“Our prayers are answered”: Pilgrims Share Lived Experiences from Our Lady of Muxima Shrine in Angola

Telmo Gonçalves. Credit: ACI Africa

Gonçalves continued, “To those who are still struggling, I encourage them to be patient and to seek God, who is the source of all salvation.”

On her part, Inocência Gonçalves thanked God for the birth of her nephew, saying, “When no one believed that my sister could give birth, I prayed, and today, we have a beautiful baby boy. I also asked God to grant health to my parents.”

Inocência Gonçalves. Credit: ACI Africa

Adelino Jingumba, a regular pilgrim for over a decade, spoke of the transformative power of the annual pilgrimage.

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Adelino Jingumba. Credit: ACI Africa

“I have been coming here for more than ten years, and each time, I experience the grace and blessings of God. My wife was healed of cancer after we prayed here, and my business is now thriving. I attribute all of these blessings to the intercession of Mama Muxima,” Adelino shared with ACI Africa.

Carla da Silva, a first-time pilgrim, said he came to give thanks to God for her family. “I am here to thank God for the grace of having children and for my marriage. This pilgrimage is a testament to the joy of being blessed by God,” she said.

Carla da Silva. Credit: ACI Africa

Jessica Nazaré Santos Lola Gonga, another first-time pilgrim, shared her prayer intentions during the pilgrimage. She said, “Being at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima is a blessing. I have deepened my faith and prayed for a job for my husband, opportunities for my work, and health for my children.”

Jessica Nazaré Santos Lola Gonga. Credit: ACI Africa

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.

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.

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A popular place of devotion to our Lady from one generation to the next, the Marian pilgrimage received a boost when Angola’s Diocese of Viana was created in 2007, inaugurating a new phase in the history of the Shrine.

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