Missionaries, Local Communities in Mozambique Lauded for Sustaining 80-Year-Old Catholic Mission

Maputo, 03 December, 2025 / 8:54 PM

Bishop Diamantino Guapo Antunes acknowledged of Mozambique's Catholic Diocese of Tete has lauded Missionaries and local community members of Fonte Boa Monte Mission for their tireless commitment to sustaining the Church’s evangelization mission.

In a Sunday, November 30 Eucharistic celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the Mission, Bishop Antunes acknowledged the unwavering support to the mission’s evangelization efforts amid “decades marked by political transitions, social challenges, and economic hardship.”

“Fonte Boa stands today as a testimony of resilience,” Bishop Antunes is quoted as saying in a December 2 report by the members of Southern Africa Province (SAP) of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

He further described the Fonte Boa Mission, founded on 16 October 1945 by Fr. Manuel Lopes and Br. Manuel Rodrigues, as a witness to “faith, and the tireless work of men and women who believed in God’s mission even when resources were scarce.”

The two missionaries are said to have “lived in a simple grass hut and often had to go from village to village asking for thatch to repair their roof.”

Covering a vast area of 1,600 square kilometres and serving 33,780 inhabitants spread across several villages and traditional territories, the mission is said to have become a spiritual home for countless families over the years.

Bishop Antunes also presided over the consecration of the Mission’s new Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Bishop who has been at the helm of the Tete Catholic Diocese since May 2019, reflected on the significance of the new Church building, describing it as a symbol of renewed hope, unity, and mission.

According to Jesuits in Southern Africa, the newly consecrated Church “stands as a beacon of faith for the community” with its spacious interior, solid construction, and modern liturgical design.

With all the features, the Church was built to accommodate the growing Catholic population in the region, the Jesuits say.