Martyr in Congo

Chapter 2. The great gift of Faith

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Brother Victor soon after his arrival in Congo in 1959

While I was in our church, on the evening of Holy Saturday (April 1960), my thoughts turned to you who live in a Christian country, where the bells ring out in honor of the Lord’s resurrection. I also thought about the first Christians in Rome who sought refuge in the catacombs where they prayed for their city’s conversion to the Lord.

March was a rather intense month for us. We began the preparation of about 80 adults for baptism. The majority of them are aged between 20 and 35 years old; there is also a little group of elderly people. I ask you to pray that they will be good Christians, especially in these difficult times. Congo is about to obtain independence and it has reached a crossroads, not sure of which path to take. The Wabembe tribe, with whom we have most contact, practiced cannibalism until some years ago. The last reported case was in 1953. It is obviously difficult to preach the Gospel in such a context. When we visit the villages, the fathers hear confessions and I instruct the people and examine them on the catechism.

I have to make long journeys on foot to organize the young people’s associations. On one occasion, with bread in my bag for lunch, I walked there and back, a journey of 15 miles. Life is reduced to the bare essentials. When we organized a camping experience, we slept on the ground on simple mats, while some slept on the hard ground. The people are used to this, since they normally sleep on a mat on the ground without a blanket. It is only recently that the clerks and the teachers have begun to buy simple beds that, to our eyes, would give no guarantee of a good night’s rest. Soon I will resume catechism lessons to the children of the first three primary school classes. In the evening, we say the rosary and conclude with benediction. We insist on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and we explain that she, who overcame the evil One, will also defeat the evil forces at work in the world”. 

Paint strokes of African life 

Throughout his letters to his family, Brother Victor showed a great imagination in describing the situation in Congo at the beginning of 1960s. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, his writings show his love for his mission, and a painting of his surroundings, rooted on a deep faith in God. “Everyone here watches me write these notes, and tells me “Dear Brother Victor, you walk fast with your pen”.” Brother Victor loved to write! At the end of one of his letters, even Fr. John Didone’ showed his appreciation of Brother Faccin’s service in Baraka: “Your Victor is doing great. He’s my right hand and my consolation.”

It is obviously difficult to preach the Gospel in such a context. When we visit the villages, the fathers hear confessions and I instruct the people and examine them on the catechism.
Br. Victor Faccin

Brother Victor writes: “Here we live by what divine Providence provides every day… To love God in his creatures, and most of all, in humanity redeemed by his Grace.  My heart is hurt whenever I see and meet with youth who do not know the joy of being in God’s grace; the joy of knowing that we are God’s children; that joy, even in the midst of pains, that brings a smile to our faces, while their exterior smiles show their sadness deep within.  Please pray always, so that the Reign of God becomes presence in their hearts.” 

His concern for children, and for the gift of the Christian faith in their lives, comes through his letters as a wish for a better future: “Last Sunday the children had no water for cooking.  Two of them went to get some water, and then they said:  our friend Leonardo did not come to help us, so he should not eat!  But I replied to them that he should eat too.  They answered me back: he did not work, so he does not have the right to eat!  Africa should be loved by the love of Christ, not because of its gold and natural resources!”

He loved his Christian communities, and he rejoiced with them for their accomplishments:  “Please pray for us, that the Lord may grant us peace, so that we may be able to continue our missionary service.  There are many Christians, and they show their love in many occasions; how can we abandon them?  At Nugeri I had the chance to assist at the profession of 15 Congolese Brothers.  What a moving celebration!” 

His love is reflected in a letter after one year of service in Congo.  “Even 1960 is past and gone.  Much has happened, and far and few the good things for Congo.  Only the good Lord can save us from this chaos.  It has been one year of mission service also for me, and I’m becoming more comfortable as time passes, without too many difficulties in understanding the language.  These troubling times hurt us indeed, when we think of so many Christians who are alone, so often cut of from religious classes and instruction, from the Sacraments, and who depend only on the recitation of the daily Rosary.” 

And even through imprisonment and daily hardships, Brother Victor finds time for poking fun! “I can actually brag that I visited all the prisons between Fizi and Bukavu, a stretch of 140 miles.  To tell you the truth, I was afraid; but when that was forgotten, we also had the chance to laugh, behind our neighbor’s shoulders: the soldiers!  Actually, we are not afraid of the soldiers, but of their rifles, which many times don’t know how to use them.  Many a times a shell explodes unexpectedly, because the soldier is drunk or because he was playing with it.  You present papers in French, and they don’t know how to read them, because most of them do not know how to read their language, Kiswaili.”

But he sees the plans of God, who teaches us through events:  “The Lord tested our faith and the faith of our Christians.  They were tested to make them understand on their need of the presence of missionaries among them.  And we were tested, too, so that we may work with more love (beyond any financial reward) and help them in their impossible tasks, therefore creating a spirit of family and of Christian charity.  If we love each other, Jesus also will love us.”

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