A Motorized Canoe for a Diocese in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Diocese of Kindu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo covers an area of approximately 32,000 square miles—about the size of South Carolina. While vast, it is thinly populated. Some 916,000 people live in the whole territory; roughly 380,000 are Catholics. 

Since 2021, Bishop François Abeli Muhoya Mutchapa has been the shepherd of the Diocese of Kindu. The bishop, 49, takes his pastoral duties very seriously and wants to be close to his priests and faithful. He has made it his mission to visit every parish in his diocese regularly. 

This is far from easy. Six of the 20 parishes—almost a third of them—can only be reached by water, traveling on the Congo River. The bishop uses a hired pirogue, a type of canoe, but the distances are considerable, the journeys are very long, and he has to pay for the hire each time. 

In order to make travel faster and cheaper so that he can meet parish communities more easily and more frequently, Bishop François has turned to us for help. A pirogue of his own with an outboard motor would greatly facilitate his pastoral visits and the work of the diocese. We have promised him $7,400. 

Are you able to give so that Bishop François can purchase a motorized canoe? Then he will be able to more quickly and easily visit those he serves in the Democrat Republic of Congo. 

Aid to the Church in Need commits to invest your funds where they will have the greatest impact for the Church that we serve. Funds donated to Aid to the Church in Need’s projects will be used towards the greatest need in our programs to help keep the Faith alive.

Code: 115-08-29