The Dominican nuns share with the great Dominican Family what they experienced during the months of July and August 2023, the period in which they made the canonical Visitation of the monasteries of “Mãe de Deus” in Benguela and in Kuito-Bié, Angola.
The Benguela community celebrated its 50th anniversary in this young diocese last year. Upon his appointment as Bishop of Kuito after the civil war (1975-1992), Msgr José Nambi asked the Benguela community to found a monastery in his diocese. In 2008 the monastery “Mae de Deus” was erected in Kuito as a beacon of prayer and peace in this war-torn area.
There are no longer convents of Friars Preachers in Benguela and Kuito, but during our visit, we had the joy of meeting very fervent lay Dominicans whose chapters arose under the guidance of these two monasteries. The group of lay Dominicans of Kuito in the Province of Bié is composed of sixteen members. We were especially impressed by the apostolate carried out by one of them, Mr Bernardo Morais Satanga, who is a hotel businessman, friend and benefactor of the community. We would like to share with you about his work, which is both original and Dominican in character.
Bernardo told us that, because of the continuous robberies of his company, the example of our Father St. Dominic inspired him to go out himself to meet the “Cumans” of our times, in this case the “gatunos”, as the thieves are called there. With the power of the Word of God and with the rosary in his hand, he knocked on the doors of each one of them, inviting them to dialogue and offering them a decent job suitable to each one’s abilities. (Even professionals and young university students, unable to find work, had resorted to theft to survive.)
We asked him to describe this experience in writing so that we share it with the whole Order. He provided us with a brochure of the history of the social project, which began under the guidance of our Father, St Dominic. We share it with you in the following link: Bermor Comercial.
Bermor Comercial’s social project seeks to work with young people from the neighbourhoods of Chitumba and Catemo, in the municipality of Kuito. Many of the youth there had become involved in crime for various reasons: lack of academic, technical, or professional training, unemployment, family abuse, etc. Waves of robberie had created a sense of insecurity among the residents as well as among the customers of Bermor Comercial, which is located in this district.
Faced with this critical situation, our brother, Bernardo Morais, managing partner of Bermor Comercial, sought collaboration with others in the community to improve the security of customers and the establishment. Support from the Angolan National Police in Bié reduced these events, but isolated reports of robberies and assaults continued and the feeling of insecurity remained.
As a Lay Dominican of the Monastery “Mãe de Deus” of Kuito-Bié, Bernardo was moved by the spirit of St Dominic de Guzman. Impelled by the wisdom of God and the prayers of the nuns of the monastery, Bernardo decided to enter the Chitumba and Catemo neighbourhoods to meet the young people likely responsible for these crimes.
By the grace of God, he managed to establish contact with fifteen of them who had previously been involved in crime. On 24 July 2023, the first meeting took place: an interview between the company and the young people who explained the motivations that led the youth to criminal behaviour. From this meeting, the social project Help Me Earn Money to Improve My Life was born.
We thank the Lord, who continues to raise up courageous apostles in the world who desire in love the salvation of souls and live by the power of the Word and Divine Mercy. For our part, as Dominican Nuns, we committed ourselves as a federation to pray in a special way for the fruitfulness of this project. While we were returning to Spain, Bernardo told us that thirty ex-offenders had accepted the proposal. Some of them were already attending Sunday Mass because they were getting to know Jesus Christ. Blessed be God for all his gifts!
In Our Lady of the Rosary and our Holy Father Dominic, we greet you and ask for your prayers for this new evangelising project of the Dominican Family.
Mother of God Federation
Olmedo (Valladolid), Spain
Bermor Commercial Project
WHO WE ARE
We are Bermor Comercial, a company created in 2004 in the city of Kuito, province of Bié, Angola. It is registered in the hotel/commercial sector.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
- To remove young people from the world of crime and drug use by encouraging them to adopt socially useful behaviour
- To guarantee that young people, through the different channels and actions of the project, can “sustain themselves”, carrying out decent work with fair remuneration
- To instil in the youth of the Chitumba and Catemo neighbourhoods the awareness that a life of crime is dangerous and can end in tragedy
- To engage young people in lucrative activities in Bermor Comercial and other institutions, introducing them to opportunities in project areas such as parking, motorbike taxi driver, event management, agriculture, literacy, vocational training, and suburban real estate.
To be part of the project, young people must meet certain requirements established by Bermor Comercial.
Candidates must:
- Prove that he/she committed a crime and has already served the sentence, he/she must present the document of completion of sentence or the process number of the crime
- If one has not been in prison, describe the type(s) of crime(s) committed, as well as the locations, victims, and objects used in each crime
- Introduce his/her parents or caregivers and spouse (if married) to the management of the company
- Show his/her place of residence in order for the project coordinators to provide better accompaniment
- Fill in a registration form created by the company, to be entered in the project database
- Sign a statement of responsibility, declaring on one’s honour never to return to the world of crime
“I live to serve and to unlock people’s minds and leave the world a better place than I found it.”
Bernardo Morais
