I had a tour of the large farm where the La Salettes grow crops and raise cattle and pigs to raise money. Fr. Dominique, the Vicar for the Province, is in charge of the farm. The school has about 600 students and although November 1st and 2nd were national holidays, there were some students and a few teachers at the school. I was introduced to the students and thanked them for their warm hospitality.

Next to the school is the house for the forty candidates who would like to enter the seminary after high school. They were working on the farm. I joined the eight postulants for noon prayer and the local community for lunch. They eat rice three times a day and most of the time a vegetarian dish, a meat dish (chicken or beef) and sometimes fish. They always have mango and bananas for dessert.

In total there are seventy two seminarians in various levels of formation and forty candidates who live with them while considering religious life.

At one time there were four La Salette parishes in Antsirabe. Now there is just St. Theresa Parish which has three masses on Sunday for thousands of families. The Church can hold about a thousand people. There were at least one thousand people inside and five hundred people outside for the celebration of mass. It was a moving celebration as it was a special occasion.

The pastor, Fr. Honore was getting transferred after 7 years of service. During the offertory everyone moved in an orderly manner to one of the many offertory stations and place their offering in a basket while songs were sung. I was impressed during the exchange of peace. They did not bow, shake hands or hug each other. Instead, they held hands and swayed from side to side and wish peace to each other as choir sang.

Fr. Honore who received a parting gift spoke after communion said,

“We are one church, one people and we are one in spirit wherever we are. Your expression of love is not just for me but for the whole church and for our Lord. Your gift I accept, not as a gift for me, but for those who need it.”

Fr. Honore was appointed the National Director for the Handicapped. He later said that their gift will go to help the handicapped in his care.

I was curious about the tombs I had been seeing everywhere. Fr. Meme told me about the relationship between the dead and the living in the Malagasy culture. The Malagasy pay a lot of attention to their dead relatives and put much effort building ancestral tombs which are opened from time to time so the remains can be carried in procession before being rewrapped in fresh shrouds and replaced in the tomb. They call this practice as “famadihana”.

It is an occasion to celebrate the beloved ancestor’s memory, gather with family and community and enjoy a festive time together. It is believed that by showing respect for ancestors in this way they may intervene on behalf of the living. The veneration of ancestors led to the widespread tradition of tomb building. There is no cemetery, tombs are built by the homes.

Fr. Meme explained that a family may have one hundred cows and be quite rich. They will not sell one cow to take care of the sick but they would kill as many cows as they need to celebrate their dead. Likewise, a family may own hundreds of pigs and not sell even one to send their children to school but would be willing to kill ten to celebrate their dead with their extended family and friends.

We had lunch at a popular restaurant called “L’artesan”. Here in the courtyard we were lucky enough to experience an extraordinary performance of Malagasy folk dance accompanied by wonderful live music. This was the most incredible cultural experience I enjoyed in Madagascar. We strolled around the streets looking at souvenir items before returning to the Provincial House in the evening.

As the roads were very poor, and made worse by rain, it took us about 45 minutes to drive to Ambano, 4 miles from Antsirabe. In the afternoon we were invited back to the school to visit the students. David, an Italian La Salette brother whom I met in the Philippines during his visit several years ago, was the only person I knew. He teaches English. The students were able to introduce themselves in English but not able to carry on a conversation. I was told that as the students reach higher grades they gradually drop out and only less than 30% will proceed to college.

Bishop Donald told me that the people of Madagascar are very hard working but they don’t make much money for their hard work. A dollar or two is their daily wage. Most people own at least a small piece of land and a small home. Bishop Donald commended the CMI fathers from India for their commitment, selfless service and enthusiasm in serving the people of Madagascar, especially in the diocese of Morondava. The pastor in Ankilizato had returned from celebrating Mass in a mission about 5 miles away that can be reached only on foot. He had walked about 10 miles that day.

Finally after a 10 hour trip we arrived in Morondava. Morondava was a pagan area when the La Salettes started mission here and it remains a less civilized and a less educated a region. I didn’t find a single place with air conditioning and it was the beginning of summer here. Electric fans are quite a relief if you can find one. Morondava is hotter than other places and the humidity makes it feel worse. Electricity and water are big problems in Morondava. The city of Morondava is corrupt and does little for the well-being of the people.

We visited a family of fishermen. It was heart breaking to see the way this family lived in a hut by the shore. They were drying fish on a fire. Their only means of making a little money is selling a few fish they are able to catch and they live in absolute poverty. They let us see their one- room home when I asked. It had one bed and a cooking area in the corner. I was told that everyone sleeps on the floor.

They begged for money for taking a picture with them. Of course we shared a little bit but what good is a little for a family of more than ten members?! How could I take God’s many blessings for me for granted?

Bishop Donald was the main celebrant at the La Salette church in Morondava on Sunday. The Mass started at 6:30 am and lasted for two and half hours and the church was full. After Communion the president of the Parish Council expressed gratitude for our presence and, according to their tradition, as a sign of welcome they presented us with a “satroka” (a hat) and “lambahoany” (a cloth to wrap around our waist).

The choir gave me a CD of their Malagasy music. The president spoke about how happy the whole parish was with our presence among them and wished me good luck, good health and safe journey home after my visit.

In response to their hearty welcome, I told them how grateful I was for their hospitality and appreciated their liturgy, which was very lively with beautiful music and great participation by the assembly. They express their faith with great devotion and love for the Eucharist.