A Heroic Catechist

In March of this year, Palma in northern Mozambique was attacked and occupied for a time by Islamist terrorists. The catechist in a local parish. Paulo Agostinho Matica, went to extraordinary lengths to protect the parish records which he regarded as an important “treasure”.

By ACN Staff

Paulo Agostinho Matica handing over the parish records to Bishop Antonio Juliasse. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

On 24 March, Palma in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado was attacked by terrorists. The terrorists who carried out the attack were an African affiliate of ISIS. These same insurgents have been carrying out an insurgency in northern Mozambique that has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced around 750,000. The Islamists were able to overrun Palma quickly.

Caught up in this chaos was Paulo Agostinho Matica, a catechist of the local Saint Benedict Parish in Palma. Paulo was in the presbytery when the Insurgent began their attack at around 2 pm. When he realised what was happening, Paulo rushed to save the parish records. The terrorists occupied Palma and for two days Paulo remained hidden inside the presbytery.

Paulo Agostinho Matica. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

On the third day, Paulo decided to make his escape. With the parish records in hand, managed to reach a friend’s home. Paulo then travelled onto Quitunda, a small town on the outskirts of Palma. Still protecting the parish records, Paulo then moved onto Senga. He arrived there on Palm Sunday. The small Catholic community at Senga were delighted to find that a catechist had arrived. They asked Paulo to pray with them, and Paulo tells us:

“And so I went to the church and we prayed together.”

It is very common in this part of Mozambique for the Liturgy of the Word to be led by a catechist as there is few priests in the region. That was how Paulo and the Catholics in Senga spent Palm Sunday.

After Palm Sunday, Paulo travelled to family in Mwagaza. After he heard that the terrorists had left Palma, Paulo decided to return. Palma was devested and the parish church was vandalised and ransacked. After returning, Paulo presented the parish records to Bishop Antonio Juliasse, the Apostolic Administrator of Pemba. The bishop said the following on receiving the records:

“I had already heard of the dedication of this catechist of ours in the parish of Saint Benedict in Palma, but I’m filled with admiration for the fact that he also made the effort to save the parish registers.”

The parish records are not just simple books. They are the records of the lives of the Catholic community on Palma, containing the names of those baptised, married and confirmed in the church. By preserving the records, Paulo helped the parish to keep an important part of its identity and history.