NEW YEAR BLESSINGS

Congratulations Father Vicky

9. CATHOLIC LAY ASSOCIATIONS (SODALITIES)

9. CATHOLIC LAY ASSOCIATIONS (SODALITIES)

Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. In the same way, all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles,whether slaves or free, have been baptized into the one body by the same Spirit,and we have all been given the one Spirit to drink.If the whole body were just an eye,how could it hear?And if it were only an ear,how could it smell?As it is however,God put every different part in the body just as he wanted it to be.There would not be a body if it were all only one part. As it is there are many parts but one body.
( 1 Corinthians 12, 12 – 20).

The on-going development of the sodalities in the parishes and diocese requires that their members understand the constitution of their sodality and that they be committed members faithful to the spirit and content of their constitutions. The leadership of the different associations should ensure that they complement one another and together assist in the common apostolic services of the Church in a spirit of Catholic communion. There is a special need for the development of a Catholic men’s association in all the parishes of the Diocese of Tzaneen. All our Catholic associations and sodalities need to cultivate a deep solidarity with the Catholic communion in service of parish and diocesan needs. There should be no rivalry or superiority or inferiority complexes among them but a clear awareness of their special charisms and how they complement and complete the building up of the one and same Body of Christ which is the Church. Priests and pastoral leaders should be especially concerned about ensuring that this Catholic communion be maintained and that any signs of unhealthy competition and conflicts be addressed immediately for the sake of the Christ and the unity of His Gospel.

 

Various syncretistic movements and sects have sprung up in Africa in recent decades. Sometimes it is hard to discern whether they are of authentically Christian inspiration or whether they are simply the fruit of sudden infatuation with a leader claiming to have exceptional gifts. Their nomenclature and vocabulary easily give rise to confusion, and they can lead people in good faith astray. These many sects take advantage of an incomplete social infrastructure, the erosion of traditional family solidarity and inadequate catechesis in order to exploit people’s credulity, and they offer a religious veneer to a variety of heterodox non-Christian

beliefs. They shatter the peace of couples and families through false
prophecies and visions. They even seduce political leaders. The Church’s theology and pastoral care must determine the causes of this phenomenon ,not only in order to stem the haemorrhage of the faithful from the parishes to the sects ,but also in order to lay the foundations for a suitable pastoral response to the attraction that these movements and sects exert. Once again, this points to the need for a profound evangelization of the African soil.(Africae Munus,91).

 

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8. THE CAUSE OF THE SERVANT OF GOD BENEDICT DASWA

8. THE CAUSE OF THE SERVANT OF GOD BENEDICT DASWA

Who are these people dressed in white robes and where do they come from?

I don’t know sir, You do. He said to me: These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. That is why they stand before God’s throne and serve him day and night in his temple. (Revelations 7, 13 -15).

Catholics should promote the cause of the Servant of God Benedict Daswa with the hope that he will be recognised as the first Catholic martyr in our Southern African region. Dissemination of information concerning the cause should reach out to the whole diocese: every parish should be involved in promoting the story and devotion for the cause of Benedict Daswa.

For example the Novena Prayer which is on the diocese website http://dioceseoftzaneen.mariannhillmedia.org/blessed-servant-of-god-benedict-daswa/ should be promoted especially during the month of February.

 

The importance of making known throughout our diocese and the SACBC region the cause of the servant of God Benedict Daswa and to seek his intercession for our needs should be part of the pastoral programme of every parish in our diocese as well as of our associations.

 

I encourage the Pastors of the local Churches to recognize among servants

of the Gospel in Africa those who could be canonized according to the norms of the Church ,not only in order to increase the number of African saints, but also to obtain new intercessors in heaven to accompany the Church on her pilgrim journey and to plead before God for the African continent. I entrust to Our Lady of Africa and to the saints of this beloved continent the Church that dwells there.
(Africae Munus, 114)

 

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7. OUTREACH PROJECTS TO THE POOR, SICK AND NEEDY PEOPLE

7. OUTREACH PROJECTS TO THE POOR, SICK AND NEEDY PEOPLE

Then the King will say to the people on his right, “Come you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me to drink ;I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me. The righteous will then answer him, “When Lord did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? The King will reply, “I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these people of mine, you did it for me.” Then he will say to those on his left, “Away from me, you that are under God’s curse. Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels .I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink.” (Matthew 25, 34 – 42).

Parishioners should give support to outreach projects in their parishes by initiating some as well as co-ordinating others through a parish Justice and Peace Committee. Projects such as sewing, poultry, gardening, fish ponds, tree planting, animal rearing should be considered to raise funds and empower the needy people in the parish where possible. Through our health care ministries, we touch people’s lives, not only  materially but holistically – body –mind – spirit.  We wish to see our “spiritual teams” being supportive especially of the bereaved and the sick as well as reaching out to the orphans, the vulnerable and refugees in the parishes. The “Called to Serve” ministers need on-going nourishment and formation for them to continue in their works of mercy. Bible ministry should be integrated into all organised ministries involved in different works of mercy. Home visiting by priests and religious encourage lapsed Catholics to return to the Catholic community.

In the spirit of the Beatitudes, preferential attention is to be given to the poor, the hungry, the sick – for example ,those with AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria – to the stranger, the disadvantaged, the prisoner,the immigrant who is looked down upon, the refugee - displaced person..The response to these people’s needs in justice and charity depends on everyone. Africa expects this attention from the whole human family as from herself. However, it will have to begin by resolutely implementing political, social and administrative justice at home; this is part of the political culture needed for developmentand for peace. For her part, the Church will make her specific contribution on the basis of the teaching of the Beatitudes.

(Africae Munus, 27).

 

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6.CATHOLIC IDENTITY AND WORSHIP ADAPTED TO LOCAL

6. CATHOLIC IDENTITY AND WORSHIP ADAPTED TO LOCAL 

    CULTURES

 

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, with its thousands of angels. You have come to the joyful gathering of God’s first-born sons, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God who is the Judge of all mankind, and to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, who arranged the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that promises much better things than does the blood of Able…Let us be thankful, then, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe; because our God is indeed a destroying fire. ( Hebrews 12,22 – 28).

 

There is a need for Catholics to develop in their Catholic identity with regard to the way they worship and express their faith. Catholics should learn to practice the great variety of faith expressions and worship which is part of the authentic tradition of the Catholic Church and which enriches the local cultures through proper liturgical adaptation. For example - praying the rosary in family and communities of faith, the proper use of holy pictures and sacramentals, charismatic healing prayer groups and spiritual retreats, Gospel -sharing groups, Eucharistic adoration, The Stations of the Cross, novenas, devotion to saints and the Liturgy of the Hours, spiritual reading and lectio divina with the Bible, Penitential Services with individual confession, Liturgy of the Word  celebrations during meetings and special  conferences. Catholic hymns need to be translated and sung regularly. In order to sing well in church, we need to have one or two people who take on the responsibility of leading the singing or choir in each parish. Liturgical catechesis should be part of the formation of the Catholics with the aim of making the Eucharist central to the life of the people. Training of altar servers, lectors, lay ministers of Holy Communion, sacristans, caring for the altar linen and vestments, need constant attention. Every parish should have a liturgical committee – ideally a priest, choir leader, lectors, altar servers leader, ministers of Holy Communion – which should meet regularly for preparing the Sunday liturgies according to the Ordo and liturgical seasons.

 

Here I exhort the whole Church in Africa to show particular care for the celebration of the Eucharist, memorial of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus,sign of unity and bond of charity,paschal banquet and pledge of eternal life.The Eucharist should be celebrated with dignity and beauty,in compliance with the established norms.Eucharistic adoration,individually and in community,will lead to a deeper appreciation of this great mystery.Along these lines,a continental Eucharistic Congress could be celebrated.This would bolster the effort of Christians to testify to the fundamental values of communion in every African society.To ensure respect for the Eucharistic mystery,the Synod fathers recalled that churches and chapels are sacred places,to be used solely for liturgical celebrations,avoiding to the extent possible that they become simply places for socializing or cultural places.

 (Africae Munus, 153 -154)

 

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5.LOCAL VOCATIONS TO PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE

5. LOCAL VOCATIONS TO PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE

I would like you to be free from worry. An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord’s work, because he is trying to please the Lord. But a married man concerns himself with worldly matters because he wants to please his wife; and so he is pulled in two directions. An unmarried woman or a virgin concerns herself with the Lord’s work, because she wants to be dedicated both in body and spirit; but a married woman concerns herself with worldly matters because she wants to please her husband. I am saying this because I want to help you. I am not trying to put restrictions on you. Instead I want you to do what is right and proper, and to give yourselves completely to the Lord’s service without any reservations.

(1 Corinthians 7, 32 – 35).

Local vocations to the priesthood and religious life should be promoted in parish prayer groups and families. Parish vocation-promotion teams should be established. Special workshops and retreats for young people searching for their vocation in life should take place regularly in the parish. Also - at diocesan level - priests and religious sisters should cooperate and get involved and support vocation promotion prayer drives and workshops. Literature promoting vocations should be made available to young people. On-going communication with young people interested in religious life and priesthood should be maintained with follow – up meetings. Parents should be helped to encourage their children to consider God’s call to the priesthood and religious life.

Wherever an integral pastoral ministry – with families, young people or in the mission field – develops and grows together with pastoral ministry for vocations,here is a flowering of priestly vocations and religious life.Thus,the vocational dimension is not simply the adding on of  programmes and suggestions,but becomes the natural expression of the whole community…The family remains the primary community for the transmission of the Christian faith.It can be seen everywhere that many vocations to the priesthood and religious life are born in families where

the example of a Christian life in keeping with its calling and practice of the
evangelical counsels give rise to the desire for complete self-giving.Care for
vocations presupposes,in reality,a strong family pastoral ministry…The witness of priests united to Christ ,happy in their ministry and united in brotherhood among themselves,has a strong vocational appeal for young men. ( Pastoral Guidelines For Fostering Vocations to Priestly Ministry,Vatican City 2012, par.3).

 

Download Vision2020 PDF file at:http://dioceseoftzaneen.mariannhillmedia.org/vision2020-for-the-diocese-of-tzaneen/