Each day, Dominic Villeneuve extols God for accompanying him as he steps into a Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane to conduct humanitarian missions within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He prays for the people he flies and that the work they will do will glorify God. And, of course, he prays for the safety of everyone on board.
Each day Villeneuve and his team are called upon to do medical evacuations, they transport missionaries and key supplies to help groups with their Gospel work. They also courier peace negotiators to where they need to be to sit down at the table with the opposing faction. And they transport personnel and equipment involved in clean water initiatives.
Several months ago, the 30-year-old Kamloops, B.C., native was provided the most dramatic example of how God has his back. He was flying into the city of Goma on behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a group that operates the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The capital of the North Kivu Province was now overtaken by the M23 rebels, an armed group with a well-documented capacity for violence.
“I was following our procedures,” said Villeneuve. “I was at high altitude. Some soldier got either lucky or unlucky, depending on your point of view, and put a hole in the wing of my aircraft. Praise God, it could have been a lot worse.”
A lot worse indeed, Villeneuve went on to explain.
“In our airplanes, that’s where the fuel is stored,” he said. “But the bullet went outboard of the fuel tank, so it missed the fuel. There are control surfaces on the wing, and we manipulate those through a series of cables that run through the wing — the bullet missed all the cables, so my controls weren’t affected. There are also electrical systems that go through the wings — the bullet missed those. There are also structural struts that also create the strength required to support the aircraft — the bullet missed those. It missed everything important.”
In fact, due to him listening to music while wearing noise-cancelling headphones, Villeneuve missed it all himself. He only discovered the bullet hole after conducting an inspection of his aircraft back at base.
Throughout his first four years flying missions for MAF, which is headquartered in Three Hills, Alta., Villeneuve said there have been so many other occasions he has navigated through a host of security worries and technical issues that could have conceivably been worse.
“I’m like, ‘thank you Jesus,’” said Villeneuve.
This past month the Christian began a second four-year term for the MAF in Congo. He resides in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri Province. He now considers Bunia to be his home, though for much of the first half of 2025, Villeneuve did have a five-month sojourn in Canada to visit family, churches and take a break from the stress — some brought on by the fact he is woken by gunfire as a nightly ritual.
Now Villeneuve is immersed back in his work. He serves with a team of four others. He is the youngest member, his four teammates in their 30s or early 40s. They all take time together for prayer and they navigate through the Bible as a group, one chapter daily.
Being airborne affords Villeneuve the rare privilege of beholding the Rwenzori Mountains — he said it “competes with the Canadian Rockies” — in its fully glory at 17,000 feet, its upper regions permanently snow-capped and glaciated.
“The Canadian in me is always happy when I see it,” said Villeneuve. “These mountains are usually covered in clouds. And I’ve only actually seen the mountains a handful of times. When they start entering your range of view it’s just an absolutely gorgeous view of these beautiful tall mountains just juggling up over the plains and the jungle. And it’s just like, ‘Jesus, you made something really, really beautiful here when you did creation.’ “
The Catholic Register spoke to Villeneuve a few days after he flew a mission on the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21. Amid a world torn by conflict and division, Villeneuve appreciates the cohesiveness he experiences daily.
“Our whole mission is togetherness,” said Villeneuve. “Our mission statement is working together to bring help, and healing through aviation. You see all the division, all the anger and it’s like, man, it’s refreshing that our partners, the people that I work with, we all come from very different backgrounds and traditions, and we all work together because ultimately, those differences are not what’s important.”
“What’s important is Christ.”
