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A video is being shared on social media that shows the determination of a Catholic African community to attend Mass no matter what the obstacle. In it, a small congregation can be seen sitting in boats within a flooded church as the celebrant leads them in worship.
The short clip originated on TikTok, posted under the account Claude3933, and has since made its way to Twitter, where it was shared by Catholic journalist Sachin Jose. Jose posted it with the caption: “Amazing faith of Catholics in Africa! A Catholic priest celebrates Mass with the faithful in a church that is flooded with water.”
Boats and pews
It was not immediately clear where the footage originated, but it is being hailed as a beautiful expression of faith. This community of Catholics was so determined to worship together that they gathered despite their church being in disarray.
At first we thought that the water was so high that it covered the pews, but about mid-way through the video, the pews can be seen stacked off to the side. The boats were arranged in the nave, which simulates the pews well. We do, however, wonder if the priest walked out to distribute the Holy Eucharist, or if the boats were rowed over to the altar in a line.
Christians in Africa
Faith Tap points out that the Church in Africa is experiencing a period of great growth in recent years. They cite data from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which placed the number of Christians in Africa at 685 million, in 2021. Estimates suggest that this number could rise to around 761 million by 2025.
Despite this growth, Africa remains a volatile region in which Christians face persecution on multiple fronts. In some areas, priests and Christians are regularly abducted and murdered or held for ransom. These occurrences often take place in the middle of worship services. These instances are often coupled with attacks on the community, which can turn deadly in a heartbeat.
On June 5, a Nigerian Church was invaded by a militant group that proceeded to massacre the congregation. Aleteia previously reported that the attack claimed the lives of 41 Catholics, while injuring dozens more.
And today we celebrate...