12 Jan 2023
As hearts all over the world rejoiced in unity at the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we were delighted to see these wonderful photographs of this year’s Christmas celebrations from our MSC mission in Mozambique.
On December 23rd, Fr Jose Eduardo Paixao MSC celebrated a moving Christmas service with the nurses of the Metuge District Hospital, before joining the community of St Antonio de Metuge for a beautiful Nativity Mass on Christmas Day itself.
Established in March 2018, our Mozambique mission is now coming into its sixth year of ministry in the Diocese of Pemba. In a region that is besieged by war, violence, and political unrest, along with the threat posed by natural disasters such as cyclones, the mission is constantly adapting to meet the needs of local communities and parishioners as they arise.
The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has a long-standing friendship with our Mozambique mission, most recently joining forces with the community of Metuge to raise funds for war refugees who have settled there. Since 2017, war in the region has left over 850,000 displaced, with many having lost their lives or gone missing from their homes. Along with Fr Jose, we have been raising funds to establish two new projects, a chicken farming programme and a community radio project, to encourage self-sufficiency, dignity, and an improved quality of life for the local community, including those who have been displaced by war, in the district of Metuge.
With local struggles ongoing, and the mission facing constant challenges, it is a joy to see the spirit of Christmas, of unity, and of compassion, in these very special images. As we begin a new year, we ask you to keep out MSC Mozambique mission in your prayers, as we send every grace and blessing of the Sacred Heart to our MSCs and the communities they serve in Metuge.
Images via the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique, with credit to Abudo Manara.
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