Two years have passed since His Excellency Albert A. Fassina, Bishop of the Diocese of Ijebu Igbo (Nigeria) sent to the Franciscan friars of the Immaculate the request for an urgent need of the presence of our Friars in his Diocese.It was certainly in God's plans that one day we would open a mission in Nigeria. In fact, among the several requests sent to our Institute, the Virgin Mary, in spite of the difficulties, carried out the one in Nigeria.
We have chosen to depart on the 6th of November, which is a day dedicated to "Our Lady of Perpetual Help". This Marian date, which coincided with our departure, is also the name given to the new mission; in fact, it is dedicated to "Our Lady of Perpetual Help". The Virgin Mary who always protects and comes to Her children's assistance, certainly wants to assure Her the mission in Nigeria her "help".
The flight towards our destination
After the preparations, we leave on the 6th of November towards the airport of Rome: it is five in the morning.
There are three of us leaving: Father Alphonse M. Salazar, filipino, who, fortified by an experience of six years in Italy, of which the last two as Father Guardian of our community in Civitella (Perugia), is going to be the Father Superior of the new mission; Fra John Joseph M. Borja, also a Filipino. Of the three brothers assigned in the first community of Nigeria, Fra Mariano the third of the pioneer Nigerian missionaries is also a filipino. He will come straight from the Philipppines as soon as possible to join the other two who are already in Nigeria.
The choice of the filippino brothers for this mission is due to the fact that apart from their personal abilities, is that they speak English, and in Nigeria, among so great confusion of dialects (there are more than 250), English remains perhaps the best understood language and the one spoken by most of the population.
I look at the watch and realized that, for the first time in my missionary journeys, I will not move the watch hands: time in Nigeria coincides exactly with the time in Italy. Meanwhile, we follow the last-minutes of our flight through the windows. On the right, we can see an agglomeration of houses which stretches out as far as the eye can see. They tell us that it is the city of Lagos. Then, at last, the plane turns into the long landing strip and lands. Deo Gratias, we have arrived!
Finally in Nigeria!
As soon as we got out of the plane, we felt the strong impact of the local temperature. I felt like a piece of ice drawn out of the fridge and which, in contact with the outside heat, melts away. Since we were well kitted out for the winter months of Italy (vests, heavy habit...) and accustomed to the comfortable air-conditioned temperature of the airplane, entering the airport of Lagos was like entering an oven, and the drops of sweat became trickles very soon.
As we were outside the airport, we met at once a group of smiling faces. In the front row was Father Alphonse, the father superior of our mission in Benin, together with two postulants, coming from Benin to make preparations before our arrival. Also the Bishop's secretary and two drivers with two cars of the Diocese were waiting for us.
Immediately we took our seats in the cars and we set off for Ijebu- Igbo, the place we were destined to, almost 80 km away from the airport. It was not an easy task to get out of the traffic of Lagos, which is by far the most populated town in Nigeria, even if it is not the capital. With its more than 10 million inhabitants, it is the mirage of so many poor people looking for a job or a better future. But for lots of them the adventure ends in the organized toils of crime, of delinquency or of prostitution.
Driving through the chaotic traffic of this metropolis requires an exceptional skill. We could tell that our driver was greatly experienced; so, in order to avoid being caught in the traffic, he made daring maneuvers and take-overs.
We made the first trip of our journey by car at Ijebu-Igbo in the bishop's residence. He was waiting for us. He came to meet us amiably and repeated many times with joy: "You are welcome in my Diocese". Then he apologized because these greetings were given with candlelight. But it wasn't an exception after all. In fact, in the evening, but also at different times in the day and in the night, electric light very often goes out.
It was late when we left the Bishop' residence. At about 10:30 p.m. we reached at last the place of our residence in Ijebu-Igbo. Also here people were waiting for us and gave us a real warm welcome (but always with candlelight). What a surprise it was for us, when going into the Chapel of the house to celebrate the Holy Mass, we found on the side wall a beautiful picture (the only one in the whole House) of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She smiled at us, as if she was waiting for us! It was a great joy for all of us and at the same time a sign from Heaven which ratified Father Stefano's intention of entrusting the mission in Nigeria to the heavenly protection of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. But surprises hadn't finished yet! Soon after the celebration of the Holy Mass, we received the beautiful news that among the people waiting for us, there were two young Nigerians (a boy and a girl) who asked to enter in our Institutes. This latest gift the Immaculate granted us was the happy conclusion of a day full of emotions and rich in graces.
Waking up in Nigerian soil
The day after our arrival, we realized, through daylight, where we were. We visited the house we were given hospitality and which will be the Friars' residence. It's a rather roomy house (perhaps large enough for 15 people or more), laid completely on the ground floor, very simple and solid, built by the Irish missionary fathers, not many years ago. Until now it has been the residence of the priests in charged with the Parish. It is situated on a high place, you can see from a part of the town (Ijebu-Igbo). Around the house there is a good piece of arable land. On seeing it, Fra John Joseph, laughing heartily, thought he would turn it as soon as possible into an earthly paradise. A beautiful path, lined with two rows of pines, whch leads from the gate to the entrance of the house. A high boundary wall protects the house and the land.Beyond the wall, on one side, at a short distance, the house of the Nigerian missionary sisters (at the moment they are only two) rises. They work in the elementary Catholic Church of the Parish situated opposite their house. The school accomodates over 400 children of any religion. Next to the friars' house, there are several one storied buildings, which are very simple and are used as meeting and retreat places for the Catholic Associations. Some kilometers away, you can meet the main Church of the Parish entrusted to our Friars. It is dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle. It is beautiful and simple in its architectural lines and also very roomy.
In the opposite direction, not very far away, there is another Church, which belongs to the Parish as well, dedicated to the Guardian Angels. It is a little smaller than St. Peter's, but it is always roomy enough to hold hundreds of people.
Also two Chapels or missionary stations, a leprosery, a hospital, schools of any level, included different university faculties, are part of the parish.
In the parish area there are Mushims, traditionalists, Protestants and Catholics. Muslims form the greater part of the population not only of the Parish, but of the whole national territory. Then the traditionalists follow, that is the followers of the natural religions (animists...). Protestants are present everywhere with an endless number of sects. At last there are Catholics. The Parish presents in miniature what the religious situation of the whole Nigeria is. If we leave out the south-west territory where the presence of Catholics and of vocations is more marked, everywhere else in the country, above all in the Northern states, the greater part of the population is muslim.
In the states of southern Nigeria, and so also in our Parish, the phenomena of the peaceful co-existence of the different religions stands out with great evidence.
It is not unusual, in fact, that members of the same family belong to different religious. They live together in the mutual respect. In some particular circumstances of Holy Masses I celebrated, lots of non-Catholics were present. They took part in the procession of the offertory gifts and in the final dance of joy.
Some Facts about Nigeria
In this world there are people who wake up in the morning to the cockcrows or to the sound of the alarm-clocks, from the simplest to the most complicated ones. In Nigeria on the contrary you wake up to the singing of "Mezzim" which punctually every morning at five o'clock intone the "praises to Allah", equipped with so powerful loudspeakers as to burst one's eardrums. Silence came back and the friars, even if by candlelight, could pray undisturbed.Nigeria is a federal state made up of 36 states. It lies in the west of Africa, with the southern seaboard plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, at one parallel from the equator. It has an extent three times larger than Italy.
The climate, particularly in the southern and central regions, is tropical, with an average temperatures of about 28°. It has two seasons: one with rains (April- October) and another one without rains (November- March).
Nigeria is the most populated black country all over the world; it has, in fact, about one hundred million inhabitants, divided into about 250 ethnic or linguistic groups. Of these, three are the major ethnic groups (each one with more than 10 million inhabitants). In the north, the Hansal Fulani dominate, the Haruba in the southeast and the Igbo in the southwest. Our population lies among the populations of the Igbo group, as we can infer from the name itself of the town where the friars live: Ijebu1gbo.
Nigeria is a country with great oil resources (gas oil costs ten times less than in Italy), but it is still little developed. The main roads which link up the most important centers are in good conditions, even if they lack in traffic signs and demarcation lines on the carriageway. Expanses of thick typically tropical vegetation line the roads, so that, above all in the period of rains; it gives the impression of being in the jungle. The less important roads or inside the centers are badly-kept and strewn with awful potholes which remained a road only for some remains of asphalt.
The centers you can meet are numerous. The big towns show, like all the metropolis of this world, that strong contrast between the exaggerated luxury of some quarters and the dismal poverty of the rest of the town, where millions of poor people, heaped up in poor hovels, live. The small centers look like decaying towns with ruined or unfinished houses, and lots of them made in clay. Dust or mud, according to seams, make the environment even more degrading. Therefore, even if Nigeria is more developed than lots of other countries in Africa, yet it still remains an exploited and poor country.
Nigerian people look as if they don't suffer much from this situation; they live happily with their traditions. The Nigerians are greatly hospitable and ceremonious. When they meet you for the first time, they bow repeatedly and in different ways that you are welcome in their country. Before distinguished people, they kneel down and greet, bowing also their head.
The clothes they wear have lively colors and beautiful potters, typical of Africa, which match with black very well. The way they dress is characteristic. Men wear a large big shirt down to their knees over their trousers made of light material. Moreover, they use a long rectangular piece of material they put on or across their shoulders or around their hips. On their head they wear an oval low white cap. Women wear a gaudy colored dress which covers the whole body, and on it, like men, a long piece of material they use in different ways. Around their head, they wear a twisted cloth the same color as their dress, whose ends rise over their head.
A consoling thing I noticed in Nigeria is the modesty of their clothes. All of them, children, young people and grown-ups, even the ones who dress in the European style, dress properly. Nowadays, this is rare to the point of being unique, considering also the torrid climate of the country. It is a great example for everybody, so there is no excuse that can justify the indecent way of dressing, unfortunately even of so many Catholics.
The People of Nigeria
In my two weeks' stay in Nigeria, I had some way of celebrating the Holy Mass several times. In particular occasion, for example, an elderly person who had died some months before. While we would call this "Mass of suffrage", in Nigeria, instead, they call this "Mass of thanksgiving" (I don't know why). There were crowd of believers in churches in these celebrations. Even non-Catholics participate in them.
The short homilies I made during Holy Masses were, always translated into the local language. Poor listeners! Between my "limited" English and the translation which was three times longer, you can imagine what a mess of ideas came out!
In the distribution of the Holy Communion, I noticed nobody asked to take it on his hand and everybody took it kneeling down along the "balustrade". Moreover, the Holy Mass is followed attentively and all the faithful participate in prayers and singing. Moreover, the servers of Masses are boys who serve with decorum and accuracy.
In the celebrations of the Holy Masses, before the end, there was the greatest surprise: in groups (according to the different categories they belonged to: children, young people, grown-ups, men, women, close and distant people, friends, relatives...) they were invited to present to the altar and make their offerings, be blessed by the priest and go back to their seat.
Consequently each celebration lasted about three hours. In one of these celebrations, I was looking for the holy water to bless the people. Since I couldn't see any container, I asked a boy who was serving at the Mass. "It's here", he answered me. On saying so, he gave me one of those things we use to clean windows with the spray. Since I had no choice, I blessed them, for about two hours, the various groups presenting themselves, with the spray. It was not new for those people, because they came not only to be blessed, but to be washed and went away happy. The last one to be invited was the parish priest, with a small basket in his hand, went around the whole Church begging for alms, and he went dancing as well.
We will never run out of humorous episodes. One day I saw an old woman, who could hardly stand, came by herself towards the altar, with celestial smiles (with her only tooth fully shown off), dancing at the rhythm of the drums and the songs.
May the Immaculate Virgin Mary come to help the good Nigerian people, so that they can find, beyond any doctrinal confusion, the right way to true faith and true love, able to transform everybody's souls and bring them to the fullest and most perfect holiness.
This article is taken from Mission Mariae International, a missionary magazine edited by the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Italy.
