The vocation story of Msgr. Christian Carlassare: “Take courage, build my house!”

TAKE COURAGE, BUILD MY HOUSE!

God was always there

During the Christmas holidays of December 1992, I visited the town of Assisi (Italy) with the youth of my home parish. We were passionate about the figure of St Francis of Assisi. While visiting the small hermitage of St Damiano, we heard that the Crucifix spoke to St Francis there and told him: “Build My house”. Those words resounded also inside my heart as I was a student in a technical secondary school that would prepare for working in the construction industry. At that time, I had clear in my mind that I should seek in life something more than merely building houses for a living, but to build good bonds with my neighbour and strive to attain a better society. Moreover, I also realized that relationships will be fruitful when built on love for God.

I had still the vivid memory of the funeral Mass of my uncle who passed away in Ecuador on July 27, 1991. He was the brother of my great-grandmother and served in Ecuador as a missionary for more than fifty years. He belonged to the Congregation of Saint Joseph founded by Leonardo Murialdo. Though we kept a regular correspondence and I felt very close to him, I had never met him because he avoided holidays. The last time he came to Italy was during summer 1977. My mother said that he blessed me when I was still in her womb. So, I grew up with him as a model and I had a great admiration for his witness of life. At the funeral Mass, I was upset because I lost the chance to speak with him and seek his advice concerning my desire to follow in his footsteps. I had never written about it in my letters. During that Mass, I found consolation in keeping my eyes fixed at the tabernacle with the confidence that Jesus would show me the way.

In those years I found a great deal of happiness in my parish commitments. I was active in the parish youth group and I felt a kind of call to pay more attention to those friends that dropped out or were marginalized by the group. I was an altar server since my childhood and, as I had served for many years, I gained confidence and had the responsibility of preparing and guiding others during liturgies. This experience brought me to live liturgies quite deeply, especially those of the Easter Triduum. I was also a lector during Sunday celebrations: I was very motivated to proclaim the Word of God, as I felt its transforming power in me and in the assembled community.

Joining the Comboni Missionaries

Since my youth I knew several religious orders that had their communities near my hometown, especially the Franciscan Capuchins and the Salesians of don Bosco. I heard also about the Comboni Missionaries, but that name sounded very exotic to me. I knew nothing about their founder, Saint Daniel Comboni, but I knew that they were missionaries in Africa. In fact, I remembered when the shocking news of the martyrdom in Uganda of Fr. Egidio Ferracin came. It was in August 1987, I was playing football with my friends. The nephew of Fr. Egidio was among my football companions. At that terrible news the football match stopped. We all went home sad and in solidarity with our friend. After that event, I received a subscription to the Comboni publication for children called Piccolo Missionario, Young Missionary.

During the academic year 1992-93 I had a lively CRE teacher who had a very missionary spirit. He encouraged me and a friend of mine to attend a youth meeting organized by the Comboni Missionaries. At that meeting I came to know more about St Daniel Comboni and his vision for the mission of evangelization in Africa. During prayer I was given a card with the image of a crucifix and Africa in the background. Then the crucifix would say “Whom shall I send now?”. And a boy under the cross would answer, “Others do not know you. Send me!”. The self-confidence of that youth encouraged me. I wondered whether God was calling me and waiting for my positive answer.

After a month I went back to meet the vocation director and asked him to help me in the discernment about my vocation. That day I experienced great joy and liberation and for one year I kept reading books about the missionary vocation, praying, and confronting myself with my spiritual director. Then I took courage to share about it with my parents; I was afraid to disappoint them. I discovered that it was not a total surprise for them. They had foreseen it and somehow feared it. However, they approved and supported me in the vocational journey. I witnessed that the Lord by calling me, He also called them to deepen their faith and strengthen their missionary spirit.

I joined the seminary in September 1994 and through all stages I was helped to deepen my vocational motivations, to grow as a person with a genuine spiritual life, knowledge, and generous service. During this time of formation, I also deepened my interest and concern for the people and mission in Africa, particularly Sudan and South Sudan. This is mainly thanks to the attention of Fr. John Fenzi who accompanied me for several years and inspired me with his missionary passion and love for Sudan and the Nuba persecuted people. I was ordained a priest by the Bishop of Verona, Mgr. Flavio Roberto Carraro, on September 4, 2004. South Sudan was my first mission assignment.

Making common cause with the people

I arrived in South Sudan in the year 2005. It was a time of great hope because the Comprehensive Peace Agreement had been just signed. After few months among the Nuer people in Nyal, I was sent to Old Fangak to form a new community with Fr. Antonio La Braca, Fr. Alberto Modonesi and Bro. Raniero Iacomella. People welcomed me warmly and the confreres as well. I learnt a lot from them.

However, the first period was not easy. I had to put much effort to get on with the people and adapt myself to a very poor set-up and find my place or rather understand what kind of contribution I could offer. At the beginning I did not know what to do, but it was clear where I had to start from: learning their language. So, I put much effort to learn the Nuer Language. I also learnt to be patient, listen to people, and appreciate their way of thinking and doing things. Then, Fr. Antonio took care to introduce me into the pastoral work. He did not present me theories, but he took me around to visit the chapels of the parish. They were about 60 and all organized as small Christian communities led by a catechist and other lay ministers. We had to move on foot through bushes and swamps and it took more than one year to visit all chapels. In most places the priest could reach the communities only once a year. When Fr. Antonio would arrive, he will visit family by family for the blessing of their home, gather the groups for meetings and formation, celebrate the sacraments, and pray. Fr. Antonio liked to define himself as an itinerant missionary, a man totally dedicated to preaching the Word of God and prayer.

The mission had to be established from scratch. So, we had the responsibility to build premises together with the local community. We did it using semi-permanent material. People offered to work voluntarily. It was a great occasion to join hands and work together. But, as soon as I could decently speak the Nuer language, I had to put hand to another kind of building: the spiritual building of the Christian community that demanded much leadership, coordination, and encouragement. Actually, Christian communities were formed before the arrival of the missionaries, but we found them facing many challenges. Leaders were quite divided because of grudges and rivalries. Communities were very disconnected among themselves. Therefore, we had to work hard to bring them together with a common pastoral plan and a calendar of parish activities. Then, lay pastoral agents were thirsty for spiritual and catechetical formation. Therefore, we designed a rich programme of workshops to be offered to the catechists and other church leaders according to their groups such as the youth, the women, the financial committees, and the parish councils. The youth were so lively that they shared their enthusiasm with everyone.

We went through also the hard time of the conflict 2013-2019. Fangak received about fifty thousand Nuer displaced people from Malakal. It was a deep experience of coming together and overcoming hardships through prayer and solidarity. It was during this time that the commitment to education became prominent. In 2014 Fangak had for the first time a primary 8 class with the first group of graduates. More youth had the chance to continue their studies to the secondary school level.

In these years Fr. Gregor Schmidt and Fr. Alfred Mawadri joined in the mission. After 10 years in Fangak I was asked to move to Juba to take care of the vocation promotion and animator of the pre-postulancy. In November 2016, I took over from Fr. Louis Okot for three years, up to December 2019. It was a great occasion to accompany youth in their vocational discernment and to come into contact with people from all over South Sudan. Therefore, I acquired a wider knowledge of the country. In the meantime, I had the chance to minister to the Nuer displaced people in Juba.

From January to April 2020, I was in Mapuordit to substitute the parish priest who was on holidays. That was my first time I stayed in the Diocese of Rumbek for more than few days. At that time, Rt. Rev. Stephen Nyodho appointed me to be his vicar general in the Diocese of Malakal. I began that new ministry on June 1, 2020. The Diocese of Malakal was heavily affected by the conflict. Many parishes and missions had been closed and had to be re-established. Most of the premises of the Church had been looted and devastated. I was happy to join the work of the Bishop, priests and pastoral agents to raise the Diocese of Malakal up, but God had other plans. On March 8, 2021, I received the appointment to be the bishop of Rumbek.

For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian

I reached Rumbek on April 15. On April 25, I celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday. The following night I was attacked in my bedroom by two men carrying guns. I got shot and my legs were injured by some bullets. I was quickly taken care of and evacuated to Nairobi. Beside the pain of the injuries, my heart was in pain for the Church and the people of Rumbek. So many people are innocent victims of senseless violence. And the people and the Church of Rumbek were all in pain for what had happened to me. My first words were to forgive the perpetuators. I personally needed to set my heart free from resentment, disappointment, and fear. But I also wanted the perpetrators to know that I would not answer evil with evil. There is no peace without justice, and no justice without forgiveness. While recovering at the hospital in Nairobi and later in Italy, I wondered why it had happened to me. Why among many was I called to be the Bishop of Rumbek? Why, after only ten days in the Diocese, was I attacked and shot? How was it that my life was preserved without carrying major injuries? I understood that I am not free to decide what I go through, but how I live the time that it is given me by God. Jesus showed us the way of the Gospel to live with a generous and selfless disposition. I am seriously concerned by what I am for the people: as a matter of fact, the office of the bishop is a dangerous position. But I am given comfort by what I am with the people; namely, a Christian who professes his faith and hope through my life. My episcopal motto is taken from Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. It is inspired by the intention to overcome all divisions and promote unity and communion.

Conclusion

Take courage, build my house! Says the Lord. Build my house within yourself. And welcome everyone as your brother and sister, especially those who are considered the least in the world but who are dear to me. Join hands to build a Church without walls, a community that truly lives the spirit of communion and solidarity in people’s struggles. Do not fear. Rain will pour, and flood will come. Wind will blow and beat against that house. But it will not collapse, because its foundation is on rock.

Msgr. Christian Carlassare,
Bishop of Rumbek (South Sudan)