EUROPE/SPAIN - Basque dioceses celebrate 50 years on the missions in Africa

Vitoria (Agenzia Fides) – On October 31, in the Diocesan Seminary of Vitoria, there will be a gathering to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Basque dioceses' work on the missions in Africa. The festivities will begin at 10:30 with a greeting and prayer from Bishop Jose Manuel Asurmendi of Vitoria, which will be followed by a round-table discussion on “The Beginnings, Apprenticeship, and Prospects of the Diocesan Mission in Africa.” At 12:45, there will be a Mass followed by a luncheon, and at 4pm, the event will come to an end.
The first nine missionaries (7 priests and two lay persons) arrived on African soil on October 15, 1959. After their beginnings in Angola, the Basque missionaries also began communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) and Rwanda. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 27/10/2009)