Merry Christmas

Letter from the seminary

12/29/20254 min read

Dear friends and benefactors in faith,

With this letter we wish to announce to you with joy the Good News: today, once again, the Word becomes flesh, the Son of God gives himself to humanity. We wish that this Holy Christmas may be for you, and for each one of us, a personal encounter with Christ the Savior, the source of grace, hope, and new life.

While the world is dressed in light and celebration, we find ourselves immersed in uncertainty. The presence of the AFC/M23 movement in the provinces of North and South Kivu, where our seminary is also located, casts a shadow of uncertainty over this period that should be filled with God’s love for humanity. Many ask themselves where is that God who, out of love, became man. Faced with the absurdity of war and its consequences, finding an answer is not easy. We are immersed in a contradictory reality that, in the eyes of the world, appears almost absurd: since January nothing works as before—banks are closed, we drive without licenses or insurance, and many people live day by day…

A quicker return to normal life was expected, but from what we can perceive, more patience will be required; this precarious situation invites us to place our trust not in human beings, but in the mercy of God, who has never abandoned us so far. The words spoken by Pope Benedict XVI at Christmas in 2005 come to mind:

“At Christmas, the Almighty becomes a child and asks for help and protection. His way of being God challenges our way of being human; his knocking at our doors questions us, questions our freedom, and asks us to rethink our relationship with life and the way we understand it.”

And this is exactly the case: we understand that without the light of Christ, every human thought comes to a halt before the fragility of peace. Just as the Lord became incarnate in a history and a place marked by fear and oppression, we too live this time while awaiting change. The world must rediscover the deep meaning of being human, children of God, without allowing itself to be numbed by consumerism.

Nevertheless, signs of hope are not lacking and remind us that God continues to act in history. On March 19th, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, we took part in the priestly ordination of Davi, from Brazil, and Samuele, from Italy, together with eleven other deacons of the Diocese of Goma. Twelve people—family members and brothers from their communities—arrived from Italy and Brazil to be present at the celebration. Their courage in traveling to Goma during the post-war period deeply comforted us.

Then, in the month of August, we organized a pilgrimage for the young people of Goma to the Marian shrine of Kibeho in Rwanda, since no Congolese were granted a visa to Italy, which was required to take part in the Jubilee of Youth in Rome with Pope Leo XIV. On the eve of departure, only about eighty young people were registered, but the following morning we set off with 315. It is impressive to witness the extraordinary ability to adapt that exists here: in just a few hours, we

managed without difficulty to find buses, food, and accommodation for everyone—a result that would be unthinkable elsewhere.

After the pilgrimage, taking advantage of this time in which many people have lost hope and the meaning of life, we gave up our summer holidays to evangelize in the parishes of Goma. Following the catechesis, ten communities were born, full of young people and families seeking an answer to the suffering of this time. The work is great, but being witnesses to the Lord’s work repays us for every effort.

For this reason, dearest friends and benefactors, through this small letter we wish to make you sharers in the graces that the Lord grants us despite our precarious situation.

Thank you for your help, thank you for your participation in the work of evangelization that you too carry out together with us through your donations and prayers. Every day, in our celebrations, we remember and pray for each one of you.

The Peace of the Lord.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From the formators, seminarians, and brothers in mission, Fr. Riccardo

To help us

From Italy and Europe:

Association: S. Benedetto Giuseppe Labre Prima

IBAN: IT 40 V 01030 03250 000063497151

BIC/SWIFT: PASCITM1Z70

Reason: Donation in support of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Goma (DR Congo)

From the rest of the world:

Account name: DIOCESE OF GOMA/GRAND

INTERNATIONAl SEMINARY REDEMPTORIS MATER