mongyumba, who thanked all the participants and encouraged them to continue their committed collaboration in supporting the mission inherited from the Founders.
One hundred years after the arrival of the first Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Sakania, the AFC Province gives thanks for the journey accomplished and entrusts the future to Mary Help of Christians, certain that the Lord continues to accompany and bless the educational and evangelizing mission of the FMA in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Doy gracias a Dios por los festejos centenarios de nuestras hermanas en el Congo y espero su apostolado siga generando muchas y santas vocaciones. Felicidades