Ever since childhood I dreamt about going to the missions if only for a period of time.  The Lord had other plans and instead of hot Africa or Latin America I was in the Arctic of Norway for 21 years – a sort of mission, but definitely European. 

It so happened that in the autumn of 2005 our sisters started collaboration with the Italian Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena by establishing a joint community in Ealing.  These Dominican Sisters have missions in Pakistan, Uganda, and Nigeria as well as in Latin America.  I mentioned that I had been teaching our novices ‘Ways of Prayer in the Dominican Tradition’ and if ever such a course was needed in formation houses abroad, I would be willing to contribute. 

After obtaining a visa and undergoing the necessary medical preparations which started about two months before the journey, I found myself queuing for the Lagos flight at Heathrow airport on the 8^th December.  Starting out on this feast day and returning on 1^st January 2007, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I placed the whole trip under the protection of Our Lady who, I trusted, would see to my going, coming back and the in-between period!  And she did.

The flight from London to Lagos took six hours and was pleasant, if uneventful.  Most of my fellow travellers were Nigerians going home for a Christmas spell on this 350 seater plane.  We arrived on time but it took another 2 1/2  hours before the masses of luggage and their respective owners were re-united.   Sister Margareth, Judith and the driver had waited patiently since 8 p.m., but towards midnight we arrived at Mafoluku Oshodi, a suburb of Lagos. The convent and school were adjacent to the Dominican parish church of St Jude and early at cockcrow, we attended mass in this lovely modern building, shaped in form of huge tent. 

Soon after breakfast a two hour car journey took us to Ibadan, about 80 miles north of Lagos, where I was to spend the next three weeks teaching the younger sisters and brothers of our Order.  According to the guidebook Ibadan was until recently the second largest city in Nigeria with a population between 5 and 8 million people, but has been overtaken by Kano situated in the north of the country, which is ancient Muslim territory.  Nigeria with its 36 federal states is one-and-a-half times the size of France and its total population is around 140 million, of whom 14 million live in/around Lagos.  Driving through the country on a fast road gave me some impression of crowded habitation in the suburbs of Lagos and Ibadan.  The streets were lined with innumerable market stalls and plenty of people either milling or motoring around in all kinds of vehicles.  Many times I feared for the safety of pedestrians as lorries, cars and motorcycles passed by at ferocious speed blowing their horns.  No helmets were worn by the motorcyclists but instead they balanced plenty of goods on their heads!  Traffic in Rome may seem hectic and chaotic to non-Italians but in my opinion the mayhem of Lagos and Ibadan beats the Romans!  Driving is certainly a man’s job and each time I made a journey, I took a seat at the back, made several signs of the cross and uttered countless ejaculations while I was holding on to the Rosary!    

My ‘pious attitude’ fitted the religious climate of Nigeria’s cities which have some of the most interesting posters for the multitude of Pentecostal churches, advertising:

God’s Voices’ Ministry, Deep Bible Christians, Glorious Worship, Whole Life Gospel Church,

The Celestial Church of Christ, The Deep Launches Ministry, Redeemer’s  University, etc. 

No doubt, they help to focus your attention on the next world but if you need services in this world you may be grateful for a

Divine Car Wash, God’s Victory Computers, His Glory Stores & Business Centre, Deo Gratias Café, and Grace and Mercy Catering. 

And finally there is a Smile Dental Clinic, which, incidentally, might brighten some of our dental surgeries.

I did not see much of the countryside although tropical forest lined the roads part of the way with banana trees and palm trees dominating the sky line.  Just after the rainy season the trees displayed a luscious green and in some town gardens the pink bougainvilleas were at their best.  During my stay the temperatures remained between 35 C and 40 C during the day, but also the nights with c. 25 C felt hot.  While I rejoiced in a cool breeze one morning some of the African sisters put on cardigans and a jacket with a fur collar!

At the convent I received a warm and rhythmical African welcome from the novices and postulants and was decorated with a wreath of flowers.  Before long I began the first teaching session with a reflection on Advent, which was attended by 6 junior sisters and 12 Dominican student brothers.  I continued with another talk on The Prayer of St. Dominic and the Early Dominicans in the afternoon.  Unfortunately I was laid low the next day due to a bug which often descends on European visitors and which kept me out of action for 24 hours.  However, with excellent nursing care I rose on Monday, 11^th December and tried to make up for the missed sessions.  We concentrated on The Liturgy of the Hours and also looked at The Rosary - Our Sacred Heritage which was of great interest to the students, because the devotion to the Rosary is widespread in Nigeria.  It took some time to understand each other because of the different ‘English accents’ but after a while communication improved and there were lively exchanges in our seminars.

The teaching sessions for the 13 novices [six women and seven men] began on 13^th December and lasted till 21^st December.  After Christmas the five postulants had their turn for three days.   Most days had talks and seminars in the morning and afternoon, which again covered the above named topics and other aspects of our monastic heritage, e.g. Lectio Divina.  We also looked at St. Catherine’s life and teaching on prayer and tried to distinguish between Liturgy and Popular Piety.  Furthermore, we spend some time Exploring the Mass, looking at details of the present rite, tracing its origin in the N.T. and its development throughout the ages.  It was a great joy to teach these young sisters and brothers who were keen to learn; their thoughtful contributions helped to create a climate of faith which was a true gift.  It seemed to me that the saying of Paul ‘I did the planting, Apollos did the watering but God gave the growth’, could be adapted here, as their faith must have been  planted by their parents while teachers, catechists and others did some watering and God gave the growth.   Hopefully my little watering during this period may contribute to further growth…

Watering, of course, depends on having water and so it was good for me to experience how precious it is in Africa, when we had no running water in the convent for the first 10 days.  With untiring efforts the novices and postulants supplied water from another well and filled up tubs in the kitchen, laundry and all the bathrooms.  And I learned how to save water by using it as economically as possible and being grateful for the first jet that eventually came out of the tap.  Nigeria also suffers from frequent power cuts which can be alleviated by generators in emergencies but does not take away the precariousness of being without power for many hours, especially at night.   While the nights are dark in Nigeria, they are definitely not silent.  Usually at midnight vigils start in some Pentecostal church proclaiming a thundering message for your benefit, even if you don’t feel like it.  When they eventually calm down the Muslims start round five a.m. praising the greatness of Allah and that is heard all over the city thanks to powerful megaphones.  The numerous cocks crowing add a less mechanical but more creaturely note to this night- and morning worship and I interpreted their cock-a-doodle-do as ADOREMUUUUS -   IN AETERNUUUUUUM.   Our convent bell would ring at 5.30 a.m. and summon us to Morning Prayer at 6.a.m.  Mass followed sometimes immediately and sometimes later.

The convent with its lovely cloisters was built four years ago and is situated at the outskirts of Ibadan.  On the premises are a small dispensary and the new hospital building soon to be opened. Our next door neighbours are the Salesians of Don Bosco, who run a house of study and a youth centre.  The Redemptorists’ extensive buildings are also fairly near, whereas our Brethren’s Convent and Hall of Study is at the other end of the city, normally an hour’s drive away but it often takes longer because of traffic congestion.  I was warmly welcomed there on two occasions, but most of my time I spent in the sisters’ spacious convent which became my home in Africa.  Without a car one could not venture out on these dusty and dangerous roads, and while the ‘bush’ on the horizon greeted you, it certainly was not designed for a ‘country walk’. 

You may wonder why I headed this reflection as ‘An Unusual Retreat’.  Although I was teaching it felt like being on retreat owing to the aforementioned climate of faith which surrounded the various activities in the convent.  This includes the loving concern and care of the prioress and the senior sisters who showed me nothing but kindness.  The African liturgies in particular gave expression to this receiving and giving and reached a jubilant height during Midnight Mass, which was followed by exuberant dancing before the crib outside the chapel.  Never mind gammy legs and bad feet - everybody joined in the ‘shepherds’ disco’, moving rhythmically while joining the angels’ Gloria in these early morning hours!  This African celebration of Christmas may have been far removed from the German Silent Night atmosphere of my childhood days, but it contained such joy over the Saviour’s birth, which somehow put us very much in touch with the original event…

I end this little report with loving greetings and a sincere thank you to all who made this memorable journey possible.

Sister M. Pauline Burling O.P.

Cambridge,  9^th January 2007