Rabat: On the occasion of the feast of the Nativity, the Bishop of the diocese of Ouahigouya, Justin Kient©ga, celebrated Mass on a delayed basis this Friday, December 26, 2025, for the benefit of the residents of the Ouahigouya detention and correction center (MACO), AIB observed.

According to Burkina Information Agency, as every year, the Catholic faithful of the Family of God Church in Ouahigouya shared communion with the residents of the MACO prison during the Christmas celebrations. The joyful festivities included dancing and Christmas carols performed by the choir of Our Lady of Deliverance Parish.

Bishop Justin Kient©ga invited the community to look to the future with faith and hope, following the example of St. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, who preached fervently but was stoned for his faith, becoming the first to shed his blood for Christ.

At the end of the celebration, the ON residents' representative gave thanks to God and thanked the community and prison officials for their constant support, prayers, and blessings before giving handmade gifts to some members of the community as a token of gratitude.

For Father Paulin Sawadogo, representative of the St. Leonard chaplaincy at MACO prison, the birth of Jesus Christ is a sign of goodness, blessing, compassion, and brotherhood. After a moving testimony about prison life, he commended the inmates' commitment to their faith.

Taking the opportunity, MACO director L©onard Sawadogo thanked Bishop Justin Kient©ga for the Catholic Church's work for MACO through its various organizations, including the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Mr. Sawadogo urged everyone not to abandon their fellow prisoners and to help them reintegrate into society upon their release.

A visit from the Diocese of Ouahigouya to the prisoners, followed by a blessing, the distribution of soap, and a shared meal with the community, brought the Christmas celebrations at the prison to a close.