Food for Displaced Families in Goma and Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
The Xaverian Missionaries have served the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than sixty years. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Xaverian Missionaries focused on creating prepared Christians. We multiplied the mission stations, built schools, prepared leaders, and provided for the birth of numerous Christian communities: our first African martyrs, Fr. Didone, Fr. Carrara, and Br. Faccin was killed during the civil conflict in 1964. They were beatified in August 2024.
Conflicts affecting our communities in the DRC have increased dramatically since the mid-1990s and have mushroomed most recently. It has affected two areas where we serve, Goma and Bukavu. Fr. Benard Cimbambo, the regional superior, recently wrote:
“On the night of 27 to 28 January, rebels from the 23 March Movement (M23) and the Alliance du Fleuve Congo (AFC), with the proven support of foreign armies, conquered the town of Goma in eastern DRC Congo. In one night, more than 3,000 people died, according to the United Nations report. Thousands of people were driven into exile. These innocent victims are added to the several million deaths that the war in the DRC has already caused over the past thirty years.
As Xaverian Missionaries, we have witnessed dramatic situations that are sometimes difficult to describe. However, following in the footsteps of our Blessed Martyrs Luigi Carrara, Giovanni Didome, Vittorio Faccin, and Abbe Albert Joubert, killed in the DRC in 1964, we have chosen to stay and share the fate of the Congolese people, for better or worse.
The capture of Goma and then Bukavu by the rebels has caused an indescribable humanitarian crisis. Many families have lost everything. Our parishes and communities continue to welcome people asking for food. Children and women, in particular, are the first victims. These days, we are overwhelmed.
Please help us to make known what the Congolese people are going through with this war, which has no other motive than economic interests. By learning about the suffering of people in Goma and Bukavu, they can perhaps help rekindle the hope of a few distressed families. We aim to help a few families with food. In our area, the staple foods are rice and beans. This means that we can feed an entire family for some days with at least one hundred dollars.
Lent is approaching. This is a time when Christians are invited to be more generous. Please help us in any way you can. We are also doing this locally in the five parishes and communities where we are present. We are convinced that by coming to the aid of these needy families, we can become witnesses of hope, especially this Jubilee Year.
Fr. Bernard Cibambo, SX | Regional Superior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
If you want to donate, please send a check payable to The Xaverian Missionaries, 101 Summer Street, Holliston, MA 01746.
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For background on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa
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