MISSIONARY OCTOBER – Sister Suzanne Djebba: Joy and hope in the mission among the peoples

by Sister Suzanne Djebba*

We publish the address given by Sister Suzanne Djebba, Vicar General of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate , on the occasion of the International Missionary Congress “Missio ad Gentes Today: Towards New Horizons.” The meeting, promoted by the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Pontifical Mission Societies, was held on the afternoon of Saturday, October 4, in the Aula Magna of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, within the framework of the Jubilee of the Missionary World and Migrants.

Rome – Good morning, everyone.
I am Sister Suzanne Djebba, of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate, originally from Cameroon. After my studies here in Rome, I was assigned to Guinea-Bissau, where I worked as a missionary for about eight years. Now I have returned to the Eternal City to serve as vicar on our General Council. And I am here today to respond to your invitation to share with you the joys and hopes of mission among the peoples.

1.Brief presentation of the MDI mission in Guinea-Bissau

As Missionaries of the Immaculate , we arrived in Guinea in 1980, at the invitation of Monsignor Settimio Ferrazzetta, the first bishop of Bissau. Currently, Guinea has two dioceses: Bissau and Bafatá. As missionaries, we are committed to catechetical ministry, the formation of leaders of Christian communities, social development through education, assistance to mothers of twins and orphans, the advancement of women, and the accompaniment of young people and students. To give you an idea of the place we are talking about, it is worth noting that Guinea-Bissau is a West African country bordered to the north by Senegal, to the south by Guinea-Conakry, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Regarding religion, the majority of the population is Muslim, followed by practitioners of traditional religions, and finally, Christians of various denominations.

2.My first missionary invitation in Guinea-Bissau

To speak of joy and hope in mission work among peoples, I will begin with an experience I had shortly after arriving in Guinea. One day, as a religious community, we were to participate in the planning meeting for the pastoral year in our sector, and to get there we had to take a boat. Upon disembarking on the shore, I heard a young man’s invitation: “Come and eat.” At first, I did not know where the voice was coming from; I turned around out of curiosity, also to understand who was really inviting me. I thought he could not be speaking to me, since I was new, I had just arrived, and, apart from my sisters, no one knew me. However, the young man kept calling me, pointing at me, and repeating that he was speaking specifically to me. Although I am African and know that sharing is natural, I was surprised and touched by this gesture. I did not know this young man at all, nor did he know me. Once I understood that he was speaking to me, I thanked him with a smile and politely declined his invitation. What did I take away from this first experience? A warm gesture, a vibrant call to enter into communion with a people who, even without knowing me, were already waiting for me. A people who did not care whether I was new, whether I was a foreigner, a woman, or what religion I belonged to. All they offered me was a simple invitation: “Come…” As if they were calling me to remain with them always, to live the mission to the fullest, not as a spectator, but fully immersed among them, sent by God and, at the same time, welcomed by them to be part of their lives and enter their world, making it my own as well. So, what was my missionary life like in Guinea in concrete terms?

3.Collaboration with the local church

The first step in mission, for me as for all missionaries, is precisely to get to know and open oneself to the new: the reality, the people, the different cultures and traditions of the people to whom we have been sent. Thus, the invitation I received made me understand immediately that communion meant working for the Church and with the Church. In this sense, I would say that for us, the new missionaries, unlike those who came before us, the reality today is very different: when we arrive at the mission, we find a fairly structured and functioning local Church. Therefore, we do not come to start the Church’s establishment in that specific place from scratch, but rather to strengthen its presence and give it a more missionary character. This, however, requires the ability to stand alongside others: not in front, as heroic protagonists, nor behind, as passive and critical spectators, but shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, working together as a single ecclesial body and as sons and daughters of the same Mother Church. For me, this has been the fundamental attitude I have tried to implement in my mission. The image that has always accompanied me in my missionary life is that of Jesus walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus , engaging in dialogue with them, taking their concerns into account, gradually helping them to understand God’s plan, and disappearing the moment their eyes are opened as he breaks the bread. Therefore, for me, working with the local Church means living this journey together in concrete terms, which translates into communion of faith, formation, and the gifts received from the Lord, but also into the richness of sharing the life of our Church of origin in an enriching exchange. Another image that guides and illuminates my missionary life is that of Jesus as seed and sower, so dear to my Institute, which is the source of our charism. This generous and tireless sower, as one of our foundresses, Mother Igilda, used to say, who goes out and scatters the seed everywhere, without distinction of place, is precisely the driving force behind my daily missionary work. In concrete terms, what was my collaboration with the local Church like? In my first years of mission in Guinea, the greatest challenge I faced was the formation of formators for religious life. The Conference of Major Superiors had identified this as an absolute priority to which all efforts and energy should be dedicated. Responding to this call, I offered my availability and, during the first year, I worked alongside a Consolata Sister who was already working in this area. This experience of working together was truly enriching for me, because it allowed me to experience the beauty of contributing to the formation of formators for the good of the local Church, offering them guidance at the psycho-spiritual and pedagogical levels so that they could fulfill their mission well, but above all, sharing with them the joys and difficulties of formation in contexts where human and academic resources are very limited.
However, in the second year, I found myself alone, and the task was too great for me. Since it was necessary to ensure the continuity of this work, we proposed to the Superiors the creation of a group of formators already present in the area, such as those from the Major Seminary, and we also identified other religious trained in this field who could collaborate in this mission. And since then, even today, this group continues to carry out the formation work. For me, this is a source of joy and hope, because it concretely reflects the Church’s commitment to the care and formation of local vocations.

4.Social promotion

Through education, specifically through our schools, we strive to provide a high-quality education to all the children and adolescents who attend our institutions. I can say, without exaggeration, that the most effective schools, those that achieve excellent results, are precisely the Christian schools, and particularly the Catholic schools. In Guinea, we have also opted for a model of self-managed schools, in which the State, the village, and we ourselves play key roles. Thus, the schools we manage essentially belong to the Government and follow the state curriculum. In this way, if we are called to evangelize elsewhere, the school can continue operating without major difficulties. In addition to this, we prioritize human development and financial support for young people pursuing university and professional studies. This path we, as Missionaries of the Immaculate, have chosen, with the constant support of our benefactors, to whom we are forever grateful, aims to offer young people the possibility of a different future, but above all, to foster in them the desire to live and work in their own country. Supporting young people in their academic and professional development is a demanding task, yet it has brought us much joy. In fact, after years of effort and sacrifice, we see how they have become financially independent, working as teachers, office workers, bank employees, hospital staff, and so on. They themselves help us afterward with the bureaucratic procedures, repeatedly saying that without our support they would never have obtained those jobs. We certainly do not work seeking thanks or recognition, but their joy and gratitude make us understand that these sacrifices were worth it. And something even more beautiful is seeing that some of the young people we have helped are, in turn, paying for the schooling or vocational training of other young people, who are not necessarily members of their families. For me, this is a powerful sign of hope: seeing how good multiplies, helping us grow and nurturing confidence in a better future for young people. As Pope Francis emphasized in his message for this year’s World Mission Day: “Today, faced with the urgency of the mission of
Hope, the disciples of Christ are called first and foremost to be formed, to be “artisans” of hope and restorers of a humanity that is often distracted and unhappy.”

5.The mission of listening

In mission work, there is often much to do, and even more so in places where the missionary must take care of practically everything. There is always, therefore, the urgency—or even the temptation—to work hard and, at times, frantically, because the needs are often greater than our strength. For this reason, we are frequently very busy and preoccupied with the things that need to be done. However, in the midst of all this, the call I received from young people and women was to dedicate time to listening to them. Like other missionaries, at first I too saw that there was too much practical work and that listening was a very slow path to achieve my goals. It was easier to do something for others than to dedicate time to being with them and discovering what was truly best for them. What made me change my perspective? Simply, a woman who one day asked me a critical question: “You missionaries, why don’t you let us express our joy?” I asked her, “Why do you say that?” And she replied that the missionaries did everything for themselves, but they weren’t open to receiving what the people wanted to offer them as an expression of gratitude. This brief dialogue made me understand that only through listening could that space of giving and receiving exist.

When I decided to prioritize listening, it also transformed my perspective. From that moment on, I understood that mission doesn’t consist solely of giving or doing, but also of receiving. I can say, without exaggeration, that in listening to people I have received much more than I have given. Through listening, I understood what the people truly needed: their own good, and not the good I thought I would offer them or, sometimes, do in their place. Here, the image of Mary, the woman who listens, helped me greatly in my mission: listening to people as Mary would have listened to them; listening as Mary listened to her son Jesus in all the stages of his life. Listening to share the depths of the other’s heart, their most intimate treasure, experiencing trust in God. Not being afraid to descend into that depth, into those turbulent waters where God himself is with us, as the angel says to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” . This is the certainty I have every time someone comes to me seeking to be heard. One day, an elderly woman came to our community asking for financial assistance. I sat beside her, and she immediately began to share her life with all its difficulties. What surprised me was that, when she finished speaking, she asked for nothing more. She simply said to me: “Thank you for listening to me.” Therefore, for me, the time dedicated to listening, which, realistically, is often long and sometimes even seems like a waste of time, are moments in which, through dialogue and interpersonal relationships, hope is born, the joy of feeling taken seriously, valued, and heard. Pope Francis, in his Message for this year’s World Mission Day reminded us that: “Through his disciples, sent to all nations and mystically accompanied by him; Even today, He continues to bend down before every poor, afflicted, desperate person, oppressed by evil, to pour upon their wounds “the oil of consolation and the wine of hope.” As missionaries, in listening we also experience our limitations in resolving certain problems. But, at the same time, it is there that the desire arises to entrust them to God, with the full conviction that, without prayer, we cannot carry out Christ’s mission, and that it is He who makes His Kingdom grow within and beyond the hearts of people.
Therefore, for me, bringing those we have listened to Jesus in the Eucharist is a very powerful moment, in which I feel that it is God Himself who acts and that we are merely His humble collaborators. As one of our foundresses said: “Missionary life, to be fruitful in good, must be modeled on the Eucharistic life of Jesus in the Tabernacle.” .

6.The mission of proclamation and of testimony

The proclamation, as I experienced it in Guinea, was carried out through catechesis, which inevitably involves dialogue between faith and culture, between faith and local traditions. It is precisely in this dialogue that the human and spiritual values emerge that help Christians remain rooted in their faith without denying their cultural identity, living faith and culture in harmony of heart and mind. However, it is always necessary to keep in mind the work of purification and conversion, both on the part of the missionary and on the part of those who receive the Gospel for the first time. The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa states in paragraph 57: “The African believes in God the Creator from his traditional life and religion and thus is also open to the full and definitive revelation of God in Jesus Christ, God with us, Word made flesh. Jesus, the Good News, is God who saves the African … from oppression and slavery.” In this proclamation, we also place great importance on the formation of catechists. This is fundamental because, often, they reach places we cannot; they know how to use the local language to explain things simply. Therefore, as one of my sisters once said, properly forming a catechist means building up a Christian community, and the community, in turn, becomes a place of formation, and thus faith grows.

7.Sowers of peace and justice

Another point I wish to share with you, and which for me is a source of joy and hope, is the commitment of the Church’s Pastors in Guinea to peace. In a country marked by wars and various coups d’état, the entire Church is aware of this precious gift and works to preserve it. “To Africa, beset on all sides by the seeds of hatred and violence, by conflicts and wars, evangelizers must proclaim the hope of life founded on the Paschal Mystery.”
To respond, therefore, to the need to sow peace and hope, bishops, priests, religious, and all Christians commit themselves daily to promoting communion, dialogue between individuals and communities, and friendship among all. As is often said in Guinea: we are all brothers and sisters. And, in fact, in reality, in Guinea, Muslims, practitioners of traditional religions, and Christians live together, and sometimes even form part of the same family. These are simple gestures, certainly, but they help to sow peace and harmony among people, also at the socio-political level, encouraging each person to assume their own responsibilities for the common good. Today, therefore, evangelization in Africa involves the reconciliation of hearts, in order to build a society where it is possible to hope to live in justice and peace. As Benedict XVI’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Africae Munus, no. 174, emphasizes: “The face of evangelization today bears the name of reconciliation, ‘an indispensable condition for establishing just relationships among people in Africa and for building a just and lasting peace with respect for every individual and every people.’”

Conclusion

To conclude this presentation, I would like to thank the organizers, who have given me the opportunity to relive with you my missionary journey in Guinea. I will conclude by simply saying that for me, mission is presence: a presence that is sometimes discreet and silent, but that profoundly impacts people’s lives. A presence that, at times, also needs words to express and share what we believe; a presence that keeps us company, and a presence that shares the joys and hopes of the people to whom we have been sent. I wish for each of us to be that presence in our daily lives. Pope Francis, in his Message for this year’s World Mission Day, quoting Gaudium et Spes 1, expressed this desire: “Following Christ the Lord, Christians are called to transmit the Good News by sharing the concrete living conditions of the people they encounter, thus becoming bearers and builders of hope. For, in fact, ‘the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the disciples of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.’” Thank you all for your attention and for listening.

* Vicar General of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate, PIME