The first Christians -- Nyamlell

A memory, April 19, 2009

This statement below was given by Peter Col Marcelino. He was a commander in SPLA and now has been transferred to Wildlife.

In 1934, the first Christians to be baptised and the first students from Nyamlell were Marcelino Tong Lual and Andriano Thiek Lual. Marcelino was then the only student to go to college in Malakal and became a veterinary doctor from Aweil – NBUS.
In 1964, 30 years later, Andriano Thiek was arrested by Arab soldiers along with 12 other Dinka fellows and they were immediately killed at Nyamlell this including one Darfurian called Masaid. Marcelino Tong Lual was arrested in Achaana when he was in duty as a veterinary doctor. The Arab soldiers brought him to Nyamlell to be killed. It happened that the Muslims were celebrating their Holy Month called Ramadan and they did not want to kill him, so they kept him for sometime. Luckily he got a chance to escape from the Arabs in Nyamlell and went to Chelkou. He found some other Christians these who were in hiding. They gathered themselves and formed a military group and these became the first Anyanya 1 soldiers. The Arab soldiers were only arresting and killing those who were Christians and educated in order to destroy Christianity in Sudan.
“In the same year,” Peter Col said, “I was in class one and the Northern soldiers came to missionaries’ compound with three cars at about 3: 00 p.m. The bell was rung and we all came together and the fathers told us that they were going to leave us. We prayed in the church and prayed with them and for them. They said, “We are going to leave you and stay in peace.” The big pupils encouraged all of us to do something. And in reaction we started stoning the soldiers. When they had taken the fathers, all the pupils started going home, and that was the closure of the school. The school was from class 1 – 6.”
“The languages taught were English and Dinka. There was arresting of Christians as well as serious and looting of the missionaries’ properties. The no baptised- Dinka from Nyamlell started looting things and betraying their brothers – the Dinka Christians – to the Arabs. All of us from Nyamlellthii ran away to Matuic to hide because we were Christians and my father Marcelino Col was a soldier.”
“Every one who was related to a Christian or if you are related to a soldier, you were to be betrayed to the Arab soldiers, arrested and killed. There was no teaching again from the expulsion of the missionaries. By then the Arabs began teaching the pupils Arabic and Islam. They gave many children Islamic names and other Christians who were afraid and had already joined the Arabs earlier, like Sabastiano Akot Ring. He was a Christian and he later joined Islam, he was my father’s colleague. Even during the formation of Anyanya 1, still there was no Catholic school only Arab schools in Nyamlell which were run by the Khartoum Government, I joined the school again when I was a very big boy.”
“In 1983 as pupils, we started military activities and there was to come what was Anyanya Two. At Nyamlelldit, there were Arab barracks and they did fire guns to Nyamlell trying to kill the people there and to destroy the cross on the top of the church. Till, one day, they bombed the roof of the church. No missionary came to Nyamlell from 1964. People gathered in the church and conducted prayers till when Fr. Joseph Pellerino came in 1994. No one could be baptised unless you could go to Aweil or Khartoum to be baptised.”
Peter Col Marcelino concluded, “We thank God for having saved us till today because they did not kill so many Christians apart from the 13 Christians they killed first. We also thank God because we experienced bombings and looting of the properties.
This is statement was given by Peter Col Marcelino and was written by Daniel Adhal Garang.



A memory, April 2, 2009


In 1967, Bishop Ireneo Wien Dut arrived in Nyamlell to discuss about Christianity with the Executive Chief Autiak Akot at the time. Two days before that, non-Muslim Dinka were officially told to convert into Islam and turn away from Christianity, according to Karlo Kuc Wol. The Bishop came and encouraged Christians to keep praying and refuse to convert into Islam. After the meeting, Karlo Kuc Wol with other people was baptized.

This was written
By Jacob Lual Jok, Head catechist of Chelkou Centre in Aweil West County and corrected by Daniel Adhal Garang.

Catechists

The catechists below worked in Saint Theresa Parish under the supervision of Gino Aguer, from 1992-95:

Name of catechist
Gino Aguer
Angelo Nyual
Anthony Deng Aleu
Francis Atem Yel
Angelo Kiir Wol
William Apin
Abraham Manyang
Abraham Lueth
Ireneo Dut Dut
James Mayuol
James Wieu
Angelo Garang


It was by then Bishop Caesar sent Fr. Joseph Pellerino, MCCJ to Nyamlell on October 10 1994.

He came to visit the Christians in St. Theresa Parish together with some other Catechists who were working in the Diocese. Fr. Pellerino trained all the catechists in the Parish and in April 1995, Mgr. Caesar Mazzolari came to visit the catechists. In May 1995, Arabs boomed Nyamlell and Fr. Joseph Pellerino ran to Rumbek with a certain Brother. Other priests were then sent by the Bishop to give baptism and then returned. In 2002, Fr. Michael D. Barton came to Nyamlell and visited some other chapels nearby. He then left after Easter 2002 and came back on October 7, 2002.

Written by Anthony Deng Aleu and corrected by Daniel Adhal Garang.