AFRICA/TOGO – A new secondary school in the former “village of lepers”
Kolowaré (Agenzia Fides) – “We have officially begun the construction of a secondary school in Kolowaré. In 2007 we had already built a structure for junior school. Now the construction of the new institute begins”: says Father Silvano Galli, missionary of the Society for African Missions (SMA) in Togo, to Agenzia Fides, sharing some events celebrated in the community of Kolowarè in recent days.
In particular, to celebrate the festivities of All Saints and the memory of the Dead, the missionary tells us: “Every year, on November 2, during the Mass we proclaim the name of our brothers and sisters who died during the year. A family member comes to the altar and lights a candle, saying the name of the deceased. At the end of Mass, we visit the two cemeteries where the community is gathered in a choral prayer”. The faithful of the place remembered and prayed for Fr. Fisher, one of the SMA fathers who died in Kolowaré in 1954.
The history of the village of Kolowaré begins in 1935 with the creation of a leper colony. At first Kolowaré was considered “a village for the segregation of lepers”. Little by little the sick brought their families and the village grew bigger and bigger. With the influx of families new needs were born. The sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles opened a primary school for the education of children, then a clinic. Over the years, the dispensary has become an important health center. In 1953 Father Georges Fischer arrived as chaplain of the leper colony, he fell ill and died in Kolowaré in 1954.
In 1984 a new church was built. In Kolowaré today there is a community with a thousand Christians, including baptized people and catechumens. Some ecclesial groups are active in the community, such as the Legion of Mary, the group of “JM”, Merciful Jesus; the Catholic Action. (SG/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 6/11/2018)
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Source link : https://www.fides.org/en/news/65034-AFRICA_TOGO_A_new_secondary_school_in_the_former_village_of_lepers
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Publish date : 2018-11-06 08:00:00
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