Inauguration of the Mission
I moved up here to the village of Atchanvé, site of the new mission parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on November 10, just in time for the grand celebration of the inauguration of the mission and the blessing of the mission center the following day. Providentially, November 11 is the Feast of St. Martin of Tours. The readings and prayers were from his Mass, and so we felt very much in spiritual union with our sister parish back home.
I had no idea that this event would turn out to be as enormous as it turned out to be. Archbishop Kpodzro invited Archbishop Michael Blume, the Apostolic Nuncio for Togo and Benin. He is an American, which is very unusual for a papal nuncio; there are only a handful in the world. The Archbishop also encouraged me to invite the American ambassador to Togo, who readily accepted.
The villages in the region were already excited about the event, but when the word got around that not one but two archbishops and an ambassador would be present, the result was that about 4000 people descended on the village. Many arrived the night before and camped out here, holding vigil with prayer and songs. The nuncio blessed the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the mission center itself, and Archbishop Kpodzro celebrated the outdoor Mass and preached – in Ewe, French, and even a bit of English.
Here are some photos of the event:
A view of some of the crowd before the outdoor Mass, which was celebrated under a bamboo and palm shelter.
Plantains, bananas, yams and oranges brought forward during the offertory procession
At the altar with Archbishop Kpodzro and the Apostolic Nuncio
In traditional dress, Bernadette Nyaglo and Seraphine Ankou present gifts to the American ambassador and his wife after Communion.
Both young ladies are members of the parish’s Legion of Mary. Soon afterwards Seraphine would play the role of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the mission, in the dramatization of her appearances staged by the youth of the parish on her feast day.