African community celebrates Mass with bishop

photo courtesy of Colleen Gudreau

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Children dance and sing down the aile at the beginning of the bishop's Mass with the African community at Saint Patrick Parish in Salt Lake City Feb. 22. The Mass was an opportunity to reflect on forgiveness and the life of Saint Josephine Bakhita, the first Sudanese saint. St. Bakhita endured slavery and torture and exemplifies forgiveness.

SALT LAKE CITY — Mass with the bishop was a big, joyous event for the African community at Saint Patrick Parish in Salt Lake City Feb. 22.

The sound of the drums and a procession of children singing and dancing down the aisle gave start to the Mass. Video and picture cameras were present as a way to capture and retain the celebration.

The Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City said he was pleased to spend time with the African community and that he hopes to return many times. He said the Gospel’s theme was forgiveness a "difficult theme for all of us human beings," but an especially hard and complicated topic for people from war-torn countries such as Sudan.

In the Gospel, four men do whatever it is possible to bring a paralytic before Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Some critics of Jesus, teachers of the law, who were present started thinking Jesus was blaspheming. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…" He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." And the paralytic took his mat and walked out.

Bishop Wester said Jesus performed two miracles with the paralytic: He physically cured the paralytic and instituted a new covenant based on Forgiveness, which reveals Jesus is not a simply a miracle worker; He gives the paralytic (and us) a new life, eternal life.

Just like the paralytic needed the four men to be able to get to Jesus, we too, need each other. We need to belong to a community of believers who will pray for and counsel us.

The feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, the first Sudanese saint, was Feb. 8. Bakhita, which means fortunate, was born in the Darfur region of southern Sudan in the late 19th century. At the age of seven, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. She was tortured and left with terrible suffering; but she had a great heart and was so loving and good and people started referring to her as "Mother," said Bishop Wester. She recognized God as her only master and found forgiveness.

"St. Bakhita opened the way for us as Christians. She was a woman who had true faith," said Siro Kang, African choir director and member of St. Patrick Parish. Kang left his native Sudan in 1987 when he "was very young." He was playing with his friends when the war broke out. He escaped along other children but without any family members to Ethiopia.

"We spent three months walking to get to Ethiopia," said Kang. He then returned to Sudan and stayed at the border with Ethiopia for eight months. Afterward, he left for Kenya and remained there until 2004, when the International Relief Committee facilitated his way to the United States.

"I was very excited to get my way out," said Kang. He recently found out most of his siblings survived the war and is still in touch with them. However, his mother did not.

Kitenge Kasongo is from Congo and arrived in the United States nine months ago. His family is still in Congo, a country also suffering from violence.

"Last time I called, they told me the war was 75 km. away from where they’re living," said Kasongo.

Kang and Kasongo agree it is very hard to forgive, but it is also the only solution.

"When you forgive there is no conflict," said Kasongo.