Bishop Nicolas Djomo of the Republic of the Congo is visiting the Church of the Ascension congregation and informing members about improved conditions in his village.

When the Bishop was last here, Ascension parishioners were so touched by his work in the small town of Tshumbe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that they pledged five years of financial support.

Since 1996, more than 6 million Congolese have died from the effects of a regional conflict known as “Africa’s World War.” Between 1996 and 2003, militias destroyed schools, roads and parishes in the Tshumbe diocese, and thousands fled the region.

Bishop Djomo told the congregation that the village had no well, polio was rampant and the hospital could not sterilize surgical instruments.

The bishop’s message has been one of love and hope. Now on his return trip, he reports that “life conditions are getting better.”

In Tshunmbe, they have a word, “tokemani,” which means “let us hold each other.” The Ascension congregation is calling its commitment “tokemani.”

Tshumbe now has a well, according to the Bishop. A hospital and school are being furnished in part because of the local church’s commitment.

Bishop Djomo administered Conformation and First Eucharist to this year’s class at Ascension.