MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
The front-page photo portrays a line of Venezuelan people crossing the border to Colombia via a trocha or muddy footpath that cuts across the scrubland covering the banks of the Tachira River, which forms the border between Venezuela and Colombia.
The photo represents the ordeal of so many millions of people who have to leave their countries because of war, violence, persecution, climate conditions or extreme poverty. A sympathetic welcoming attitude supports the possibility of starting a new life in a new home.
MISSION IS FUN
FR JORGE IN THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
BY FR MUSEKETERI MKOTOKOTO
FR JORGE was very fond of visiting Kruger National Park and sightseeing while filming with his video camera. The mission where he was stationed, Waterval, is situated 30 km away from one of the entrances to the Park.
One Monday, commonly considered a day off for the priests, Fr Jorge decided to spend some time in the reserve, contemplating the beauty of its scenery and tracking animals armed with his camera.
A few weeks earlier, a catechist’s husband from one of the villages served by the mission, employed as a guard in Kruger, had been fatally charged by an elephant while riding on his bicycle in the Park.
As Fr Jorge spotted a herd of elephants crossing the road ahead of him, he alighted from his car—something absolutely forbidden by the Park—to record the view. A traffic police officer arrived and stopped his car
behind Fr Jorge’s and started recriminating his behaviour. As the priest was of quick temperament, he loudly replied to the officer: “How
do you dare reproach me for this when your employees are exposed to dangerous wild animals as they ride on bicycles in the Park?”
The police officer—not involved in the management of the animal reserve—was taken aback by Fr Jorge’s response and let him
proceed without issuing a fine but warned him not to repeat such an imprudent action.
NB: The names of the characters have been changed.
LANGUAGE CHALLENGES
FR GEORGE arrived at Waterval Mission, Mpumalanga at a mature age. In his first years in the mission, he made a great effort to learn the Northern Sotho language of Sepedi and he reached a certain level of proficiency, which allowed him to celebrate Mass and even to preach in Sepedi.