Fr. General left Fianarantsoa, located South of Madagascar, on Saturday October 8th morning to proceed directly to Ambiatibe, the site of martyrdom of Jesuit priest Jacques Berthieu, SJ (1838 – 1896), where he was due to concelebrate mass with other Jesuits. It was in this place located 50 km north of Antananarivo that this Frenchman native of Polminhac (Southeastern France) was put to death by “Menalamba” (a group of Malagasy nationalists) on June 8, 1896 in the wake of French colonization in Madagascar. The sanctuary dedicated to symbolize his unwavering faith amid suffering and death is the object of pilgrimage and prayerful events. Guided by Fr. Pierre Andre Ranaivoarson, SJ (the director of the sanctuary), Fr. General and his companions made a tour of the place as well as blessed the river Mananara into which Jacques Berthieu’s body was thrown by Menalamba, Fr. General then visited the nearby parish of Andriampamaky where he was greeted by tens of cheerful Catholics in the church.
