From 18 to 28 June 2023, the Assistant General for Africa Fr. Félicien Mouendji visited our Piarist presences in Mozambique. He was accompanied by Fr Jesús Elizari, Provincial Superior of Emmaus, and two other members of his Province: Father Israel and Mr Roberto (lay piarist). The latter two gave training on the Calasanz Movement to the young people of Minhauene.
Our presence in Mozambique is in two northern dioceses: the dioceses of Pemba and Nacala, in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula respectively. It was in Minhauene (Diocese of Pemba) that the first Piarist Fathers opened the first Piarist work in this Portuguese speaking country. It is a village where we have a kindergarten (escolinha), a parish with 34 mission stations and a farm. Currently, three Fathers (Fr André, Fr. Rauch and Fr. Innocent) and Joseph, a young Congolese from the DRC, keep the mission running smoothly.
The second presence is in Nacala, a small port town that also gave its name to the diocese. Here, the delegate of the Province, Fr Jean de Dieu Ehemba, accompanies five young Mozambicans in their vocational process. They all live in the small seminary of the Lazarist Fathers (St Vincent de Paul). These five young Mozambicans are the first fruits of a piarist seed that promises a better future in this country in southern Africa.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph Calasanz intercede for this mission in Mozambique so that it may grow under the protection and benevolence of Jesus Christ.
