Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abidjan (Agenzia Fides) - Forty years ago on 22 October 1967, the first two Italian Stigmatine Fathers Fr. Oscar Zamburlini and Fr. Alberto Fontana arrived in Abidjan at the request of Bishop Yago to take over the pastoral care of Aboisso Catholic parish. In these forty years the Stigmatine presence grew in numbers and works and today has the support of numerous local confreres in pastoral activity.
Forty years ago Aboisso parish covered an area of about 100sq km with about ten villages which the two missionaries visited regularly once a month. In 1974 the territory was divided, two more parishes were opened and entrusted to the Stigmatines. In 1982 the territory was put under the jurisdiction of the new diocese of Grand Bassam. In 1983 a home for students was built in Anonkoua-Kouté Abidjan and the parish was entrusted to the Stigmatines.
In 1996, according to “Il Missionario” magazine which dedicates an article to these 40 years in Cote D'Ivoire, the territory was again divided and new parishes were entrusted to the local clergy which was growing. To have an idea of the work in Aboisso parish alone it suffices to think that in 1990 the parish cared for 13 villages whereas in 2005 the number of villages had grown to 32. In Abidjan the Stigmatines were entrusted with the parish of Sainte Marie di Agueto, next to which the San Gaspare Bretoni primary school was opened. As the years passed many more Fathers came from Italy to help with the missionary activity and there were many local vocations. Today there are 8 local Stigmatine priests and 2 deacons and the community of formation has fifteen members from postulants to perpetually professed members.
From the beginning the Stigmatine Fathers in Cote d'Ivoire built churches, chapels and other structures with the help of many volunteers. Besides many places of worship built or repaired, from north to south, they built priests' homes, parish centres, rooms for catechism, rooms for women religious, hostels for students, youth centres, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, a house of formation for religious students, a retreat house, dispensaries and a mother and child care centre. Another initiative was the opening of a local Catholic radio station Radio Paix Sanwi (see Fides 20/2/2007). The fruits of this pastoral endeavour can be seen from two annotations: most of the present diocesan priests in Grand Bassam attended Stigmatine schools, 160 children with physical disabilities were operated at Bonoua Centre for Orthopaedics thanks to the Stigmatines who activated for this purpose a vast movement of solidarity. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 24/7/2007; righe 34, parole 481)
