Ash Wednesday in Madagascar

Details: Written by Bp. Donald Pelletier, M.S.

That year I began Lent in a singular fashion.

I went to Belo-sur-mer for Ash Wednesday. I felt bad for the Christians there – Fr. Yan is home on vacation in Poland – and figured I would make an effort to serve them as we launched into Lent. As the crow flies, Belo-sur-mer is only 45 miles from Morondava. In the dry season it takes about 4 to 5 hours by car – access is by a dirt track (we call it a road) that leads to two major rivers which are not spanned by bridges. You traverse seemingly endless salt flats and drive through miles of deep, fine sand.

Fr. Yves Pleyber, M.S., standing fifth from left, as a young missionary in Betafo, Madagascar

But my trip down on Tuesday, Mardi Gras, was by sea. A company here – called Aquamen – has a speedboat with two 90 horsepower outboard motors, and I hitched a ride. The trip was good, even though I held my breath all the way – 180 hp and Belo-sur-mer in one hour! – bouncing over the waves and graciously taking in the ocean spray. I have gone to Belo-sur-mer hundreds of times over the years and that was the fastest I ever made the trip.

Having traveled early in the morning I had all day to visit and meet with the people. We had a Mass at 5:30 PM after hearing confessions for 45 minutes. On Ash Wednesday we also had a good liturgy – except for the homily that was too long, all of 40 minutes. Over 100 people participated in the liturgy. After Mass there was a meeting in church to set up a visitation schedule because Fr. Yan – who regularly serves this place – will be in Poland for some time.

Church at Belo-sur-mer

I had arranged to get an outrigger canoe (pirogue) to bring me to the village of Ambararata – some 8 miles away as the crow flies, but always an adventure by sea – to pick up the Aquamen speedboat. Some signals got mixed up and we only left after 6:00 in the evening. By the time we arrived at Ambararata it was too dark to head in to shore and the men were afraid of the rocks in the bay. So we just continued north directly to Morondava.

Madagascar crab

The last time I took a pirogue from Belo-sur-mer to Morondava was maybe in 1970. It would not have been too bad except that we had 800 pounds of live crabs in the pirogue. I was perched as best as I could on these little animals and could feel their claws through the burlap bags.

As you know the night scene is splendid – millions of bright starts, a cool light breeze that drives on the pirogue, an ocean that becomes phosphorescent as pirogue slices through its dark waters. It would have been a pleasant trip except for those crabs! I couldn’t sit comfortably and I couldn’t lean back because hundreds of little claws were reaching out for me.

Madagascar’s starry sky; credit: Gregory Dimijian/Science Photo Library

It was Lent with a bang – all night long out at sea and I had not eaten since noon as I expected to eat at Ambararata. We reached Morondava at 2AM but could not beach the pirogue because the tide was out. Like a cork we bounced for another two hours only a few hundred yards from shore, all the while trying to protect myself from those pinching crabs.

Ten hours after leaving Belo-sur-mer I finally set foot again on terra firma. God, I thought, I’m too old for this! But really I’m no worse from the wear and tear. In fact, I feel good this evening and share with you my Lent 2005 – finished in one day because I did enough penance and fasting on Ash Wednesday to last for forty. The night was splendid but what a price I had to pay!