ACN Supporting Carmelites in DRC

Aid to the Church in Need is committed to supporting religious sisters around the world. For example, ACN is supporting a community of Carmelite sisters in the Congolese city of Malole.

By ACN Staff

The Carmelite community in Malole. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a troubled land. Despite this, in the heart of the African nation lies the oldest Carmelite convent in the whole of Africa. In 1934, six Carmelite sisters from Belgium headed out and made landfall in, as was then, Belgian Congo and established a convent in the Kasai Region. The convent was dedicated to the Christ Child and was later transferred to the city of Malole in the Kananga Region in the heart of DRC.

The Carmelite community in Malole. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Today there are 18 African religious sisters in the convent. Their ages range from 21 to 88. The average age is around 40. Beautifully the convent is located close to a seminary. The Carmelites do live physically apart from the world but are very much active in the world through prayer. In this specific convent, the Carmelites focus their prayer particularly on the seminary, for vocations and the sanctification of the priestly ministry.

Violence and unrest are sadly very common in DRC. In 2017 this violence reached the convent and seminary. There was a local outbreak of violence. Both the convent and seminary were attacked and looted. Part of the seminary was even set on fire. We should pray that the perpetrators of the crime may realise the error of their ways and may return to faithfulness in God. A section of the seminary was burnt down but thankfully no one was actually killed or even physically harmed in the attack.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated occurrence in DRC. Churches, convents and other Church facilities and buildings are frequently attacked. This is not the first time that the Carmelites have been attacked in DRC.

The local community is very happy to have the sisters in their midst praying for the local people and Church. Holy Mass is celebrated in the convent every day. However, the local people are very poor and are unable to fully support the Carmelites. For this reason Aid to the Church in Need has pledged €5400 to help support the religious sisters.