Cultural Reflections: Language and Faith in Alsace

Father Michel was brought up in a devout family in a devout country. He witnessed the horrors of the Second Congo War but when he was sent to France he was nevertheless shocked to find so much material and spiritual poverty there. His first posting as a missionary was working with young people separated from the parents because of violence, addiction, abuse. Now he has a parish in Alsace, or rather 12 parishes. He tells us about the joys and pains of being an African missionary in Europe. We hear too about his experience of rejection because of his ethnic background. But above all the warm welcome he has received from active Catholics who have become dependent on these “missionaries-in-reverse” from Africa for the practice of their faith.