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The ESL Times / December, 2001
"My past work in Zaire-Congo"
By Zbigniew Kowal
I have been a missionary in Zaire-Congo for twelve years. Zaire is a very big country in the center of Africa. Evangelization began there over 100 years ago. The majority of the 40 million population is Christian - both Catholics and Protestants. The past president, Mr. Mobutu Sese Seko, governed Zaire for 33 years. He was a very bad dictator. In 1997, Mr. Laurent Kabila became the president of the country. He changed the name from Zaire to The Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a terrible dictator, too. He did not have a parliament. Kabila killed many people in the opposition. After three years, a soldier in his guard shot him. Then, his son became the president. His name is Joseph Kabila, and he is only 30 years old now.
I like the people of the Congo. They have so much faith, and they pray every day. During masses, they always dance and sing beautiful songs. A mass can last as long as three hours. I remember it very well! It was wonderful! I really loved the songs in Lingala and in Swahili.
I worked at three different places in the Congo. The last time I was there, I was the pastor at a big parish, and I had 23 small chapels in the forest. I was able to visit villages only three or four times a year because there weren't any roads. So, I often walked on foot in the bush - sometimes 50 kilometers a day. I usually rode a motorcycle on paths in the jungle. Other times, I went by boat along beautiful rivers. The people were very happy when I visited them. African women cooked chicken, fish, snails, earthworms and rises for me. I liked that food so much! I heard the believers' confessions and celebrated masses for them. Then, I gave the parishioners other sacraments such as baptisms, confirmations, and marriages. We often talked together until as late as at 2:00 a.m. in the morning.
In short, the people of the Congo were wonderful to me. But, they were very poor, and there was also a terrible war in the country, and life became very dangerous. During the war, soldiers attacked me four different times on different nights, and each time my house was pillaged. My health became weak too. Therefore after twelve years, I decided to finish my mission in the Congo and to come to Sacred Heart Monastery in Hales Corners to study English. Next year, with my provincial, I will decide where my future work will take me to proclaim Jesus Christ and to help others to love God and their neighbors. I think that the entire Church is called to this mission to teach others about Christ.
Priests of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart School of Theology
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