Voices of Restoration in Liberia

November 13th

Last night I arrived at St. Dominic’s Parish in Tubmanburg. It is some 75 miles north of Monrovia in Bomi County. It is quite the operation. There is the parish with about 60 outstations, a number of grade schools, a high school on the compound as well as a clinic, a Technical School, internet café, a school for the hearing impaired, and a boarding department where some 80 former combatants live and attend school.

Fr. Garry Jenkins, SMA is the pastor. He has been in Liberia since 1973 and witnessed the three wars. He was taken as a hostage during the third because he chose to stay in Tubmanburg to care for the sick and the disabled who were not able to run from the advancing armies. There is a newly ordained priest plus a number of seminaries on pastoral year, catechists, and three lay SMA volunteers. It is impressive.

After supper, Fr. Garry selected 13 of the boarders to meet with me. It was a delicate meeting. These boys have been through hell and back and they were supposed to share their stores with me! As keen as I was to hear these stories I knew that for them I was a stranger, an outsider. Why should they trust me? Aware of this in many unspoken ways on my side and theirs, we started. We started slowly and respectfully, listening to some of the background of their experiences, difficult tales of abduction, escape, capture, punishment, brokenness, childhoods robbed by coercion and violence. Drug abuse, sex abuse, child abuse to the max, and there we were. I could read the pain in their eyes and hear the hurt in their quiet voices. Even their opening prayer was reserved, void of the zest I often hear in Africa. Robbed at gunpoint! After listening to their stories, I shared mine from Kenema those nine years ago. I shared my concern (and yours) of child soldiering and as time when on, the conversation warmed.

But the feelings were still raw, and there was a clear undercurrent of anger and rage over the fact that some of their rebel leaders are now in positions of power in the present Government, ruling with impunity. Where is the fairness in that? Some mention of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is currently rounding up its work, was made. A number of them did testify, but the concern was the next step. Very few around the circle had hope that any recommendations from the commission would bring restoration to Liberia. But they were too close to the 3rd war of 2003 to see any other means of restoration but the TRC.

In the morning I was able to go around with one of the seminarians to the homes of the sick and aged, bringing communion as they do each week. Two of these elders shared their story of woe during those 15 years of conflict. The last, Moses, a former nurse, spoke sincerely of his concern for the youth of today, youth who seem to have grown up without the guidance that would form in them the responsibility and respect that is needed for a strong civil society. The sharp increase in armed robbery frightens him. The challenge is real and now.

I ended the morning with Fr. Garry, seated in a grove of flowered trees well behind the schools and other buildings of the parish center. We were near a concrete cross that marked the sacred place where over 300 young children were lovingly buried by the registrar of the parish clinic during the 2003 war. They died of hunger, all of them due to the intentional blockage of the road to Monrovia by the rebel leader of the opposing faction for nine months. He intended and succeeded in starving the opposition. These children paid the price for his madness. Fr. Garry comes here daily to pray for them, their parents who still mourn their deaths, and for the strength to carry on.

I met the two brothers of the Sacred Heart who now run the secondary school. They hail from India and are the first two to be missioned beyond India from their community. They are young, energetic, and willing. Bless them.

After lunch I started back to Monrovia by car. It should have been a simple 2 hour trip. However, fifteen miles before Monrovia there was a serious accident where a large trailer truck ran a one lane bridge while a taxi was entering it on the opposite side. Fortunately, no one died, although the taxi was completely crushed. Another car had to come from Monrovia to pick me up on the other side of the bridge in order to get me back to the Archbishop’s house in time to leave for Sierra Leone later in the night.

I got there an hour before supper, in time for me to make one last check to my email to see how the Sierra Leone visit is shaping up, and to have some quality time to bid farewell to Archbishop Michael Francis. Archbishop Francis suffered a debilitating series of strokes 4 years ago and he is paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak. But his eyes speak volumes of joy and faith and his smile is infectious. He has been the conscience of Liberia in its darkest days, a voice of hope and truth, a prophet. Yesterday when I met with the Liberian Interfaith Mediation Committee, the vice president of the committee, a major Imam of Monrovia, said that Archbishop Francis was not just the archbishop for the Catholics, but for all in Liberia no matter the faith tradition. The stroke may have silenced his voice, but not his joyful and prayerful (and prophetic) spirit.

So, this brings me to the end of the Liberia leg of my journey and pilgrimage. Monsignor Andrew Karnley brought me to Air Moroc offices where a shuttle picked me up to take me to the airport for a late night flight to Freetown. I joke that if I came by night, the rebels would not know I am coming back to Sierra! I will infiltrate Freetown single handedly as they did in droves in 1999.

I owe Andrew a deep, brotherly, and sincere thanks. His hospitality was warm and expansive. He directed me to some of his best personnel to assist in my visit. He provided space at the Secratariat for me to stay connected to you. Andrew, THANK YOU. And to Mr. Augustine Toe of the National Justice and Peace Commission, I salute you. Augustine set up a wide variety of visits that gave me a snapshot of concerns from members of the president’s cabinet, the Justice Department, Womens’ groups, Lawyers, and Interreligous leaders to name just a few. And to Fr. Garry and his boys. I can’t even find the words of gratitude to express my being with you. I am so deeply honoured by your trust. I wish you all the very best of God’s Blessings and Joy. May Liberia not only live, but thrive!