Mamam Florentine Nimy, affectionately known as ‘Mamam Phaka’, of the Teresian Association in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), passed away on 31 May 2019, the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady.
Following her death, friends, family, colleagues and members of the TA community in the Congo came together on 6, 7 and 8 June to remember her and give thanks to the Lord for her life.
In February 2019, Papa and Mamam Phaka celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Their marriage bore witness to God’s faithfulness and was a visible testimony to their mutual love, a love shared with those around them. The couple had been members of ACIT DR Congo for 33 years, being among the first members of this association of the Teresian Association.
Mamam Phaka was one of the first women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) to be actively involved in social and political life. She was head of nursing at Kinshasa General Hospital, a member of parliament and a delegate to the National Sovereign Conference, and was very active in many other groups. She always carried out all this with discretion and natural grace.
She received a Christian, human and intellectual upbringing from her family, which she knew how to put to good use by placing it at the service of others. She was a humble woman who never spoke of herself; a receptive person who knew how to integrate her vocation as a member of ACIT into her family life, her professional life and the many other activities in which she was involved. Her Christian vocation and her role as an ACIT member enriched her whole being and every one of her commitments in society.
A person of great inner richness, a woman of profound faith, she was able to commit herself to her vocation and embrace the ‘spirituality of incarnation’ inherent in the charism of Saint Pedro Poveda, contextualising it within her own environment and her country.
A large crowd of people accompanied the family during Mamam Phaka’s wake. Everyone kept vigil, prayed and danced around her. Here are some of the testimonies from that day:
- The priest who accompanied her in her final moments recounted: even though she was very unwell, she found the strength to say and repeat to him, ‘I am ready’. What a serene surrender to the Lord!
- Monsignor Monsengwo Pasinya, who presided over the Mass, said: ‘I thought I knew Mamam Phaka well, yet I was unaware of everything she was and has done so discreetly. I have come to realise that greatness lies in simplicity.’
- Her granddaughter Consolata, who was very close to them, said to her grandfather after hearing so many uplifting testimonies: ‘I didn’t know that all the good we do comes back to us like this.’
- Papa Phaka, in a moving tribute at the cemetery, said to his wife: ‘We have lived happily together for 60 years; there have certainly been ups and downs, but little by little you have become my friend and will always remain so.’
We wanted to share this beautiful experience, this joyful time spent with Mamam Phaka which has been a great source of enrichment and a wonderful witness for every member of the ACIT association and the whole TA in DR Congo. She will continue to be a witness and an elder sister who will continue to accompany us on our journey.
Bernadette Maurice and Jacinthe Nkongolo.
TA Translation Team.
Published in Profiles