Annual Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Muxima Shrine in Angola Opens With Call to Stand With People in Need

Bishop Chissengueti further drew attention to physical and mental well-being, encouraging pilgrims to care for their health so they can remain active and responsible in their families and communities.

“We must keep our body, mental health, and movement in our awareness,” he said, noting that “a balanced life is necessary for a person to properly fulfill their responsibilities.”

The Bishop of Cabinda also acknowledged the physical sacrifices made by pilgrims who travel long distances to Muxima. For many devotees, the journey involves fatigue and other hardships as they make their way to the Shrine.

“The sacrifices made during the walk reveal a search for hope and strength, but also a willingness to entrust one’s life to God,” he said.

The September 3-6 pilgrimage is being held under the theme, “Mama Muxima, loving Mother and model of holiness, pray for us.” 

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Among those participating are Catholics from the Archdiocese of Luanda, who are undertaking their First Walking Pilgrimage to Muxima from September 4 to 6.

Considered the most popular place of pilgrimage and worship in Angola, the Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima is located some 130 kilometers from the country’s capital city, Luanda, and sits on the edge of the Kwanza River.

Every year, the Shrine attracts local and foreign pilgrims. In the local Kimbundu language, “Muxima” means heart, a name given to the Shrine due to its prime location in the middle (heart) of the province.

The village of Muxima was occupied by the Portuguese in 1589. They built a fortress and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima.

A popular place of devotion to our Lady from one generation to the next, the Marian pilgrimage received a boost when Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Viana was created in 2007, inaugurating a new phase in the history of the Shrine.

In his homily, Bishop Chissengueti also reflected on the importance of Our Lady of Muxima in the lives of pilgrims, presenting Mary as a figure associated with welcome, trust and hope.

He urged pilgrims to ensure that the experience of Muxima continues to bear fruit after they leave the Shrine, particularly through greater solidarity with people facing difficulties.