The Reverend Father Nazaire Mabanza is the secretary to the Fraternity of Our Lady of Montligeon for Africa. Native of Congo, the priest ensures the relations between the Fraternity and the African 613 prayer-groups.
Father Mabanza is at the head of the work of Montligeon in Africa since 2006. His mission: “To ensure coordination between the seat of Fraternity in France and the prayers groups of Montligeon in Africa. ”
Fr. Nazaire Mabanza‘s mission
Priest of the archdiocese of Brazzaville in Congo, He travels throughout Africa to meet the bishops, and introduces the Fraternity when they do not know of it, and to also help them create prayer groups in their dioceses. Moreover, he keeps in regular contact with the bishops who already have received the Fraternity in theirs.
He tirelessly keeps reminding the three pillars of the Montligeon prayer groups: praying together once a week, undertaking charitable works (for ex. support seminaries, up keeping of cemeteries, helping the destitute, etc.) not to mention faith and doctrinal training.
The latter is especially his task. Indeed as a theologian, he is credited with twenty-three catechesis that he wrote in order to “help the group members to understand what devotion to the souls undergoing purification is about.”
The Fraternity of Montligeon in Africa
Over a century old, the Fraternity of Montligeon in Africa is for ever growing. Why is that so? “Our culture”, imparts the priest, “is a far-removed preparation to receive praying for the dead. African traditions afford ancestors a prominent role in every one’s life. They are our mediators, they act as intercessors, they are the saints of our families. They mark out the path to our future. The revealed faith shows that this very worship of the good ancestors is the communion of saints”.
Fr. Nazaire regularly visits at the shrine. In 2023, he will take advantage of his stays in Montligeon to help prepare, with the chaplains of the shrine, the centennial celebrations of the Fraternity in Africa. They will take place in Porto-Novo in Benin and over 1000 pilgrims from the various prayer groups are expected. They will come from the Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Untiring Fr. Nazaire!
