Chad: Pastoral Visit of the general Superior in the District of Central Africa: 3 rd stage

Friday, November 4, 2016

Asky Flight number KP 38 landed on Chad ground, more precisely on the tarmac of Hassan Djamouss international airport at 8:45 pm. The general Superior, Br Robert Schieler, accompanied by the general Councillor in charge of RELAF and the District bursar, Br Marek, arrived in N’Djamena for the last stage of his pastoral visit in the District of Central Africa: the stage of Chad, after that of Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Br Marc Ndouba Mbaïressem, the Br visitor’s delegate for Chad, was present to welcome the general Superior and his travelling companions as soon as he came out of the airport. The 3 Brothers from the community of St Joseph Technical and industrial Education High School (LETI) in Kelo located 345 km away joined the day before the four Brothers from the Community of De La Salle Technical Centre for Learning and Development (CTAP DLS) in N’Djamena in this great circumstance of the pastoral visit of the general Superior. The first welcome given to the Superior by the Brothers in community was simple but friendly.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

For almost one month, the country has been paralyzed by the strike in several services, especially health, education… The reason being the non-payment of wages. This Saturday at 8:00 am, we were nevertheless in the offices of Chad Episcopal Conference in order to fill in the forms and to drop the passports as well as the necessary photos for our registration in the police. The services of the Episcopal Conference will take care of this procedure on Monday morning, November 7, the departure day of the general Superior and the general Councillor toward Madagascar… The morning continued with the individual interviews of the Brother Superior with the 3 Brothers from Kelo.

In the afternoon, the Brother Superior met Br Pascal Mbaby, Director of the Technical Centre of Learning and Development. At 5:00 pm, accompanied by all the Brothers, he paid a courtesy visit to Archbishop Edmond Djitangar, new Archbishop of NDjaména, previously bishop of Sarr, member of Br Anatole Diretenadji’s family … The Archbishop stressed the importance of the testimony of the Brothers on the possibility of a fraternal life between people of different cultures, different nationalities at the service of a population predominantly Muslim … He also praised the technical and vocational quality training given in CTAP DLS, unique in its kind in Chad. Coming out of the archbishop residence, the Superior went to discover Our Lady of Peace Cathedral parish where a huge tent has been provisionally erected in replacement of the cathedral that is being worked on… All the brothers of NDjaména community are committed there in various apostolates: Animation of formations, catechesis, prayer groups, fraternities…

A small tour of the city was then offered to the Superior. N’Djamena, from what we have seen is a beautiful Sahelian city with wide and well designed avenues and boulevards… The huge Nation square, with its gardens and game areas offers pleasant environment of relaxation, promenade and leisure activities… Here and there in the town are beautiful constructions, some have been halted because of the economic crisis affecting the country following the fall of the oil price…A welcoming “glass of water” was offered to the general Superior at the end of the evening. This “glass of fresh water” was appreciated in the throats put to the test by the dry air.