Challenge

Challenging time for my community and myself, ahead of Divine Mercy Sunday coming up just in a few couple of days. Fighting malaria and flu bothering me big time these days, I have no time to rest in bed to recover fully. Big numbers of pilgrims coming for the annual pilgrimage to Kiabakari, for Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations pose a logistic nightmare to us especially in the current circumstances of lack of running water and power cuts that have become a routine in Tanzania this year...


I just came back from Musoma shopping, buying foodstuffs and kitchen utensils for pilgrims from Butiama who will come some 400 people strong, walking by foot from Butiama to Kiabakari on Saturday and back on Sunday to Butiama. The parish priest of Butiama asked me to prepare food for them - supper on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday, and today was the day of buying necessary ingredients in Musoma market and bringing them to Kiabakari. The rest of things needed for the cooking will be bought in Kiabakari.

The team of dedicated cooks have been assembled already and we held a meeting yesterday evening to plan for the event. I hope they will do an excellent work for our guests.

We need to put tents for those who will not fit in the church, make sure parochial communal toilets are clean and operational with water in drums for users. Generator checked and filled with petrol for expected power cuts during night vigil...

Electrician coming tomorrow to check wirings, replace faulty bulbs, make sure everything is working...

Satellite technician coming tomorrow as well to set up a screen and projector in the church, connecting with the satellite dish to enable us to watch and pray Holy Rosary with the whole world which will be transmitted also by Star TV in Mwanza on Saturday night. One of the decades of Rosary will be led from Kawekamo shrine in Mwanza. And we in Kiabakari, watching on a big screen and connecting with the whole world united in prayer vigil before the beatification of Holy Father John Paul II. I hope we are able to overcome all technical difficulties and make it happen in Kiabakari...

This morning my video professional and friend, Aldimilablis Novatus from Musoma, prepared a commercial for our local radio Victoria - announcement / invitation for people of good will to come and join us for the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. The jingle has been recorded by him using a professional speaker from the radio and I just got sms from the radio office with times in which our commercial will be aired. Of course, it is not for free, so I paid in advance this morning for this service. Oh, I have just heard the announcement on the radio (I put it on to monitor how frequent they announce it, and I see already that they will do it more often than I paid for - it is good to have friends there, I guess).

At the moment we are cleaning the construction materials store which will be used as a temporary bookshop in which a lady selling in diocesan bookshop will be helping me on Saturday and Sunday, selling our religious merchandize (including seasonal  shrine T-shirts I made a few days ago) and things from diocesan bookshop as well (brought a big box of the stuff from Musoma today to ease her job when she comes here on Saturday morning to work).

I bought several plastic tanks - 200 liters capacity plus one big 3,000 liters plastic tank to try to catch as much rain water tonight, tomorrow and on Saturday. We expect hundreds if not thousands of pilgrims from the country and abroad (mainly Kenya, some from Uganda) so we have to be ready to provide as best conditions as possible.

Tomorrow the first day of celebrations. It is a home day, I would say - parishioners from small christian communities all over the parish will come for their day of recollection in the shrine. I will be in driving seat, leading the program of the day which will start at 10 am and will end at 4 pm, then next series of meetings will follow.

On Saturday morning Mass with the eucharistic adoration, then putting up tents, cleaning, decorating, preparing food for pilgrims from Butiama, opening up shop, reception of groups of pilgrims in the office and registering them, prayers during the day, last day of Novena before the Divine Mercy Sunday, people from Radio Victoria are expected to come to set their equipment for recording of the proceedings of the celebrations, my video shooter will come as well to record the pilgrimage, at 6pm I will receive all pilgrims officially at the main door of the shrine and will celebrate a Holy Mass of the Reception and Blessing of the Pilgrims, then the night vigil after short rest will follow all night in which we will unite with the whole world in Rosary awaiting the beatification of the Holy Father John Paul II next morning in Vatican... And the conclusion of this year's pilgrimage with the High Mass of our bishop of Musoma, Rt. Rev. Michael Msonganzila at 10 am on Sunday morning with customary planting of memorial trees by pilgrims around the shrine following right after the Mass.

It will be a great challenge as always every year but growing bigger and bigger year after year. Phone calls, letters, messages flowing in with groups and individual pilgrims reporting their will to come and asking for details... I believe in my people who know how to handle huge celebrations like this but always the feeling of uncertainty and apprehension is accompanying till it's over and everybody is gone.

Please, pray for pilgrims so they can travel safely and immerse themselves completely in Divine Mercy Ocean during the pilgrimage. Pray for us here, so God's blessing helps us to succeed in handling this huge challenge professionally and efficiently. But most of all, pray to Merciful Father to forgive us our sins and accept us anew in His loving arms, so we can stay safe and happy, united as beautiful family of God's happy children, ready to witness to His Gospel of Love and Mercy wherever we go, live and work.

Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo!

Karibuni Kiabakari, nyumbani kwa Mungu Aliye Mwingi wa Huruma isiyo na mipaka!