MOTHER MARY IN AFRICA
Head of the Statue of Mother Mary at Kibeho, Rwanda, carved by Marek Kowalski and based on the models of Jean Pierre Sibomana and Faustin Kayitana. In the statue, Mother Mary holds the Seven Sorrows Chaplet, a Marian devotion reintroduced to the Catholic community by Our Lady of Kibeho.
Kibeho is the only Marian apparition on African soil, officially recognized by the Church. Mother Mary’s requests for prayers preluded the 1994 Genocide.
MISSION IS FUN
UNEXPECTED LESSONS ON A CROWDED BUS
BY FR ALDO SIERRA MCCJ
DURING WINTER break a good number of scholastics travel home for a short holiday. I also decided to travel to the capital. It was a cold night and finally a bus arrived at the station. I entered the bus and grabbed its last available seat. The bus was rather old and not very spacious, with two rows of seats and a narrow corridor in between. I sat in the middle of the three-seat row between a young, beautiful Zulu lady and her brother. They became my travel companions for the six-hour trip.
The lady was half asleep and whispering some words while leaning against the window. The young man said: “Don’t worry about her; she is a bit tired from the pre-celebration. We are attending a graduation ceremony in the capital and we had a few drinks before boarding the bus. If she talks in her sleep, it is because of her being exhausted …”
All of a sudden, the lady woke up, and became very talkative, confirming her brother’s words of going to a graduation ceremony. She asked about me, presuming that I was an Indian, though I hail from Mexico. She noticed that I was reading on my e-Book and said: “I admire people who read. Look at these people in the bus, their only concern is what time the bus will stop so that they can take a break and buy food, even if they are not hungry. When they reach home, their talk will be about food. But I have always found it very interesting to talk about what I have read while traveling, the people I met on the trip, and so on.”
Then she continued: “I am a university professor and my specialization is education, and I know what I am talking about. The priorities of the people and the way they see the world must be questioned.”
I was really very tired and while I really wanted to sleep, I found this conversation interesting. I could barely believe that she was really a University Professor (especially because of her young appearance and general demeanour). She may have noticed my scepticism, so she added: “Look, this is my name, I have written some articles on education, check them online.”
Our chat ended there and I closed my eyes. The following day, out of mere curiosity, I looked on the internet, and realised that everything I was told was true. I learnt that even in a crowded old bus, and coming from the mouth of a young person in a celebrative mood, you can learn valuable life lessons!
ECCLESIA SUPPLET
It was a Saturday morning, and I was getting ready to visit one of my outstations called Edinburg, to meet the altar servers and practice how to serve Mass with them.