Three days in the belly of the whale:
I had the pleasure of meeting three gentlemen this week. Two are priests. One man is an Indian priest ministering in Nigeria named Father Mathew. The other priest, named Father Peter, is a Nigerian priest. Both priests took their vows with the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary founded by Saint Gaetano Errico. They are visiting for a short time at the Villa Pieta, a Missionary of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary home in Linwood, New Jersey. Our Lady of Sorrows in Linwood is also staffed by priests of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Local community members may know of Father Leonard Carrieri (world renowned artist) who ministered at Our Lady of Sorrows and the Villa Pieta until his death in June 2009. Father Peter DiTomasso, the Catholic chaplain at Shore Medical Center, is also a priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
The third gentleman is a friend of Father Matthew’s, a lay person. He is visiting from his home in India. Jason Matthew is an engineer who helps the Missionaries bring solar technology to the people in Nigeria. He shared some stories from India about his work and also his upcoming nuptials. He frequently visits America and is familiar with New York and San Francisco.
Upon meeting priests who work in Nigeria, one is driven to ask the question, is it safe where you minister? Both priests reside in an area of Nigeria which thus far has not experienced the extreme acts of terrorism of which we hear. However, there is tension and implied threats that may be a result of “copy cat “crimes
But, that does not mean that their missionary work has not been without real time danger.
Father Mathew, the Indian priest ministering in Nigeria, had a story to tell of his own experience with a local group of bandits in the community where he lives in Nigeria.
On June 27, 2008, Father Mathew was taken at gunpoint by a group of bandits, (such as a gang would be here in America). On one evening’s ride back to the seminary where he was staying, Father Mathew was taken at gunpoint while the driver and another passenger were told to stay down. Father Mathew was pulled out of the car and taken to an undisclosed location.
The kidnapping was not an act of national terrorism but a local criminal act because, as Father Mathew said, the bandits thought the mission had money. He was held at gunpoint by men holding AK-47 rifles at about 6:30 pm. At midnight he remembers being moved to a remote area in the bush. He had no food nor drink; no toilet facilities and was forced to lay on the ground during his three days of captivity.
The bandits stood on his hands, back and legs to intimidate him. Ransom money was demanded. But, no ransom would be paid. Father Mathew told the bandits, “Christ has paid the ransom.” and was prepared to be executed.
No ransom was paid. When I asked Father Mathew to what he attributed his blessing of being released, mostly unharmed, his answer was simply, “Prayer.”
Father Mathew stated that people prayed for him. His kidnapping was announced in all the churches. There was a prayer group called Christian Mothers who prayed for his safe release. One of the women in the group was related to some of the bandits. She told the bandits that “over her dead body “ would they harm the priest.
At 3:00 am on a Sunday morning, three days after being taken, Father Mathew was released. He was driven to a highway and dropped off. He walked for two hours to a community and asked for a Catholic church. He then requested to be taken to the Bishop of his area to show that he was indeed alive.
He met with the Bishop. I asked Father Mathew if the bandits were ever caught. Father Mathew said “No.” The justice system is different than here in America but newspaper accounts in Nigeria told of his experience. Father Mathew said that in Nigeria there are no standards for schools nor hospitals either as we have here in America.
Father Matthew returned to the area from which he was kidnapped. He still works there. He states he was the first and last priest to be kidnapped because he and the people stood their ground. No ransom money would be paid because “Christ already paid the ransom“.
I asked Father Matthew how he dealt with the dangerous situation and his answer was again, “Prayer and the act of forgiveness.”
After “three days in the belly of the whale“, Father Mathew is living proof of the power of prayer. May people continue to pray for those in danger’s way…and for the grace to forgive our enemies who live among us and those far away.
God bless Father Mathew, Father Peter Morah, and Jason Matthew. We hope your stay here in America is a wonderful experience. Thank you for sharing your testimony of faith.
Marian R. Carlino July 14, 2012 posted July 21, 2012
