Through his fund at NCCF, one of our advisors recently initiated a distribution to the Saint Ignatius Parish in Msaladzi, Madagascar. He has forwarded to us the following response and two photos from the pastor, Fr. Heribert Muller. Readers will be as moved as we trustees are by this penetrating manifestation of the vibrancy of the faith.
I write these lines with immense gratitude for the help from NCCF that has reached us here at St. Ignatius Parish in Msaladzi in the northwestern Province of Angonia, Mozambique. Yesterday, the First Friday of the month, was a special day. The parish coordinator, two altar boys, and I set off early by motorbike for Mwalanga. Since fuel has become so expensive and hard to find, the parish car had to stay home. Motorbikes are the solution, for one liter of gasoline gets our motorbike 50 kilometers. The ride is most adventurous. Pigs, chickens, and goats cross the road, and heavily loaded ox wagons block the way. We navigate steeply sloping river valleys, then sandy patches, or very rocky sections. Upon our safe arrival, a heartfelt quote, “Thank God,” is offered to heaven.
All the greater is the joy of the community in Mwalanga, which awaits us. The first Friday of the month brings together our Christians who faithfully keep the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While I hear confessions in the shade of a tree, the faithful begin their prayers to the Sacred Heart. For me as a priest, these are happy moments. Here in Mwalanga, far away from a tarmac road, there’s no Wi-Fi, internet or AI and nobody here knows the Strait of Hormuz or who the president of America is. However, everyone feels painfully the increasing cost of living. The chapel in Mwalanga is an old building, constructed with cement-free mortar. The roof structure has been badly damaged by termites in some of the beams. Yet it’s packed and filled a joyfully singing congregation. The liturgy is entirely in Chichewa. This is the language of the people, and they are overjoyed when the foreign priest makes an effort to speak to them in their own language. At times, during the homily, I get stuck for want of the right word. Immediately, one of the congregation provides the right one and the preaching can continue.
Many children gaze curiously at the altar and join in the dancing when the Gloria is sung. Holy Mass in one of the 81 communities of our parish is always a special event, eagerly anticipated. After the final hymn in honor of Our Lady, the faithful ask for the blessing of new rosaries and Holy Water. A meal of agape follows for the guests from neighboring communities. The menu offered is their staple food. Plenty of cornmeal porridge, vegetables, and chicken are placed before us, and for dessert, a freshly fermented corn drink is served. For all of us, it is a moment of bliss, joyful encounters, jokes, and grateful memories. I wish you could come and witness that. All of this accompanies me on our journey home, especially the thought “God has visited His people and the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand”.
Fr. Heribert Fernando Muller SJ
Santo Inacio de Loyola
Msaladzi, Mozambique
6th of June, 2026