Catechists Working to Rekindle Hope among Communities Displaced by Islamist Terrorists in Mozambique

The Ntele resettlement camp is a village sheltering a population that fled the Islamic terrorists who have been terrorizing northern Mozambique since October 2017.

The houses, according to the Catechist’s description, are built from interwoven branches and thatch. So is the chapel of Santo António. The chapel, however stands out as it is slightly larger and has a cross built from two branches.

“The village is served by a handful of catechists who, gathered inside the chapel, or outside, sitting wherever they can, under the shade of the trees, for example, carry out their evangelizing mission,” reads the ACN report.

According to Monteiro, Catechists at the settlement work amid numerous difficulties, starting with the lack of manuals and support materials for catechism classes.

“The manuals we have, which the diocese provides and the parish grants, are not enough for all the catechists due to a lack of resources. The same manual can be used by more than two catechists,” Monteiro says.

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He adds, “One uses it today or in the morning, the other will use it in the afternoon. That is one of the difficulties.”

The other difficulty is the lack of Priests. Monteiro explains that Catechists are working tirelessly, trying to replace the Priests who cannot reach all areas, visit all communities, and connect with all the faithful.

Sometimes there are communities, explains Monteiro, that are only visited once a year by their Priests.

He gives the example of his own Parish, explaining, “Our parish, Our Lady of Consolata of Montepuez, is made up of 17 zones. And each zone, depending on its size, can support more than five communities. Therefore, it is a parish composed of many communities, but it only has two priests. So, the priests and nuns cannot reach everywhere. Where the priests cannot reach, there is the catechist, the animator.”

The village of Ntele lacks most basic things, including food and healthcare.

Catechist Monteiro says that when the settlement was formed, the population received food assistance, but that as time passed, that assistance no longer exists.

“Some organizations made donations. One of them was Caritas of the Diocese of Pemba. But, for various reasons, which we believe are due to a lack of resources, this community, this resettlement, no longer benefits from that humanitarian assistance,” he says.

Pleading for humanitarian assistance and prayers, he says, “We want to thank everyone, all those who do everything they can to help us catechists, to help our communities, to help our faithful, to help our population in Cabo Delgado. And we ask that you continue to pray for us, continue to pray for the mission of the catechists, continue to pray for the peace of Cabo Delgado, the peace of Mozambique in general.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.