Jordi Mas Castells

Jordi Mas Castells (14 March 1930 – 18 November 2010) was a Spanish priest who lived and worked from 1961 to his death in Cameroon, mainly in the Far North Region, close to lake Chad. In Cameroon he made hundreds of wells, built hospitals, founded schools and organized workshops to improve the knowledge of women from different communities. [1] In 2008, the town council in La Garriga honoured him as Illustrious Citizen. [2]

Jordi Mas Castells
Mas in October 2008
Born
Jordi Mas Castells

(1930-03-14)14 March 1930
La Garriga, Catalonia, Spain
Died18 November 2010(2010-11-18) (aged 80)
La Garriga, Catalonia, Spain
Nationality Spanish
OccupationMissionary priest in Cameroon, humanitarian
Known forBaba Georges
WebsiteJordi Mas (Camerun)

Biography

Early life

Jordi Mas was born in La Garriga (Vallès Oriental) on 14 March 1930. At 24 he was ordained [3] and his first destinations as vicar were Esplugues de Llobregat, la Geltrú (Vilanova i la Geltrú) and the Miraculosa parish in Barcelona. In 1961 he left as a missionary to a much harder scenery, which he himself chose: first some cities in the south of Cameroon[4] and later in the Far North Region of the country in the wide Sahel strip. His last towns were Makary and Blangoua, close to lake Chad, in Muslim black Africa. From 1961 to 2010 he worked supporting his small congregations and helping them in educational, healthy and social areas.

Missionary career

When he arrived he realized those people didn’t need a missionary [5] —as they were mostly either animists or Muslims— but they needed his help in their most basic needs such as food, water, health, education...

”I have no solution. It’s up to those in power to find it at a global level. Yet, it would be stupid just to think that, as you cannot solve it all, it is not worth doing anything. The world is single country to which we all belong as citizens. You find out that to face such basic needs you must get down to work for their development. First you must live, then you can philosophize”.
Jordi Mas Castells, missionary [6][7]


Jordi Mas, next to a well in Makary (Far North Region, Cameroon)

Progressively he specialized in building wells which stopped villagers, particularly girls, the weakest ones in that society, from walking long distances to get water to drink for both their families and cattle. During his long stay in the country he built hundreds of them.[8]

Mas was also aware that health was one of the weaknesses of the region. Therefore, together with the Swiss doctor Giuseppe Maggi (1910-1988) he founded the hospitals of Tokombéré (1962), Zina (1970) and Mada (1978).In the latter, a heath reference center, he worked driving patients in a jeep-ambulance for many years, a job which enabled him to get to know the territory and, mainly, to be close to the 250,000 inhabitants living in the surroundings of the hospital, a vast area of about 200 kilometres including four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.[9]

In 1988 when doctor Maggi died, Jordi Mas went on to school founding, as it was evident for him that people without education have neither hope nor future. As a result of this work in 1998 he opened the big professional school of Blangoua CEFAVIHAR (Educational centre for the improvement of life in rural areas), next to lake Chad. In this school, which also includes a student residence promoted by Mans Unides, about forty youngsters from the villages near the lake can learn mechanics, electricity, welding, carpentry, business managering, sewing, typing, computer studies... Besides there is a primary school with 500 pupils which was created thanks to the collaboration of some Catalan organizations grouped together in the charity Makary-Blangoua [10]

In recent years, Mas focused on the home FEMAK (Femmes de Makary) (2008), a meeting point for women of all religions in the region of Makary to relate, learn and exchange experiences. They had sewing workshops, computers and vegetable gardens and classrooms where they received education about health, eating habits and cooking.

”The future of Africa is women’s hands. They have always been understimated, but they have an enormous capacity and potential and they will make Africa develop”
Jordi Mas Castells, missionary [11]
Jordi Mas, at the Mada Hospital (Far North Region, Cameroon)

His great knowledge of the region was crutial in other projects: accommodation for the teachers in Blangoua, the FEMAK home and the residence for charity workers in Makary (2008)... The last project he was keen to develop in 2009 was the growing of a seaweed rich in proteins called spirulina, which grows really well in areas like lake Chad.

Later life

In 2010 he fell ill and travelled to La Garriga to undergo the treatment which enabled him to go back to his home in Makary. However, he died on Thursday 18 November that year.[12] He is buried in La Doma cemetery, in La Garriga.

Jordi Mas died,[13] but his work is fully alive helping the people near the lake. Nowadays, November 2015, the Italian Fabio Musi, a long term Cameroon resident, is responsible for the general coordination of the different parishes and schools. He does it from Maroua, the Far North Region capital city of the country. In the last two parishes where the priest from La Garriga worked, namely Makary and Blangoua, there are two native priests in charge.[14]

Awards received
  • Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (2000)[15] awarded by King Juan Carlos I of Spain a proposal by the Spanish ambassador in Cameroon. This award acknowledged “Jordi Mas’s great task for human promotion in the north of Cameroon”.
  • International Cooperation for Human Development Prize (2007)[16] awarded by the Vallès Oriental County Council.
  • Illustrious Citizen of La Garriga (2008).[2]
  • Josep Parera Prize (2008)[17] given by the Social Work of Penedès savings bank. That prize acknowledged the outstanding career of people devoted to communitary development in social, humanitary and charity areas.
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References
  1. Val, Eusebio (20 November 2010). "Catalan 'Cordura' in Cameroon". La Vanguardia (in Catalan). Barcelona.
  2. "Jordi Mas i Castells, Illustrious Citizen of La Garriga" (in Catalan). Ajuntament de la Garriga. 3 December 2008.
  3. "Interview with Jordi Castells i Piqué" (in Catalan). Centre de Documentació Històrica de la Garriga. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25.
  4. Fàbregas 1967, p. 151
  5. Marqués 2001, pp. 39–45
  6. Medina 2008
  7. Mas, Pep (1 July 2008). "We can not be beggars. We need people standing". El 9 Nou (in Catalan). Granollers.
  8. Mas, Pep (16 January 1987). "The desert teaches learning to live together, to be tolerated and listening". El 9 Nou (in Catalan). Vic.
  9. Mas, Pep (18 April 2008). "A 'Nassari' in land of sultans". El 9 Nou (in Catalan). Granollers.
  10. Mas, Pep (15 May 2006). "Women and young people are the pillars of Africa". El 9 Nou (in Catalan). Granollers.
  11. Mas, Carme (19 December 2008). "The future of Africa through training of women". El 9 Nou (in Catalan). Barcelona.
  12. Romeu, Francesc (18 November 2010). "The missionary Jordi Mas is dead". Catalunya Religió (in Catalan). Barcelona.
  13. "Emotional and solemn farewell priest and missionary Jordi Mas". El 9 Nou (in Catalan). Granollers. 21 November 2010.
  14. Pérez Sánchez 2011, p. 48
  15. Lapuerta 2009, pp. 66–81
  16. "The missionary priest Jordi Mas is awarded a prize for international cooperation". Vilaweb (in Catalan). Barcelona. 19 April 2007.
  17. "Prize Josep Parera 2008" (PDF) (in Catalan). Obra Social de Caixa Penedès. 4 December 2008.

Bibliography
  • (in Catalan) Fàbregas, Xavier (1967). Catalans terres enllà (in Catalan). Bruguera.
  • (in Catalan) Marqués, Ignasi (2001). Visitant missioners (in Catalan). Centre de Pastoral Litúrgica. ISBN 978-84-7467-718-8.
  • (in Catalan) Medina, Jesús (2008). Baba Georges (documental) (in Catalan). CTL Comunicació.
  • (in Catalan) Lapuerta, Montserrat (Ed.) (2009). Retrats de Garriguencs Il·lustres (in Catalan). El Garbell. ISBN 978-84-613-6776-4.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  • (in Catalan) Pérez Sánchez, Miquel Àngel (2011). Cartes des del Camerun: sis anys a Blangoua (in Catalan). Edicions Saragossa. ISBN 978-84-938397-5-8.
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