Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
News Delhi (Fides Service) - An eight month formation course in communications for lay missionaries and catechists in Orissa, has been organised by the Orissa Catholic Regional Communications Centre, in agreement with the regional Catholic Secretariat for Social Communications directed by Father Joseph Amalan.
Father Amalan explains that the aim of the course is to help lay Catholics adapt their style of mission and inter-personal relations to a situation of spreading fundamentalism among Hindu groups in which clergy and religious are finding it more and more difficult to carry out pastoral duties.
“Catholic laity and young people in particular must be put in a position to assume greater responsibility to meet the urgencies and challenges of mission ” Father Amalan told Fides. Very often the laity to can share with people the good news of the Gospel and Christian values in a more convincing manner than members of the clergy because it is easier for lay persons to build interpersonal relations. Lay people can also become experts and use as a means of evangelisation activities such as theatre, music and dance.
According to Father Amalan, the objective of the course of formation is to help lay Catholics organise public events and also to teach them how to communicate spiritual matters relative to Sacred Scripture. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/6/2004 lines 25 words 285)
