The reality of this emerging national fraternity is defined over a solid base, not only due to the work of the friars, who have helped increasingly the members of the SFO in their growth, a help that continues firmly, but also because of the heroic testimony of some laypeople that have gone through very difficult times during the country’s war periods, and who have kept their faith to Christ based on Saint Francis of Asis’ teaching.
Recently, the CIOFS have become acquainted with one of these examples, which we think is edifying for all our Order, and so the reason why we want to share it with all of you.
A 20 year-old young man was sent to an Officers’ Course of the Popular Army Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA), forces associate to the Angolan government. At that time Angola was living under a Marxist-Leninist regime. Because of this regime no one was allowed to manifest freely his or her religion while being part of the army. So it happened that the young man from our story, in spite of that prohibition, used to frequent church regularly during his training. Right before reaching the end of the course, he was reported by a colleague. He was involved with a group of people who were preparing for Christmas’ celebration between the dates of 17th and 22nd of December 1987. To confirm the report made by the colleague, the person in charge of the Training School went to the shed where he lived in company of his colleagues from the same Military Unit and there he searched into his backpack. He was astonished when he found a Bible, a rosary and a small diary. His chief’s fury was so that he ordered the soldiers who were in service to beat him up when he were back from church. That is what happened. At the end he was warned that he was going to be punished during six months in a very conflicting area. Considering that his behavior was acceptable, excluding the fact that he wanted to stay Christian, he would be called at the end of the six months to be transferred to a military unit near the Luena airport, in the Moxico Province, at the east of Angola.
His army superior told him that if during the period of six months he would changed his attitude, he would become his friend. He had no way to defend himself so he had to depart to his new appointment, asking to take with him the "accusation proves" and during his punishment he was always hoping he could return home one day.
He was sent to the war front, so he trusted God more and more, always reading the bible and praying the rosary: no one there opposed him doing this. He was sent to this new assignment on January 31, 1988, and on July 28th of the same year, he received a message asking him to go back to the city before August 1st. He became very glad with this news and started getting ready to go back. On Sunday July 31st, at noon time he went to take a bath at a near by river and when he was ready to place his cloths to dry, he stepped into an anti tank bomb which exploded, curtailing his right foot which sank in the river. His left hip was also injured with very serious burnings. He had very few possibilities of surviving. He was suffering a lot and there were no means of transportation to take him to any hospital. In this same situation, he went on for 15 days, while his health became rapidly deteriorated. On the 16th day after his accident, a helicopter came to take him over to a hospital. But, after a two hours flight, the helicopter had to urgently land, for lack of gas. They had to land in an enemy’s zone, which resulted in a very dangerous situation for all of the helicopter’s passengers. Even tough, they managed to get out of that place, finally arriving to the hospital on the 17th day after the accident. At the hospital, the young man from our story was operated. Doctors were really astonished to see how well he had overcome all this tragedy.
He got out of the hospital after 33 days and then, he found out that his colleagues had all been killed except three of them, by the enemy troops. The survivors escaped to the neighbor country of Zambia. On the same week he got out of the hospital, he also learned that his former chief officer (the one who had punished him), had suffered an accident and was at the hospital. In his crutches he went to visit this officer, who told him, "your God has punished me", recalling the punishment he himself had placed on the young man.
Today, the young man of our story, is a superior officer of the Angola reformatted army, he has been catechizer for 22 years, professing in the SFO twelve years ago. It’s been 19 years since his accident from which he lost his right leg and still suffers heavy pains, though, he is convinced God’s projects for his life are more important than any pain he can suffer.
The Angola SFO continues growing and on February 4, 2006 a National Council has being formed on this Emerging. The brother of our story, Domingo Calassumi, is their actual National Secretary.
