From August 2 to 9, the Redemptorist Missionaries in Angola preached the Holy Missions in the Cathedral church of the Diocese of Caxito, province of Bengo.
On Sunday, August 2, the sending-off Mass was presided over by Father Celino Ndulo, superior of the Redemptorist Missionaries in Angola.
For a week, 12 priests and 7 Redemptorist brothers, assisted by 1 diocesan priest, 4 Messenger Sisters of Divine Love, 3 diocesan seminarians, and 7 lay people (from various Redemptorist communities and parishes in Angola), carried out this form of intensive evangelization, distributed across 13 mission centers.
The missionaries were welcomed with joy by the communities after the sending-off Mass.
For a week, the mission consisted primarily of a penitential walk with the recitation of the rosary; Mass, followed by confessions and counseling; a mission for children; visits and blessings to homes and the sick; thematic conferences; a solemn Mass and the consecration of various groups to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
The number of participants gradually increased as the activities progressed, reaching even those who were far from the community. Women and children were the most likely to participate, while participation among men, young people, and adults was low.
The missionaries saw and experienced the anxieties and worries of the communities, and announced the Good News of redemption to the poor and marginalized.
One of the most impressive moments of the Holy Missions was the luminous procession held on Friday evening, in which all the communities walked to the parish church, singing and praying, and the consecration of the men and young people to Our Lady of Perpetual Help was performed, witnessed by the bishop of the diocese, Monsignor Maurício Camuto.
The closing Eucharist was held on Sunday, August 9, with the installation of the mission cross in the courtyard of the parish church, a sign of the missionaries’ passage and a reminder that the seeds of the Gospel that the missionaries planted must germinate, grow, and bear fruit.
The Holy Redemptorist Missions have strengthened among the faithful a sense of belonging and active and conscious participation in the life of the community.
Br. Adelino Bento, CSsR. and Br. Baltazar Baptista, CSsR.
