15th July 2010
Report on the successful roofing and ceiling of a new parish church building at Guffanti Parish, Kontagora Vicariate.
Heartfelt greetings to you and all your members at Apostolic Work Killaloe from the parishioners and Clergy of Guffanti parish. I an happy to be able to report to you that church building that you in collaboration with the apostolic work groups at Down and Connor and Armagh funded last year have been completed ready for use. The work began shortly after Christmas and was completed in time for the official opening and 1st mass on the feast of St. Patrick 2010.
Guffanti parish was established by the S.M.A fathers in 1973 as a centre of primary evangelization from where the Gospel was preached to those who had never heard of Jesus before. In the past 37 years the parish has grown from strength to strength. It now has over 80 outstation Churches.
it is a rural parish and as such Guffanti, dedicated to the Holy Family acts as a centre for all the other Churches scattered over a wide area. This year the Dry Season English and Catechumenate programme had over 100 participants who spend 3 months at Guffanti receiving religious instruction and learning English before returning to their own Churches and passing on their knowledge. Also every week throughout the year, there are meetings of various groups at the parish centre. Up to now they have had to have mass outdoors under a tree. However now for the first time they have somewhere available for mass that can cope with up to 500 people at a time.
With the building in place and in use, in the years ahead the Church community will through local contributions see to it that the finishing touches are put to the work, by plastering and painting inside and installing a tabernacle, appropriate seating etc. This is something that they can do because the main work of construction which would have been beyond their means has been completed.
On behalf of all the people of Guffanti parish I wish to express our deepest appreciation to you at Apostolic Work Killaloe for your generosity in providing the funds necessary for the work to be completed. As the benefactors of the Church you are remembered in prayer by the people of Guffanti.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Dónall Ó Catháin S.M.A
Parish Priest Shafaci
