Parish Life—Madagascar Style

Some Reasons Why Madagascar Is Known as the "Paradise of the Missions"

As the great majority of our faithful do not know how to read, they have to learn their prayers the hard way. It's a work of patience to repeat the prayers for them over and over again until they can recite them without hesitation. The result is that they know by heart many more prayers than the average American Catholic.

They can recite the principal litanies including the "let us pray" without hesitation. Such prayers as the Acts of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Memorare to Our Lady of La Salette — the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel (a great favorite), the prayer to Saint Joseph for the month of the Rosary, are as familiar to them as the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Participation during Sunday Mass

Fr. Arthur Le Blanc, M.S. (1899-1990), coming back to U.S. for visitNo one uses a book at Mass. At the beginning of Mass they all say aloud the morning prayers according to the approved formula. The acts before and after Communion are also said aloud by all the assistants at Mass. Other prayers, according to the liturgical season or the devotion of the month, and hymns, take up the rest of the time. There is no special choir. All the singing, even at High Mass, is done by the whole congregation.

The faithful do not leave the Church right after Mass on Sundays, but remain for the Catechism Class. About twenty questions of the Catechism are assigned as each Sunday's program. The questions and answers are repeated and repeated until all can answer correctly. Emulation is stimulated by occasional contests, the women against the men, the east side of the town against the west side, etc. Then comes the explanation of the Catechism with frequent interrogations to make sure that all understand.

On Sundays when the priest is absent visiting the outlying parishes, the faithful meet at the church in the mornings as for Mass. After a few hymns and morning prayers, the catechists read and explain the Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday. Then there's the beads and the teaching and explanation of the Catechism. The meeting ends by the singing of a few hymns. In the afternoon they meet as for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, say the beads and evening prayers, and sing a few hymns.

The many feast days of the year, not only the Holy Days of obligation but also many others, are faithfully observed even in the absence of the priest. Happily we have our devoted catechists. Their importance in maintaining a vigorous parish life cannot be overestimated.

Parish Life In Manja

Some La Salettes in Madagascar in May 1931: (from left) front: Frs. Arthur Le Blanc, William Breault, John Newman; back: Bro. Steve and Fr. Cecil McDonald.This is the first time since 1943 that I'm spending Holy Week in Manja. The faithful are delighted. I have already named the group that must assure each a period of an hour and a half's adoration before the Holy Thursday Repository. My Catechist tells me that the people are not satisfied with only one period — but each group will be there for two or three periods. The adoration is made in common. The litanies, the beads, hymns, and occasional reading aloud of meditations on the Blessed Sacrament by the leader of the group, alternate throughout the day.

There's a gratifying move of enthusiasm in the parish at present. Already they are preparing to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette this year with special fervor and solemnity. Here in Manja the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette is celebrated on the last Sunday of July—just after the second rice crop is taken in. That is the most convenient time for the out-of-town parishioners to come in great numbers to Manja to pay their solemn homage to Our Lady of La Salette.

Morondava is the only parish in the whole prefecture where the feast is celebrated on the 19th of September. All the Fathers of the Mission meet at Morondava on that day for the joyous get-together and to celebrate the anniversary of the Apparition with special solemnity.

Hero Worship

I assisted at a curious celebration a short time ago, the solemn reception accorded to a noted cattle thief on his return to his home town after release from prison. A delegation was sent to escort him during the last twenty miles of his homeward journey. Speedy runners arrived at the village announcing that the hero was approaching. When he arrived the whole village was assembled and he was given a vigorous ovation of shouting and hand-clapping, and a three-day celebration of his home coming was announced.

Parish Church in Manja, MadagascarDuring those three days there were wrestling matches, dancing, singing and speeches. The feature of the celebration was, however, a series of banquets. At noon and at sunset each day the whole village assembled under the manga trees. Several oxen had been killed to furnish the meat and there was abundance of rice. A few demijohns of betsa-betsa (a sort of beer or cider made by crushing sugar cane) added to the gaiety of the occasion.

The hero of the feast had served a term of twenty years for participation in an armed attack on a village and the stealing of several hundred oxen. No one had been killed in the attack, but several had received severe spear wounds. Four of the bandits had been recognized and were later caught and tried and sentenced. In a speech our hero made he did not seem terribly ashamed of his past conduct. He did state, however, that as he had become a Catholic while in prison he would do no more cattle stealing. He added: “And besides, I'm not as young and strong as I used to be.”

The Catholics of the village made him a special visit in a group and there were speeches, the singing of hymns and a money offering. He was proud to display his “admissibility to the Sacraments” certificate. After this visit he was chosen as president of the parish committee, and I approved, as it is evident he has a great influence in the village.

Amateur Catechists

We have a certain number of well-trained Catechists. They have been through our Normal School for Catechists, and represent, even on entering the school, an elite—a choice among possible candidates.

Fr. Le Blanc in his younger days with his parishionersBut the number of villages desiring to form parish groups and begging for catechists exceeds the supply of trained catechists. So to several villages I'm obliged to send what I call “amateur catechists.” Even an “amateur catechist,” however, must have certain qualities. He must know how to read without difficulty, must have a commanding personality, and must be devoted.

Some of my best catechists, those that get the best results, became catechists immediately after being baptized. I give them a catechism, a book of explanation of the catechism, and a book containing sermons on the Gospels of each Sunday. With those instruments of work they can get started.

In the beginning they just read the explanation of the catechism after teaching them word for word. Then they read a sermon or two on the Gospe1 of the Sunday. The “Visitor,” a sort of “super-catechist,” takes charge of their further instruction on the occasion of his periodical visits to the dozen or so villages of his jurisdiction.

The Catechist receives a sort of salary that is low even by native standards—five to seven dollars a month. They have, however, certain advantages. The faithful of the parish help them work their rice and manioe plantation. They get also certain favors from the administration. Still it's only the most devoted among our faithful that accept the “career” of catechists.
Fr. Le Blanc on the porch in Mahabo, preparing wine bottles for Mass