austraLasia
#1883
"We have to follow what the
Gospel says....": the witness of a new missionary
LUANDA:
20th June 2007 -- Pedro Sachitula is just 25
years of age, from Angola. He comes from Chinguar (which can be
written in various other forms), Bié province, where there
were in fact no Salesians (there is a community in Benguela and one
in Luena but these are miles away, even as the crow flies).
Nevertheless Pedro was attracted to Salesian life in a way that
Salesians the world over can attest to: the value of simple, direct
literature... a well-illustrated life of Don Bosco, and the value of
personal witness, even a go-between - how many have come to the
Salesians via another person, perhaps another Religious of another
Congregation (in Pedro's case a Sister).
Meet
Brother Pedro Sachitula sdb, who is about to set off for Papua New
Guinea on a missionary adventure - but not just a human adventure,
romantic as all that may sound. Brother Pedro, it is obvious from the
interview he gave to austraLasia, did not come down with the last
rain shower. He represents an Africa that has known Christianity and
Catholicism for centuries - think that the first diocese of Angola
and Congo was established in 1596! We should not be amazed that
Africa now sends missionaries, not only receives them. In fact
Brother Pedro is the second African Salesian (the first being from
Ethiopia) to be missioned to Papua New Guinea.
Brother Pedro made his novitiate in Mozambique in 2003. The
'lingua franca' there was Portuguese, but Pedro already demonstrates
an extraordinary language capability. We could have conducted
the interview in Italian ("I learned Italian during my
novitiate"), but in fact we conducted it in English, a language
he has 'picked up' during a three month stint in Nairobi and picked
up well.
How is it that a 25 year old, who has
done one year of his practical training in Luanda, is now heading for
PNG - did he ask for that? "Well, my missionary vocation seemed
already with me from the prenovitiate - visiting local villages where
the Salesians were. I first thought of myself as an African
missionary in Africa, but I wrote expressing my willingness to be
available 'for mission', wherever. It was something I discussed along
the way with my novice master, and after that with my Rectors".
'Rome' wrote back - would you be prepared to go to PNG? He said
yes.
And what of family, so important in a
young life, so important in African culture too? That question
brought a pause, a moment of thought and, at that youthful age, a
touch of wistfulness, but that was when Pedro said: "We have to
follow what the Gospel says....and I am not the first young
missionary to leave family and friends", but he acknowledged
that it was not easy, yet his mother had encouraged him to follow
God's call.
Brother Pedro Sachitula came to
Rome first late last year to do the missionary preparation course and
receive his mission cross in Turin. He has completed his visa
applications and is due to fly out in a week's time. Our
thoughts and prayers go with him.
_________________
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