Strengthening pastoral outreach in the parish of Manica

The parish of Our Lady of the Rosary is based in Manica in the Diocese of Chimoio in central western Mozambique. It covers an extensive rural area with a radius of around 70 km and includes 74 smaller villages and hamlets, 58 of which have their own chapel. In the remaining villages, the Catholic faithful gather under large trees, or must travel to the nearest village with a chapel.

The Franciscans have been working in this area for over a hundred years now. At present, there are five Franciscan priests and one friar. Franciscan students and novices also visit regularly in order to help in the pastoral ministry. Likewise indispensable is the work of the many lay catechists, both men and women, who lead the prayers in the many villages, help instruct people in the faith, and prepare them for the reception of the sacraments.

The number of Catholics is growing steadily; at least 323 adults and youth were baptized last year alone.  But at the same time, sects are very active and so it is very important for the Catholics to be firmly rooted in their faith. Hence a major priority for the Franciscans is to intensify the pastoral care of the faithful. They want to encourage them to turn their families into real “house churches” where prayer is cultivated regularly. They would like to increase their catechetical instruction, intensify marriage preparation, and offer prayer and retreat days to families. They also need to increase the visits to and pastoral accompaniment of families in difficult and crisis situations and extend their work on behalf of the poorest families, widows, and orphans.

In order to be able to implement these plans, they need some basic equipment. Since there is no electricity in most of the villages, they need lanterns so that gatherings can also be held at night. Mattresses are needed, so that the mission teams can sleep overnight in the villages. And for retreat days and other larger gatherings, food and lodging also need to be provided for the participants.

Finally, they would like to have 22 bicycles and two motorcycles, so that the catechists can travel to the various villages. We want to help them for all these things, so that they can lay the foundations for an enhanced pastoral outreach.