WE CANNOT REMAIN SILENT...

Like the Apostles and the first Christians, we too can say with full conviction: "For we ourselves cannot cease to proclaim what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). Just as the Apostles saw, heard and touched the saving power of Jesus (cf. 1 Jn 1:1-4), we too can daily touch the sorrowful and glorious flesh of Christ.

Ngbala is an outlying station of the Sacred Heart parish, located 85 km from Sembe, in the diocese of Ouesso, in the Republic of Congo. It has about three thousand inhabitants, most of whom are Christians. Of the Christians, sixty percent are Catholic. This beautiful mission was closed for fifteen years because of the insufficient number of priests in the diocese of Ouesso

Three years ago, a fervent Catholic arrived in Ngbala, he is called Mr. DIANTOUILA Corentin, the Divisional Officer appointed there. After spending two years without the opportunity to practise his Catholic faith, he made his investigations and discovered that there was a Catholic church covered by bush and trees whose branches carefully covered the roof of the abandoned church building as if to protect it from any form of destruction.

Mr. DIANTOUILA mobilized and paid a group of men to clear the surroundings of the Church.  His wife and her team carefully decorated the house of God to give it the beauty and order it deserves. While all the renovations were taking place, Mr Corentin insistently appealed to the parish priest of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Sembe for a priest to visit them periodically. His request was heard by the parish priest who, decided to make a place above. We too, the sisters of the Sembe mission, decided to accompany him using the ambulance of our hospital, which is a car strong enough to face such a road. 

On our arrival in Ngbala on 11 December 2021, we were warmly welcomed by Mr. DIANTOUILA Corentin in his office. In his words of welcome he told us "that our arrival is like a light that has finally shown the end of a dark tunnel, a dark era. In this village we are covered in darkness, our families are suffering, divided and dying of despair, some are at the mercy of false shepherds who exploit them financially etc. Your arrival has brought us hope. Your arrival has brought us hope. It was a very powerful experience of attentive listening, reflection and prayer.

From the office of DIANTOUILA Corentin we went directly to the church, some Christians who saw us rushed to greet us with joy, they showed us much gratitude and their hope to now have the church open and at least one priest who would go from time to time to pray with them and listen to them. They were eager to tell us the story of their mission and how they suffered when it was closed. Their request was one: that our arrival among them mark a new beginning. We left Ngbala carrying them in our hearts and with the desire to return the following Sunday to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

We left for Ngbala on Sunday morning with two choir members, two altar boys and a member of the lectors' group. Twenty-three (23) kilometres from Ngbala, we took the catechist of this mission who knew of our arrival and decided to wait in front of his house. In the past, before this mission was closed, this catechist had travelled these 23 km with enthusiasm to serve the church. This man was so happy that he animated our company with songs and stories until we reached Ngbala.

After a two-hour drive, we arrived at the Catholic mission in Ngbala and found a pleasant surprise. A choir of Christians filled the church waiting for the Eucharistic celebration, which was presided over by the parish priest Father Job, who had spent the night in Ngbala to listen to them.

During his homily, the priest reassured the faithful of God's infallible and unconditional love for them and of his permanent presence in their lives, in their hearts. He told them that God has never forgotten you, even if the priest was absent, and urged them to always trust and pray to God. He promised them that by the grace of our faithful God, he would make a programme to visit them at least once a month. This declaration and promise was greeted by joyful and thunderous applause from the faithful.

At the end of the celebration, the village chief thanked God for bringing back the missionaries with the intervention of Mr. DIANTOUILA Corentin. He also thanked immensely the parish priest and all the delegation from Sembe. He reiterated his appeal for the continuity and stability of the Church's missionary activities in their village.

This experience has brought us much joy and we want this missionary activity to continue to grow, so that Jesus will be known by all. Our hope is that the Lord will continue to call and send missionaries of the Gospel into his vineyard, so that places like Ngbala will also have the possibility of having a permanent religious presence.