In the Agenzia Fides Monday, October 7 report, Fr. Maccalli recalls his kidnapping, saying, “The thread of my presence in Niger (of 11 uninterrupted years) was broken on 17 September 2018 with the kidnapping. Exactly six years later, I have finally returned to Niger.”
Fr. Maccalli visited Niamey, the capital of Niger, for the ordination of three priests from the parish of Bomoanga, from where he was abducted.
The SMA member recalls holding his tears “with difficulty” on his arrival in Niamey, and adds, “I was first greeted by the lights of the capital, which I could see from the window of the landing plane. They whispered to me a timid welcome that moved me deeply.”
His confreres who referred to him with a pet name, welcomed him with the words, “Welcome back to your home, Gigi. You have never been absent. Thank you for helping to keep heaven connected to earth, like the branches that defy the wind and the storm. And thank you for the silence you shared with us.”
The Italian Catholic Priest shares about his unforgettable moments with the people of Bomoanga and the surrounding area, who he says had come in large numbers for the ordination of the new Priests from the Bomoanga Parish.
Fr. Maccalli recalls the “long-awaited and hoped-for encounter” that he says was “immortalized by pleasantries such as hugs and selfies with the people.
“At the ordination mass on Saturday evening, September 21st, I was involved in the dance by the newly ordained Priests themselves, who wanted to thank me for my presence and above all for the years of accompanying them on their youthful path,” the missionary says.
Referring to the African proverb “At the end of the old rope the new one is tied”, Fr. Maccalli is quoted as saying, “My return to the land of Niger on the anniversary of my kidnapping was a symbol and sign of continuity.”
In the Agenzia Fides report, Fr. Maccalli marvels at the growth of vocations from the church in Bomoanga, which he inaugurated in 2017, about a year before he was kidnapped.
“At the inauguration of the new church in Bomoanga, I had prophesied that the day I would see a young man from Bomoanga celebrating at the altar, I would say (like old Simeon in the temple): Now let your servant go in peace, Lord,” he says.
He adds, “This word came true and far exceeded my expectations, because my eyes saw not one but three young men at the altar of the Cathedral in Niamey, ready to serve the Gospel.”
