Faith amid adversity
Father Patrick Cahill enjoys time with residents of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during his visit in October.ASHEVILLE — On World Mission Sunday in October, Father Patrick Cahill experienced a special joy of celebrating Mass alongside Missionhurst Father Andre Mangongo at his parish in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Father Cahill, mission office director for the Diocese of Charlotte and pastor of St. Eugene Church in Asheville, spent seven days in the central African nation, from Oct. 20 to Oct. 27, to visit parishes, convents and schools in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa, which are supported by funds raised in the diocese.
“I try to occasionally make due-diligence visits to the missions to see how things are going,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for me to communicate our love and concern for our brothers and sisters in the missions we support.”
He was lucky to make the trip, because the U.S. State Department turned down his requests for a visa the first two times he applied, because of the region’s severe instability.
Congo has struggled for decades with civil wars and violence against civilians from various armed groups, some homegrown and others from neighboring nations, particularly in the country’s eastern region. Christians have been targeted in the east, including the death of a Catholic priest in 2022 and 17 people who died in an explosion at a Pentecostal church in January.
Despite ongoing violence elsewhere in Congo, conditions around the Archdiocese of Kinshasa were safe enough for Father Cahill to travel. For safety, his visits were confined to the sprawling capital city of Kinshasa in the southwest and its outskirts, home to more than 16 million people.
The Archdiocese of Kinshasa has 6,378,000 Catholics, a massive population served by only 143 parishes, according to recent statistics.
Some of the funds raised by the Diocese of Charlotte go to support the Missionhurst order of priests, also known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Other funds go directly to support seminaries, convents, schools and parishes.
“I visited three seminaries, two convents, numerous parishes and the archdiocesan chancery and pastoral center,” Father Cahill said. “And despite the challenges people face there, I found it a very inspiring place to be because the Church there is alive. The seminaries and the convents are full. The Catholic schools are full and a lot of the parishes are full. Their needs are expanding there because the Church is growing.”
He said the enthusiasm Congolese Catholics have for their faith was evident at the Oct. 22 Mass with Father Mangongo, a former visiting priest to the Diocese of Charlotte. Offered at a parish in a developing area on the outskirts of Kinshasa, the Mass lasted three hours, and included lots of vibrant, percussive music, a special procession before the reading of the Gospel, and an elaborate offertory.
“It takes a long time because the offertory is very intentional – every single person there has to decide whether they individually stand to offer something, so it takes a while,” Father Cahill explained.
After the Mass, he also blessed a new well on the parish grounds.
“It was a challenge to get there, because the roads were not paved and the conditions in the area were pretty extreme, but it was special to be able to reach out and show support for Father Mangongo,” he said. “Despite the heat, I got a great welcome from people there who are very happy and very devoted to their faith.”
Growing the faith takes place amid a seemingly endless list of challenges around Kinshasa, he said, ranging from electricity that is sometimes only available a few hours a day, to squatters who take up residence on church properties and refuse to leave.
Despite some adversity, however, men are flocking to the priesthood in the archdiocese’s seminaries. And a seminarian’s work, he said, is seemingly never done – the men leave the classroom and go to work maintaining campus facilities, tending animals and working in fruit and vegetable gardens.
“It was exciting and inspiring to see their work and an honor to visit Congo and experience the faith of the people,” Father Cahill said. “It was a chance to see the very real impact mission funds can have on building the Church.”
— Christina Lee Knauss
Father Cahill concelebrated a Mass alongside Missionhurst Father Andre Mangongo, once a guest priest in the Diocese of Charlotte.
Children fill jugs at a well on the site of a parish that helps local residents with access to clean water.
Patience and love
CHARLOTTE — Larry and Carolyn Keith of Charlotte have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at two different St. Patrick’s cathedrals this year – first in July in New York City and then on Sunday, when they joined couples from around the Diocese of Charlotte at St. Patrick Cathedral for the annual Wedding Anniversary Mass.
The Mass offered by Bishop Peter Jugis gave couples celebrating 25 and 50 years of marriage a chance to renew their commitment to each other and receive a special blessing for the future of their marriages.
The event drew couples of all ages, many with children and others with family members and friends. Couples held hands and looked into each others’ eyes often during the Mass.
“We honor you for the witness of your love for each other and your faithfulness to the marriage covenant,” Bishop Jugis told couples during his homily. “The readings today are a reflection of the fact that men and women were created for one another, and that God was the author of marriage. It was part of His plan from the beginning. Whoever remains in love remains in God, and the love of men and women in marriage is the image of God’s love for all of us.”
The readings for the liturgy celebrated the unique nature of marriage. They included Genesis 2:18-24, which describes the creation of a woman as a partner for Adam and the verse, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” The second reading, from Corinthians, includes a description of the special nature of love and the famous verse “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).
The Gospel from John told the story of Jesus attending the wedding feast at Cana, when Jesus — with His mother Mary and His disciples in attendance – turned water into wine so the celebration could continue.
Bishop Jugis said the celebration of milestone anniversaries is important because it honors the fact that the couples “have made a special place for the Lord in your married lives.”
“God is present in your marriages, working miracles of love and mercy, holiness and goodness,” he said.
After his homily, Bishop Jugis led the couples in a special Renewal of Commitment.
“Help us, we pray, to remain faithful in our love for one another, so that we may be true witnesses to the covenant You have made with humankind,” the couples prayed to God together.
After the Mass, the couples waited in line for a chance to have a photo made with the bishop and then attend a special reception. As they waited, many laughed and joked with other couples.
The Keiths, members of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, experienced a special way to continue their celebration of 50 years together, their actual anniversary being July 28. The couple was originally married in Garden City, N.Y., and have four children and six grandchildren.
The key to their long and happy marriage?
“Patience, patience, patience,” Larry Keith said, his wife nodding in agreement. “And everything in that verse that was read at Mass today from 1 Corinthians is true. That Scripture was read at our marriage and is perfect advice if you can live it.”
“For a successful marriage, you need to be willing to bend with what the times bring you,” Carolyn Keith added.
Chris and Lynn Frank, members of Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury, said the Mass was a great way to observe their 25th anniversary. Lynn Frank said the event was doubly special because both the second reading and the Gospel were the same ones featured at their wedding 25 years ago in Indiana. They now have four sons aged 14 to 22.
“This was a beautiful Mass,” Chris Frank said. “And a great way to reflect on our marriage.”
— Christina Lee Knaus. Photos by Troy Hull
