Luanda, 08 September, 2025 / 4:02 PM
Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of the Catholic Archdiocese of Luanda in Angola has urged the people of God in the Southern African nation to go beyond devotion and realize some concrete action of peace, justice, and solidarity.
In his homily during the closing Mass of the 2025 annual pilgrimage at the Shrine located in Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Viana, Archbishop Dias linked the gathering with Angola’s golden jubilee of independence and the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.
“This pilgrimage is more than a devotional gesture. It is an opportunity to give thanks, reflect, and commit ourselves to the future of our country,” he said during the September 7 event.
The Angolan Archbishop added, “We are living the jubilee year of our nation’s independence. 50 years of walking; 50 years of achievements and challenges. And here we are, as God’s people, to say to the Mother, thank you, help us to do better.”
“The faith of the Angolan people is a reflection of their hope and resilience. The pilgrimage to Muxima must be translated into a commitment to peace, justice, and solidarity,” the Local Ordinary of Luanda said.
According to Archbishop Dias, the spirituality of pilgrimages must overflow into a life of service, justice, and fraternity.
“The Church is not a spiritual club nor a refuge for cowards. It is a house of light, of salt, of leaven in the world. And we are called to give colour and flavour to life through the witness of our faith, a concrete, living faith committed to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, those who have lost hope,” he said.
Archbishop Dias continued, “With the joy of our ancestors in faith, we renew our homage that is offered by all God’s people to Mary, the saint of Angola’s faith and the image of the Church in which they recognize their origins.”
He went on to caution that “faith cannot be only emotional or momentary but must be translated into conversion and renewal of life. The pilgrimage is only true if it is a new birth, a psycho-spiritual journey closer to God.”
Archbishop Dias also encouraged pilgrims to live their faith with courage, simplicity, and truth, even where it may be ridiculed or misunderstood.
“We cannot live a faith that is closed, ashamed, and hidden. We must live as those who truly believe, disarmed and sincere,” he said.
According to him, a faith rooted in real life both liberates and heals. Faith, he said, “is the oxygen of the world. It is urgent to witness Christian values publicly, beginning with the family, work, community, and politics.”
“A spirituality that does not transform real life is sterile. It is not enough to pray much, make novenas, and carry holy cards if we do not let ourselves be transformed by the Word of God,” he emphasized.
The Local Ordinary of Luanda also spoke about the independence of the Southern African nation. He said, “Angola is a gift from God. Independence is a good and a blessing. But this nation must be continually built with wisdom and responsibility.”
He called on Christians “not to withdraw from public life, but to be present with faith and commitment.”
“May the wisdom of God be present in all those with responsibilities of various kinds. Only in this way will we build an Angola worthy of God’s children. May we be a Church of communion, without exclusions. A Church with a heart. A pilgrim Church, going out to meet everyone,” the 66-year-old Catholic Archbishop implored.
Considered the most popular place of pilgrimage and worship in Angola, the Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima is located some 130 kilometers from the country’s capital city, Luanda, and sits on the edge of the Kwanza River.
Every year, the Shrine attracts local and foreign pilgrims. In the local Kimbundu language, “Muxima” means heart, a name given to the Shrine due to its prime location in the middle (heart) of the province.
The village of Muxima was occupied by the Portuguese in 1589. They built a fortress and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima.
A popular place of devotion to our Lady from one generation to the next, the Marian pilgrimage received a boost when Angola’s Diocese of Viana was created in 2007, inaugurating a new phase in the history of the Shrine.
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