Mozambique is one of the poorest countries on earth. The brutal civil war which lasted from 1977 to 1992 caused massive damage to this country in southeast Africa, damage that is still visible to this day. Large sections of the country‘s infrastructure are still in ruins, added to which is the damage caused by natural disasters in this region of tropical storms, droughts and flooding. And since 2017, many parts of the country, especially in the North, have been devastated by jihadist terrorism, leaving thousands homeless. Quite apart from the material devastation, the violence has left many people spiritually and psychologically deeply traumatised.
The diocese of Lichinga is also in northern Mozambique. With an area of some 50,000 square miles (130,000 km²) it is roughly the same size as Greece, yet thinly populated, with just 1.6 million inhabitants. The people are poor and for the most part scrape a living by traditional subsistence agriculture with no more sophisticated tools than mattocks, sickles and machetes and in many cases keeping small livestock as well.
Around 20% of the population are Catholics, and the diocese is divided into 21 parishes, which include a total of 929 smaller villages and settlements, some of them up to 65 miles (100 km) away from their respective parish centre.
Many of these villages have no chapel where people can pray together and attend Holy Mass. For Africans in particular it is important to have a fitting place to pray in, a „proper“ church. Unlike an often prevailing Western outlook, which judges things by their material „usefulness“, African people have a strong sense of the spiritual and a profound desire to pray to God in a sacred space. Unlike most other Western agencies, ACN is always happy to help for the construction of churches and chapels, and it is sad to see these communities forced to celebrate Holy Mass under a tree or struggling, often at the cost of great personal sacrifice of great personal sacrifice, to build a rudimentary mud chapel, roofed with branches and a straw thatch – like many of the small village chapels in Lichinga in fact. Moreover, such simple structures do not last long in this part of the world and are frequently damaged or destroyed by the extremes of weather or by termites and other creatures. And more often than not, they are soon found to be far too small as well.
In 15 of these communities the Catholic faithful have now begun to build more solid permanent chapels, on their own initiative and with their own hands. And their bishop has asked us to help for the roofing materials, since a strong and permanent roof is important to protect the building and make it less likely to be damaged by the weather. Needless to say, though, the cost of such materials far exceeds the financial resources of the local church.
We have therefore promised 50,000 Euros so that these 15 village chapels can be covered with a proper roof. Will you help, so that the Catholic faithful of Lichinga can have a roof over their heads as they pray? Bishop Atanasio Amisse Canira has already promised: “We will continue to pray for all our benefactors!“
