The sisters in the Nouakchott Community, Mauritania, share with us the Blessing of the Medina 3 Complex (The apartments, the Paul VI center, the sisters’ house and the magnificent chapel)
Ps 127:1 “If the Lord does not build the house, the builders have toiled for nothing.”
It is with great emotion and gratitude that we experienced the blessing mass of the Medina 3 complex and the installation of the tabernacle in our chapel.
A project prepared and supported for many years by Bishop Martin Happe, bishop emeritus of our diocese. How many hours of insomnia are hidden behind this audacious project! Where can we find the funds necessary for its realization?
It was surely a great emergency: the parish halls of Paul VI were dilapidated and too narrow, the house of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition dated from the 1970s and needed to be renovated.
Thanks to the creativity of Monsignor Martin Happe, Father Victor Ndione (New Bishop of the Diocese of Nouakchott), at that time Vicar General, and Brother Christian Turgeon, diocesan treasurer, the project gradually took shape. It was necessary to find an architect, a contractor, and above all the funds necessary for this three-part project.
On December 18, 2023, we moved and on January 8, 2024, the buildings were razed to make way for the new construction. The contractor had planned a work period of 12 months, a record time for such an undertaking. With amazement, we suddenly saw the building rise from the ground. Everything was meticulously monitored by Brother Christian who was on the construction site for a weekly update.
And whether you believe it or not, the apartments were already able to be inhabited in September 2024 and the sisters moved into their new home on November 18, 2024.
A whole future is now opening up before us. Many projects of the parish, the diocese and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa will be able to be realized thanks to this space which contains rooms for training, bedrooms, a spacious house for the sisters, another for welcoming Mauritanians and the Union of Religious of Mauritania.
Not to mention the garden which would like to become a model and an encouragement for those who come to visit it and seek a little relaxation in the midst of the stressful life of the capital.
Ps 117:1 “Give thanks to the Lord: He is good; his love endures forever”
A special thank you to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the diocese of origin of Bishop Martin Happe in Münster. What can we say about the Archdiocese of Cologne which has agreed to release large funds to serve this ambitious project!
Looking around us, we can only give thanks to the Lord and pray for our two bishops and for Brother Christian. Let us pray for all the benefactors of the diocese of Nouakchott, because the realization of this immense project testifies to generosity, love and dedication.
The cross of the chapel was painted by the Indian Fathers, Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier (Pilar Fathers). They also restored the brilliance of the tabernacle.
How can we not think of these dozens of workers who worked long hours under the burning sun and bragging about the dust at the cost of great sacrifices. The different trades succeeded one another as the work progressed. A huge thank you for so much commitment.
We welcomed more than 70 people for this celebration. All the pastoral agents of the diocese, who had come for the meetings and end-of-year session, were present at this celebration. After the mass, we shared a meal and spent a beautiful evening together.
