“Party, party, today’s the day!”
It’s Sunday, November 10, in Sago the sisters and the whole village are having a party!
Yes, today is the holiday, today is the celebration, in Sago, in a village inside the forest, in the Sassandra area of Ivory Coast.
Everything is ready: the young people, under Boniface’s leadership, have set up the tents, arranged the tables and chairs for the large number of participants; the village mothers, from 3 a.m., grappling with the stove and the big pots for rice, meat, fish, fufu; the two parish choirs have rehearsed and taken their places in the parish church; the village chef and chef de l’eglise finished all the meetings the day before to work out the details of the celebration and the convivial moment; the kindergarten children are present in their pink and blue overalls; the celebrants have prepared; the sisters are lined up for the procession; the church is packed with children, youth and adults, including Christians from the Beyo chapel dedicated to St. Gemma.
Why of celebration?
But why all this movement? To celebrate the presence of the Sisters of St. Gemma who, 25 years ago, arrived in this portion of the land to make Jesus known and loved, dedicating themselves to the little ones, the young and the sick, as sisters and mothers, as the foundress, Venerable Gemma Eufemia Giannini, wanted.
Upon their arrival in the village they were welcomed by the Missionaries of the Consolata who had come to the village two years earlier to begin their mission and by the village chef who as a sign of welcome gave the sisters a piece of land to build their house.
A long journey made together
In 25 years the Sisters have walked with the people of Sago, who have since grown. To the few houses that peeped out among the forest trees and endless plantations of palm trees for oil, so many have been added, a Catholic kindergarten run by the Sisters, elementary school run by the Missionaries of the Consolata and recently three boarding schools for high school boys and girls have opened.
What a movement in Sago where Catholics, Protestants and Muslims coexist peacefully! The three mosques do not overshadow the Catholic parish, and the Catholic parish, on its side, through the proclamation of the one Lord redeemer of all men and all mankind does not diminish the action of the mosque that continues its activity and draws its faithful through announcements from the minaret. The crowded Friday market, where vendors from outside the village, from Sassandra, San Pedro, and even Abidjan converge, is a concrete sign of this peaceful coexistence.
But what more can be said about the celebration?
The celebration, presided over by the delegate of the bishop of San Pedro and concelebrated by Fr. Gregoire, a Consolata missionary, and Abbé Jean, a native priest of Sago, took place with great solemnity and emotion, especially at the moment of the offertory when, some girls, with their Ivorian kità, brought 25 lamps to the altar, symbolizing the 25 years of presence of the community of sisters, two of whom have already reached the homeland of heaven.
And after the celebration photos, and more photos, with everyone, small, big, young, men and women and then the moment of the fraternal agape in the garden of the religious community a garden that was attended by hundreds of people who ate, sang, danced to express their thanks to the Lord for the gift of this community that wants to continue to be an extension of the saving presence of the Lord Jesus.
Sister Elisabetta Giussani