Message of Peace from Tanzania

Dar-es-Salaam is a marvelous city inf Tanzania on the Indian Ocean, situated right on the bay facing the island of Zanzibar seen on the horizon. It is a city where the signs of colonialism are still noticeable and even though it isn’t the capital of the country anymore, it still preserves an image and a vitality full of hope. It was in this city -in the St. Joseph’s High School – that “Mariapolis 2010” was held. It was from the 24th to the 28th of June and 280 persons attended among whome were children, families and young people. And for it to be a real city seminarians, priests, nuns and two bishops also took part. Though it was only a temporary city, it represented many other communities so different among themselves: Tabora, Singida, Bukoba, Songea, Mbeya, Iringa, Dar: in each one of this places you can find the traces of life of a people which gives a concrete contribution to build fragments of universal fraternity.

“God loves you immensly” was the title and the program of the three days of dialogue and meditation on the ideal of universal brotherhood. This has given everybody the chance to discover anew the great potential and the beauty of a life spent living the Gospel and for God: you can feel this just by reading some of the impressions: “It’s the first time I’ve met the Movement, I have learned a lot and I saw real unity among people of all kinds, religions, colors, tribes” – wrote a seminarian from Segerea. Father Emile Kindole said: “I was struck by the suggestion of translating every event of my life in “God loves me”. I’ve learned how to become an optimist and see God in every one and in everything that happens in my life. I’ve also learned to do everything in unity and with love”.

Norbert, 17 years old, was really struck instead by the story of Chiara Luce Badano, who will be canonized by the Church on 25 September. He wrote.“I was really struck by Chiara Luce. All she suffered due to her illness she lived it for God and she receivedeverything from God. I also want to be like her and seek only for God’s Kingdom (…).God loves us in the good times as well as the hard times”.

Each of the participants had the chance to rediscover God’s love in their lives through the various moments of the Mariapolis: while listening to a meditation of Chiara Lubich on an aspect of the spirituality, listening to life stories and to the young people sharing experiences. during leisure time. Somebody wrote: “By being at the service of others, each participant experienced a great joy, something which can’t be improvised. This is what gives you the strength to make choices you had never thought of making before.”