F aith and Light communities across the

world form the branches of one big in-

ternational family. Within each prov-

ince, each country, we carry one an-

other’s burdens, sufferings and joys (Charter III.4).

When the communities are too far away from one

another, we struggle to apply this aspect of our

charter: how can we be a family when the closest

community to mine is several hundred kilometers

away, how can we share and celebrate together?

If the ambition of Faith and Light is to leave no-

one alone, why is it that some communities have

never met anyone other than the members of their

own community?

I have always been concerned about those coun-

tries that cannot be attached to a province. Even if

they are geographical neighbours, the isolation of

the communities makes them extremely fragile.

This is why a formation session for these communi-

ties was organised at the Segbohoué Foyer de

Charité (Benin) at the beginning of September. For

me, a dream could become a reality, but also for the

eleven communities in these six countries: Ivory

Coast (1 community in Korhogo), Burkina Faso (1

community in Ouagadougou), Togo (1 community

in Dapaong), Benin (1 community in Cotonou),

Nigeria (1 community in Ekpoma), Cameroon (4

communities in Nkongsamba, Douala and

Yaoundé, and 2 in formation in Bafang and in Ba-

foussam).

After several months of lengthy and meticulous

preparation managed from the international secre-

tariat by Guénaël and locally in each country, but

above all by Sister Marie-Antoinette in Benin, it

was time to get started! With three big suitcases full

of guidelines and many other documents, I took off

with Guénaël for Cotonou, where Sister Marie-

Antoinette and Philippe (Papa Corneille) were wait-

ing for us. The first day was devoted to awareness-

building activities around this formation:

A recording at the ORTB [Benin Radio and

Television Network] for a presentation of the

formation. This was broadcast during the day on

the main television channel in Benin and had a

very powerful impact; the telephones of the

Cotonou community leaders were seriously buzz-

ing! Lots of people seemed very interested and

A formation session in Benin

Father Jean-Raphaël and Sister Marie-Antoinette

2

did not think that this event that was being pre-

pared was important enough to justify a televi-

sion programme! I even met two people who had

come as far as Segbohoué to meet me and to find

out more about Faith and Light!

An interview on Faith and Light's mission for

the "Immaculate Conception" radio by its

leader, Father Jean-Raphaël Marie, from the con-

gregation of the Franciscan brothers of the Im-

maculate. He was touched by our meeting and

suggested that we record the teaching time, so

that the participants could take the CD away with

them of all the talks and the exchanges that fol-

lowed. On the final day, watching the CDs being

burned (four at a time) in three minutes was a

sight worth seeing! He himself came to Segbo-

houé twice.

A visit to the Archbishop of Cotonou, Monsei-

gneur Antoine Ganyé, who had just celebrated

his 20 years of episcopate (20 August during a

mass presided by Cardinal Robert Sarah and in

the presence of Mr. Boni Yay, President of the

Republic). This was a very simple and warm

meeting and it mainly focused on the human and

spiritual value of people with an intellectual dis-

ability, on the need for the Church to recognise

in them a light that can illuminate ourselves....

And on the importance of providing access to the

sacraments for them. Monseigneur Ganyé told

me that he was receptive to my words.

A visit to Reverend Mother Emma Gbaguidi,

Superior–General of the Sisters of Saint Au-

gustin. This meeting was also an extremely joy-

ous time, we were even invited to dinner in a real

familylike atmosphere. Sister Marie Antoinette

has a superior who supports her well in her ac-

tivities with Faith and Light!

In parallel, the day was punctuated by the twists

and turns in the saga of the Cameroonians, whose

plane that was scheduled to arrive the following

day looked like it was going to stay on the ground,

as the airline Camair Co was having some prob-

lems, which had forced it to cancel many flights!

Finally, after many telephone calls to the Secre-

tariat in Paris and with the Cameroonians, the prob-

lem was resolved, but plenty of sacrifices had to be

made and it caused no small amount of frustra-

tion… Ultimately only 11 Cameroonians could

come, rather than 23, and they arrived a day late (in

the case of nine of them and two days for the two

others).... As you can imagine, the eleven who

came were still very happy to be able to partici-

pate…. And the twelve who had to stay at home

were very disappointed (some had had to order

themselves a passport for the occasion, had been

vaccinated and had had to request a visa)....

On the second day, we reached the meeting

venue, the Segbohoué Foyer de Charité, one hour’s

drive from Cotonou. On the way, Philippe and his

son, Corneille, took us to Ouidah, notorious for be-

ing the departure point for slaves going to America

(a very sad memory). On the beach there is a com-

memorative monument, the gate known as the gate

of "no return". Curiously, just next to this sinister

gate, there is another one that was erected in mem-

ory of the arrival of the first missionaries in April

1861, which marked the beginning of the evangeli-

sation of the country.

Some delegates from Cameroun

Some delegates from Togo and Benin

3

Once we were settled in, it was time to start the

formation, which lasted from Wednesday evening

until Sunday after lunch. It was wonderful to see

these 60 people eager to find out more about Faith

and Light. The many questions that were asked af-

ter each talk allowed us to clarify everything that I

had not mentioned and showed that everyone had

listened well and were very keen to return home

with as much as possible to share with the rest of

the community, to report back in every diocese, in

order to have the tools to announce our good and

joyful news and grow Faith and Light in this region

of the world. It was like every Faith and Light

meeting:

Sharing times: there were sharing groups, which

enabled us to exchange one other's experiences,

there were workshops which focused on prepar-

ing the next community meeting with the new

guidelines, and, at each moment, something was

going on and there were many exchanges during

the meals or breaks.

Times of celebration, particularly on the final

evening, which was devoted to the traditional

"fiesta" and this kind of event is particularly suc-

cessful when held in Africa: dances, sketches,

mimes and local food.... Everything was done to

ensure that we all felt at home in the group. It was

hard to imagine that this whole little group had

not known each other the week before.

Prayer times with the members of the Foyer, a

washing of the feet celebration (a first for the ma-

jority of the participants), the reciting of the ro-

sary with the help of the "mysteries of Faith and

Light" and masses, of which the final one, the

Sunday mass, was particularly lively.... Two

choirs with traditional African songs, processions

(processional, offertory and recessional) with the

rhythm accompanied by dancers. The mass

lasted quite a long time… But we didn’t notice

the time passing!

The teaching times (twice per day) followed the

words of the prayer of Faith and Light. Our

prayer is very beautiful, and by following it from

the beginning to the end, we can discuss all the

themes that I wished to raise: the mystery of fra-

gility, the person with a disability as a source of

peace and unity, the call received to join a com-

munity (and the invitation to call others), the

Faith and Light community where we share, pray

and celebrate, the community members, the need

to always be nourished by the Word and by the

Eucharist, and the passion and resurrection of

Jesus as the source and high point of our lives in

the community.

The testimonies given by one person from each of

the countries were particularly moving. The situa-

tion of children with disabilities, as described by

those who have experienced it, is far from envi-

Delegates from Ivory Cost and Burkina Faso

4

able... Rosemary from Nigeria, who was present at

the session, lived her life hidden away by her par-

ents, who viewed her as a curse. Members of the

Faith and Light community did not hesitate in get-

ting her out during the session. Always well-

dressed and always smiling, in a workshop for the

people with disabilities who were there, she showed

that she could make beautiful pieces by stringing

tiny beads together!

Before leaving, many of us exchanged ad-

dresses after the traditional family photo. Now that

we have broken the isolation, there is no longer any

question of remaining alone! There are promises to

see one another again and to organise ourselves so

that one day Faith and Light will have grown so

much that everyone will be in a new province, a

dynamic province, bearing plenty of fruit and with

its structure built on a solid cornerstone!

I must thank all of the participants for their kind

attention, for their commitment and determination

to grow Faith and Light, and each of the people

with disabilities for their presence, which is always

so loyal. They really helped us to grasp the reason

behind our presence in Segbohoué. My particular

thanks go to Sister Marie-Antoinette, who took a lot

of trouble on-the-spot to ensure that everything

went well and everyone felt welcome. Finally, my

thanks go to Father Denis, from the Foyer de

Charité, who welcomed us so well. I am always so

happy to spend time in a Foyer de Charité - there

are so many things that we share....

GHISLAIN DU CHÉNÉ

International Coordinator

Joy and Rosemary, Nigeria

Perpétue, Benin