Mater Dei Parish

Last updated
Mater Dei Parish
Religion
Affiliation Catholic Church
Province Diocese of Kisantu
Rite Roman Rite
StatusActive
Location
LocationKimbondo, Mont Ngafula, Lukunga District
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
Architecture
TypeParish church
Date established1980;44 years ago (1980)

Mater Dei Parish (French: Paroisse Mater Dei), also known simply as Mater Dei, is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the Kimbondo neighborhood of the Mont Ngafula commune, within the Lukunga District in Kinshasa, situated in the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is part of the Italian Institute of Consolata Missionaries with primary hubs in Ngudia-Baka, Nsabuka, and Mitendi, along with sub-parochial outposts in Télécoms, Kimbanseke, and Masina Sans Fil. [1] [2] [3] [4] The parish commemorates its patronal feast on May 8, a tradition dating back to 1980 when Pope John Paul II made his inaugural visit to Zaire. [5]

History

The Consolata Missionaries began their mission in then-Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the Orientale Province (now Haut-Uélé Province) in 1972. [6] [7] [8] The founding members of this mission included Fathers Tiziano Basso, Piero Manca, and Enrico Casali. They started their journey in Kinshasa, where they met with other members arriving from Brussels. Guided by Father Noé Cereda, they explored the city before splitting into groups. Giovanni Venturini, Richard Larose, and Brother Alberto Donizetti headed North to Diocese of Doruma–Dungu, while Casali Enrico, Tiziano Basso, and Pietro Manca, accompanied by an African bishop, made their way to the Diocese of Wamba. [6] The terrain oscillated from the luxuriant equatorial wooded expanse of Wamba to the arboreal and savannah near Doruma. [6] [9]

The mission aimed to perpetuate the work in the Diocese of Wamba, known as the "Martyr" diocese of Zaire, where missionaries and their bishop had sacrificed their lives. [9] Due to a shortage of personnel, the fathers took over the stewardship of the Wamba parish, aided by Father Enrico's proficiency in Swahili. [9] In Doruma, linguistic challenges and the presence of fellow clergy augmented the intricacy of the mission. A month into their venture, they received a visit from the Vice Superior General, Fr. Guido Motter, hailing from South Africa, who validated their roles and engaged in discourse concerning their dedication to the Zairian mission. [9] As the Consolata Missionaries solidified their foothold in the region, they actively assorted parishes and social initiatives. Notably, within Kinshasa, the establishment of Mater Dei Parish in Mont-Ngafula in the early 1980s precipitated the proliferation of sub-parochial entities. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mont Ngafula</span> Commune in Kinshasa, DR Congo

Mont Ngafula, or Mont-Ngafula, is a municipality (commune) in the Lukunga District of Kinshasa, in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). By its surface area, Mont Ngafula is the third-largest commune in Kinshasa's city-province. It is located in the hilly southern area of Kinshasa and is intersected by the Lukaya River valley in its southern portion. The boundary with the Ngaliema commune is defined by the Lukunga River. Mont Ngafula shares borders with the Makala commune to the north, the Kongo Central Province to the south, the Lemba and Kisenso communes to the east, and the Selembao commune to the west. It has an estimated population of 718,197 (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ngaliema</span> Commune in Kinshasa, DR Congo

Ngaliema is a municipality (commune) in the Lukunga District of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kindu</span> Provincial capital and city in Maniema, DR Congo

Kindu is a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the capital of Maniema province. It has a population of about 200,000 and is situated on the Lualaba River at an altitude of about 500 metres, and is about 400 km west of Bukavu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Democratic Republic of the Congo–related articles</span>

Articles related to the Democratic Republic of the Congo include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assembly (Democratic Republic of the Congo)</span> Lower house of parliament in Democratic Republic of the Congo

The National Assembly is the lower house and main legislative political body of the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of the two legislative bodies along with the Senate. The National Assembly is composed of deputies who are elected by the citizens of the DRC. The deputies serve as the voice of the people and are responsible for enacting legislation, representing their constituents' interests, and overseeing the executive branch of government. The National Assembly is responsible for deliberating and passing laws that impact the nation and its citizens. It was established by the 2006 constitution, which provided for a bicameral parliament consisting of the National Assembly and the Senate. It is located at the People's Palace in Kinshasa.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wamba is a diocese located in the city of Wamba in the ecclesiastical province of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Apparently, during the tenure of Bishop Kataka Lucete, there were 18 parishes and 42 diocesan priests.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Kivu can refer to either of two vicariates of the White Fathers, a Catholic missionary society in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. Both vicariates served lands around Lake Kivu during the early to mid 20th century. The first vicariate, from 1912 to 1922, served what are now Rwanda and Burundi. The second vicariate, from 1929 to 1952, served territory in the east of the Belgian Congo.

The Province of the Anglican Church of the Congo is a province of the Anglican Communion, stretching over the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovanium University</span>

Lovanium University was a Catholic Jesuit university in Kinshasa in the Belgian Congo. The university was established in 1954 on the Kimwenza plateau, near Kinshasa. The university continued to function after independence until it was merged into the National University of Zaire in 1971. It can be considered an antecedent of the University of Kinshasa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are both nationally and internationally state owned and operated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemba, Kinshasa</span> Commune in Kinshasa, DR Congo

Lemba is one of the 24 communes that are the administrative divisions of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Kimwenza is a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Mont Ngafula commune in the south of the capital, Kinshasa.

Inácio Saure, I.M.C. is a Mozambican prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Archbishop of Nampula since 2017. He was the Bishop of Tete from 2011 to 2017 and is a member of the Consolata Missionaries.

l’Hôpital du Cinquantenaire de Kinshasa is the second largest hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the Kinshasa General Hospital. The hospital is in the Mont Ngafula area south of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The hospital includes include 515 beds, surgical services, infectious diseases, pediatrics, gynecology, obstetrics, ENT, nephrology, urology, cardiology, respiratory medicine and other health services.

Richard Domba Mady was a Congolese Roman Catholic prelate. He served as the third Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Doruma–Dungu, located in northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo, from his installation on 31 July 1994 until his death on 3 July 2021. During his tenure, his diocese endured a series of attacks during the numerous conflicts affecting the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including the First Congo War, the Second Congo War, and the aftermath of these wars.

Félicien Mwanama Galumbulula is a Congolese prelate of the Catholic Church who has been bishop of Luiza in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre-Dame de la Sagesse</span>

Notre-Dame de la Sagesse, contracted as NODASA, is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the University of Kinshasa's campus in the Lemba commune, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Operating under the auspices of the Doyenné Notre Dame de la Sagesse, it provides pastoral ministries to professors and students associated with the University of Kinshasa and Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales (ISTM-Kinshasa). It is the mother church for approximately 46,000 Catholics, including 34,000 students, 8,000 teachers, and their families. NODASA fosters symbiotic interfaith relations with adherents of Protestantism, Kimbanguism, Islam, and those embracing esoteric disciplines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainte Marie de Kimwenza</span> Church in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Sainte Marie de Kimwenza is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the Mont Ngafula commune of the Lukunga District in Kinshasa within the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Established in 1954, the mission was initially founded by the Jesuits in 1893, and in 1894, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur established a girls' school. The Faculty of Agronomic and Veterinary Science has obtained all necessary official authorizations for its operation, including the acquisition of land opposite the church after a long discernment process.

The Pediatric Foundation of Kimbondo, colloquially known as Mama Koko Orphanage or Pédiatrie de Kimbondo and denoted by the acronym FPK, is a non-profit organization that provides free housing, medical care, sustenance, and education for sick, abandoned, and orphaned children. It is strategically located in the Kimbondo neighborhood of the Mont Ngafula commune, 35 km from Downtown Kinshasa in the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

References

  1. ↑ Khonde, Eugène (June 14, 2016). "Congo-Kinshasa: Miséricorde et Pardon - FRANOC Saint Vincent de Paul dans une recollection à Mater Dei" [Congo-Kinshasa: Mercy and Forgiveness - FRANOC Saint Vincent de Paul in a recollection at Mater Dei]. Laprosperiteonline.net (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  2. ↑ "La division Emploi du Ministère de la Jeunesse marquée par la formation en entreprenariat à la paroisse Mater Dei" [The Employment Division of the Ministry of Youth marked by entrepreneurship training at Mater Dei Parish]. ACP (in French). February 17, 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  3. ↑ Wak, Jose (January 2, 2023). "Enrôlement des électeurs: carence des machines au village Ngudia-Baka à Mont-Ngafula" [Voter registration: lack of machines in Ngudia-Baka village in Mont-Ngafula]. www.mediacongo.net (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  4. ↑ Mulombe, Muyengo (2000). La moisson est abondante: instituts de vie consacre et societes de vie apostolique oeuvrant dans l'Archidiocese de Kinshasa (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Lindonge. p. 42.
  5. ↑ Linaka, Alain (May 9, 2011). "La fête patronale de la paroisse Mater Dei" [The patronal feast of the Mater Dei parish]. www.consolata.org (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  6. 1 2 3 "Misioneros de la Consolata: 50 años en el noreste del Congo" [Consolata Missionaries: 50 years in northeastern Congo]. Obras Misionales Pontificias - OMP (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain. September 7, 2021. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  7. ↑ "Misericorde et Pardon - FRANOC Saint Vincent de Paul dans une recollection a Mater Dei" (in French). Farmington Hills, Michigan, United States: Gale. June 14, 2016. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  8. ↑ Kabesa, Père Jean-Marie Bilwala (November 30, 1999). "Congo: Cris d'alarme de la population de la paroisse 'Mater Dei'" [Congo: Cries of alarm from the population of the 'Mater Dei' parish]. consolata.org (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Missionnaires de la consolata en R.D.C: Nos Paroisses" [Missionaries of the Consolata in the DRC: Our Parishes]. Missionnaires de la consolata en R.D.C (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Retrieved 2023-12-27.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.