Catholics Hungering for Worship in Sierra Leone Travelling Long Distances to Access Nearest Parish Centre

He adds, “Since many elderly people can no longer walk to the parish, we have just opened a new mission station. However, we have been subject to theft and intrusion due to the exposed location of the mission house.”

In Kailahun in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, SMA members are responsible for the mission of St. John the Baptist in Buedu.

The mission opened its doors on 13 December 2020 and now serves more than 27 villages.

Of all these villages only six have a place of worship, Fr. Sinda told Agenzia Fides, and explains, “Fowa, in the Kailahun district, is one of the villages that does not have one (place of worship). Its population, mostly of Kissi ethnicity, has about 273 Catholics, including men, women and children, some already baptized and confirmed.”

According to the SMA Priest, Kailahun, a trade centre and one of the major towns in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, has great potential to become a “Christian city”

However, he told Agenzia Fides, despite the growth of faith, many faithful must travel almost eight miles every Sunday to attend Mass at the Buedu church, a distance he says is impossible to cover for the sick and elderly.

Those who travel long distances to participate in public worship, Fr. Sinday says, are mainly farmers and can barely afford one meal a day. “They long for a place of worship,” he says.

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Fr. Sinda told Agenzia Fides that the pastoral activities of the SMA missionaries in this region include the administration of the sacraments, visiting the sick and the elderly, school pastoral care and youth support programs.

Other activities are the training of community prayer leaders, animation of the Holy Childhood, programs for the emancipation of women and raising awareness in the community, the Zambian-born Catholic Priest with interest learning new things, meeting new people, knowing new places, and soccer both as a player and a spectator further said.