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“Seek Mary’s embrace”: Catholic Bishop to Pilgrims at Opening of Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Muxima Shrine in Angola

Bishop Emílio Sumbelelo of the Catholic Diocese of Viana in Angola. Credit: Catholic Diocese of Viana
João Vissesse

By João Vissesse

Luanda, 07 September, 2025 / 10:34 pm (ACI Africa).

Bishop Emílio Sumbelelo of the Catholic Diocese of Viana in Angola has urged thousands of pilgrims gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima to place their trust in God as Mary did and to find comfort in her maternal embrace, even amid Angola’s social and economic hardships.

In his homily during the opening Mass of the annual pilgrimage on September 5, Bishop Sumbelelo highlighted Mary’s humility and unwavering faith as inspirational to Christian living today.

“Seek Mary’s embrace. There is no human sorrow that escapes the maternal heart of our Mother. Like every devoted mother, she knows how to console her children, even when words fail or suffering is present,” the Angolan Catholic Bishop said.

He added, “Mary believed even without understanding everything. She trusted in the impossible, and the impossible happened. May each of us have the courage to say ‘yes,’ even when everything seems uncertain and dark.”

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.

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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 Catholic Diocese of Viana was created in 2007, inaugurating a new phase in the history of the Shrine.

In his homily at the opening Mass of the annual September 5-7 pilgrimage organized this year under the theme, “With Mary We Journey in Faith”, Bishop Sumbelelo reminded pilgrims that the shrine is not only a destination of devotion but also a place of consolation.

“We are immersed in daily crosses: the pain of unemployment, the loneliness that corrodes, the grief that grips us, the uncertainty that prevents us from moving forward. Yet we are not alone. Mary remains at our side, silent, steadfast; she never abandons us,” he said.

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The Catholic Church leader contrasted Mary’s obedience with the disobedience of Eve, saying, “Eve disobeyed and brought rupture into the world; Mary, with her faithful ‘yes,’ became the channel of salvation. Her humility reconnects us to the Heart of God.”

The 61-year-old Catholic Bishop further reminded the pilgrims that faith points to eternity beyond earthly trials. “We were created for eternity, not for the fleeting passage of earth. Here, everything passes—even pain. But those who live with God live forever,” Bishop Sumbelelo said.

He continued, “Do not be afraid. Do not despair. This pilgrimage is a sacred moment of rediscovering hope and heaven. Look to eternity with your feet firmly on the ground and your heart enflamed with faith.”

João Vissesse

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate. 

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