Bishop Eduardo’s Vision Blossoms: Gangura Parish Achieves Agricultural Self-Sufficiency

By Sr. Henriette Anne, FSSA

Back in June 26^th, 2023, Bishop Eduardo suggested that every parish should cultivate at least one or two acres of land to grow food, providing sustenance and income for the community. On his visit to Fr. Ezekiel, the Parish Priest of Corpus Christi, Gangura, on 19^th, October, Bishop Eduardo was elated with the progress made by Fr. Ezekiel and congratulated him for taking his recommendation to the latter.

“I would like to congratulate and thank Fr. Ezekiel for taking my recommendation to the Latter and Spirit way back in June, he continued, “I had requested every parish to make at least one or two acres to grow some foodstuff for the parish for income and I am happy to tell you that for Fr. Ezekiel took this message from me to the latter and he made two acres”.

The local ordinary of CDTY added that Fr. Ezekiel has toiled tirelessly, planting rows of maize and beans. In the spaces between he carefully natured the growth of over a thousand coffee plants, “he has planted maize and beans and then in between he planted coffee over 1000 of coffee planted in that under in that field where now we can see maize and then beans and I’m so happy, I’m really happy and I can see the future that when the clarity go in with their faithful they can be able to turn around things”.

In his message shared with Rurugene Online, the prelate added that Fr. Ezekiel has also ventured further into planting a variety of fruit trees – passion fruits, papayas, bananas, pineapples, and oranges.

“I also realized that Fr.  Ezekiel has already planted numerous types of food trees, passion fruits, papaya, bananas, pineapples, and oranges, already that are in his parish so I’m so thankful that a priest in this village in this remote area of Gangura is now on the way to self-reliant and that’s the way we have to go with a famous slogan of the Diocese, on one hand, is the Holy Bible on one hand and the other hand is the hoe, and that’s the way we can be able to consolidate the Kingdom of God in the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio Western Equatoria State, South Sudan”.

He added that Fr. Ezekiel’s actions spoke volumes, illustrating the essence of self-reliance and sustainable living.

 “Fr. Ezekiel has plenty of grains that he can use for himself, for feeding, he can use for the people who stay with him in the parish, he can sell for the development of his own parish, and I’m so happy to have seen this and I congratulate him and encourage him to go an extra mile in the same way, and the next year he can increase the size of this garden”.

In his 26^th, June statement, bishop Eduardo stressed that donor support is dwindling and therefore they need to change their mindset and face the reality.

He also said that relief and donation are not the solution but improving productive activities like cultivation will raise the standards of people, “I firmly believe that relief and charity are not the solutions. My premise is that to raise the standards of living, people need to improve their own productive activities – in this case, cultivation, livestock, and fishing. That is why I am directing all parishes and institutions to promote this paradigm shift or deliverance from a bad mindset.