The extraordinary natural beauty of Katire, a village in the mountains about two hours south of Torit, is difficult to describe in words or capture in photos. It is said that anything planted in the earth will grow there. Especially at this time of year when the rains are plentiful, the vegetation is lush and Katire is exploding with life. It’s difficult to believe that in such a setting just about seven years ago approximately 800 villagers were massacred by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army from Uganda. The many parentless youth who inhabit the village, though, are a constant reminder of that horrendous fact. Decades ago Katire had been a prosperous lumbering community, with a fully functional sawmill powered by electricity generated from a turbine propelled by the robust stream that flows through the village. That life was shattered when the fighting of the civil war reached the village in the 80s and 90s. Katire had been a small isolated community from that time until Holy Week of 2008, when Fr. Ben of the Diocese of Torit reached the village by walking his motorcycle across a plank that spanned a small ravine that cleft the road and celebrated the Sacraments there for the first time in 16 years. His arrival energized the village which then began to repair the bridges and roads leading to the community. The government is now in the process of constructing two modern bridges along the route.
Our team made a day trip to Katire one week ago on Tuesday, June 9. We arrived late in the morning and began by walking through the village accompanied by the local leaders of the Catholic community. As we progressed, our “procession” grew, especially with women and children, as we made our way through woods and fields, past the new tukuls being built by those who are finally returning to their homes after years of exile, through streams and across bridges. We ended at the village “chapel,” actually a beautiful, cool shaded spot under large mango trees. Some of the team sang songs and performed a skit while others set up the generator, projector and speaker to show the
Jesus filim in Lotuko inside the newly reroofed chapel building. We had to spread tarps over the roof and drape them across windows to make the space dark enough. In the end approximately two hundred people crammed into the tiny chapel to watch the movie. We once again had the privilege of witnessing the miracle of people experiencing the Gospel story for the first time in their own mother tongue. We ended with a short exhortation and gave everyone St. Bakhita prayer cards. After meeting briefly with the local leaders we headed back into Torit for a farewell dinner with the Bishop and other priests and personnel of the diocese.
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1 comment:
Are you familiar with the book "A Primate's Memoir" written by Robert Sapolsky in 2001? In chapter 14 he writes of his trip to Katire many years ago. You will appreciate this writing.
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