Sr. Clementine Mukampabuka at Santa Cruz in Oran, Algeria
From Sr Clementine Mukampabuka in Oran, Algeria
In the parish of Sainte Marie of the Cathedral of Oran, the approach of August 15 was characterized by the invitation to celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, our Mother, in Santa Cruz under the esplanade of Living Together in Peace.
There is the chapel of the Marian sanctuary of Our Lady of Salvation.
At the very beginning of August, there was a call to register as a participant for carpooling in order to be able to go there. Those who have a car were asked to indicate how many places they offered.
We think it is good to point out that in August the Pierre Claverie Center (diocesan center) is closed. All activities stop except for masses on Friday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. Most of the permanent staff of the Church of Oran are either on vacation or on holiday in Algeria or elsewhere.
In the meantime, our community received an email from an elderly French lady who is a friend of the community and asked if she could join us to go to Santa Cruz. So we put her on the list, as well as another sick lady staying at the Pierre Claverie Center (diocesan center).
On the day, Clémentine had to go to Misserghine prison and Brigitte took care to grant the wishes of our two protégées who, in the end, found friends and acquaintances in the audience without much difficulty. In the end, a bus was made available to the faithful for this beautiful celebration that quickly became a place of pilgrimage.
Let us not forget that our 19 martyrs of Algeria were beatified on the spot and the United Nations named the esplanade of Santa Cruz “Esplanade of Living Together in Peace”.
The liturgy entrusted to the religious men and women was beautiful. Three faithful each offered a bouquet of flowers, one of which traditionally came from a participant. The praesidium of Our Lady of Salvation (commonly called the missionary rosary group) provided these members and the few parishioners with candles well prepared for the circumstances. They were lit at the beginning and during the procession to the Virgin Mary as a departure song.
After the mass, the festivities continued in an adjoining room around a banquet composed of diversified dishes thanks to the generosity and ingenuity of the faithful:
all the food was taken from the bags and shared.
The journey home was just as peaceful as at the driveway, with one more person, because Clémentine had found a way to get from Misserghine to Santa Cruz at the end of her visit to the detained brothers and sisters.
Our Lady of Salvation; pray for us!
