Advent Message 2008

A Place to Lay His Head

Most of us are familiar with the passage in the Gospel of St. Luke that relates that Jesus was born in a stable and placed in a manger because – tragically – there was no room for his family at the inn (Lk 2:7). What struck me for the first time recently, though, was that Jesus finds Himself in exactly the same position as an adult: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Lk 9:58). Both as a newborn infant and as a fully grown man, Jesus is the homeless beggar in search of a dwelling place. As Monsignor Luigi Giussani, founder of the movement Communion and Liberation, once stated: "The real protagonist of history is the beggar: Christ who begs for man’s heart, and man’s heart that begs for Christ." What an awesome thought, that I can offer shelter to Christ: “may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith,” writes St. Paul (Eph 3:17).

St. Peter and Paul Cathedral

It may surprise you to know that homelessness is not a major problem that I have encountered in Sudan. During the war years, it is true, many became displaced from their villages and had to flee as refugees. But the climate of Southern Sudan is hospitable, and its people are ingenious and content with little, and so in a matter of days, with the help of friends and neighbors, an unused plot of land can be found and a simple house constructed completely “organically” with poles and mud and grass. Ironically, the person who suffers most from homelessness in Sudan is Jesus, and His family the Church.

Cathedral Parish House

During the more than 20 years of civil war as many as two-thirds of the physical structures of the Church in the Diocese of Torit were damaged or destroyed. This includes the cathedral (the damage to which is irreparable), the parish church in Torit and churches and buildings in many other communities. In a lot of places Catholics gather for Mass under trees or in temporary shelters: “no room at the inn… no place to lay his head.”

Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Downtown Torit

It is true that the principal “edifice” of the Church is not a physical building. It is rather the “holy temple” made of “living stones” where “God dwells in the Spirit.” (cf. Eph 2:19-22; 1Pt 2:5). The way in which the Church in Sudan was able to endure the many years of the war as an almost spiritually nomadic people, is an incredible feat. I had a vivid impression of that several weeks ago during the weekly prayer meeting that gathers in the ruins of the parish church under the open sky: how the living communion of Catholic Christians formed a refuge of faith in which the Church could survive and grow, stripped of almost every material possession but cleaving to that which was most precious and indestructible: the Sacraments - above all the Eucharist, the Word of God, the loving presence of the Virgin Mary and the other saints.

Church in Lafon

But now that peace has come, thank God!, and the years of wandering in the wasteland of war have come to an end, it’s time to rebuild, time to “Repair My house, which is falling into ruin,” as Jesus told a youthful St. Francis as he prayed before the Crucifix in the collapsing chapel of San Damiano in Assisi. This year, in fact this month, the Diocese of Torit celebrates its Silver Jubilee, 25 years of existence. A great deal of preparation has gone into this event, because the Church here sees it as a new beginning, a “re-launching” of the diocese, if you will, the inauguration of a new era of re-edification, on every level. And in this, I would like to beg for your help.

Church in Kerepi

I would first of all like to ask you to share the photos of the damaged churches of the diocese with the pastor of your home parish, or any other potentially interested individual or organization that you may know, to see if it might be possible to help the communities here reconstruct their physical houses of worship, to provide the Lord a worthy place to dwell in the midst of His people. I am willing to do whatever I can to act as a liaison between parishes here and those in the US who would like to help them, including visiting American parishes if at all possible when I am back home in the fall. Please contact me for more information about this.

Panyikwara Chapel

Second, I would like to ask for your continued support of my missionary work in Sudan. I know that in the past few months many of you have been hard hit financially by the global credit crisis. For that reason I will be all the more deeply grateful for whatever sacrificial offering you are able to make. Some expenses that are in view for the first half of next year include: the possibility of a heavy duty utility vehicle for transportation on the rough, unpaved roads of the diocese, a series of youth retreats to build up the next generation of adult Catholics, and the prospect of welcoming two potential visiting mission teams – one of CFR friars and another of laity. The ability to fulfill these hopes, of course, depends on the financial resources that God provides through our friends.

Church in Lowoi (exterior view)

Church in Lowoi (interior view)

Thanks be to God, through the diocese’s generator-powered satellite internet hookup, I have been able to make regular postings, including lots of photos, on this blog . Please share this site with others. Please also send your email address to us at: cfrsudan@gmail.com. This will enable me to keep in touch through occasional messages.

Parish Church in Loa

I am sincerely thankful for all the interest, concern and support that so many of you have shown me as I have begun my missionary service in Africa, and have remembered you, your families and your intentions in prayer. Please let me know if there is ever a special need for which you would like me to pray, or an intention for which you would like me to offer Mass.

Parish Church in Kapoeta - desecrated during the war

From a distance of several thousand miles, in a very different climate, political atmosphere and cultural setting, I want to wish you all the overflowing blessings of the Incarnation of the Son of God. He became a human being for each of us and all of us, regardless of the language we speak, or the color of our skin, or the kind of house we live in. He, His humanity – our humanity, the humanity He embraced and made sacred – is our common ground, our shared inheritance, what most deeply unites us.

Parish Church in Ikwoto (Ikotos)