One of our parishioners was working in Sudan until she was forced to flee for her life last year, along with many missionaries and aid workers when the war there intensified. She is heading back very soon into a still war torn country. This is the update she gave us this week which we publish in full. Please pray for her and all her co workers.
You may recall that we had one of the Comboni mission priests come to speak in the parish in September 2022.
"I was granted my entry visa back to Sudan today - However, due to the war we cannot return to Khartoum. The Comboni College of Science and Technology CCST - we lost everything in Khartoum, destroyed and looted by the Rapid Support Force including our new Department of Nursing Building and Library distroyed.
As you know my speciality is Palliative Care. In Port Sudan Under the supervision of Fr. Dr Jorge and Dr Halami (PHd) we have continued under stress with forming again the BSc Nursing course - formation of a Nurse lead clinic , ongoing development of a community mobile hospice, formation and further development of Comboni palliative care volunteers -(CPCV) going into the local communities and giving teaching both theory and practical course to both Christians and Muslims on ' Introduction to palliative care, nursing and public health' course - asking nothing other than the people attending the course give back what they learn to the local community and families.
We have received formal agreement from the Ministry of higher education and ministry of health to allow our student nurses to have placements in local hospitals, also to teach the medical staff 'Introduction to Palliative care' course. Obviously this is ongoing - they recognise the need.
You can imagine that there is so much poverty, stress, displacement of people due to the war - which continues, as Fr Jorge has said 'we cannot abandon our people and students' -
The Archbishop of Khartoum Michael Dede is now in Port Sudan. Please pray for the Church in Sudan and all the people. May Our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on them.
I hope to travel back to Sudan this coming week - after 1 year - the war started on 15th April 2023 - there are many stories I could tell - the people of Sudan are amazing, We have an amazing NGO - AISPO an Italian Catholic organisation who has been supporting us. We fall down, and then we stand up and go forward. In impossible situations, but nothing is impossible for God - Please pray for us - Sudan is forgotten by the world - worse than Gaza - a forgotten people. Prayers are heard - I know this. Thank you.”