The Catholic Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden, the Rt. Rev. Johannes Ritzer is currently on a short visit to The Gambia.

Last Sunday, 15th April 2007, he was the Chief Celebrant at the 10am Mass in St. Peter’s Church, Lamin, Western Region. This is Bishop Ritzer’s second visit to The Gambia some six months after his first in October 2006. Last Sunday was the feast of the Divine Mercy and the second of the Easter Season. As usual, the church, one of the biggest in the country, was packed full with worshippers.

Happily for the visiting Bishop, the music at the mass was typically African. The common of the mass - Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus - was sung to a Latino-Jola melody. This was a fantastic musical tapestry intricately woven. No music lover could remain untouched by its movements. The choir deftly maneuvered in and out of the Latin and Jola with appropriate pauses for the organ and drums. Singing in four voices - soprano, alto, tenor and bass - the ladies were able to lift the music to very high levels. Other hymns were rendered in Wollof, Jola, Serer and Latin.

Bishop Ritzer was evidently fascinated by the exuberance of the singing and was seen often times with his gaze firmly fixed on the percussionists. There is no doubt that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Bishop Ritzer was assisted by the Rev. Fr. Carl Gomez, Parish Priest at St. Peters and concurrently Director of the Junior Seminary also at Lamin.

Bishop Ritzer is a member of the Order of St. Sebastian who is ecumenical in composition and groups such as Catholics, Lutherans and Pentecostals.

Sweden, like the other Nordic countries, is predominantly Lutheran with a strong Catholic minority.

Bishop Ritzer is a native of Holland