AFRICA/ETIOPIA - Even in Ethiopia, missionary childhood feast: prayer, sharing, mission, peace

Friday, 26 May 2017

GG

Adaba (Agenzia Fides) - May 19, is the anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Society of Holy Childhood or Missionary Childhood, the anniversary of all missionary children. To celebrate the occasion, Apostolic Prefecture of Robe organized the "Feast of missionary children" celebrated on May 20 in the parish of Adaba. This is what Don Giuseppe Ghirelli, head of the Missionary Office of the Apostolic Prefecture told Fides.
"The children of the parishes of Goba, Robe, Adaba, Herero, Dodola, Kofale, Demda and Qarso were accompanied by their parish priests and their catechists", informs Don Giuseppe. "Numerous arrived, a hundred children arrived at first and were a little afraid, finding themselves in a new place and with other children who they did not know, but immediately after they started singing and playing together and made friends with everyone. The feast, which started with the songs performed by the individual groups, continued with the Holy Mass presided by the Apostolic Prefect, Father Angelo Antolini, and concelebrated by parish priests Fr. Mekonnen, Fr. Bernardo and Fr. Joseph. After Mass they had lunch, and then played for more than an hour. In the afternoon the groups presented the work prepared in their respective parishes, describing, with designs, songs and representations, the Easter Sunday Gospels. The Feast ended with the celebration of the missionary mandate. The older children were called by name one by one, were asked if they were ready to observe the 4 commitments: prayer, sharing, mission, peace. The ID card of the missionary children along with the 'missionary pencil' were handed to them. Awards were also given for their works. The first were the children of Robe and Goba, second those of Dodola, third to those of Adaba. The children returned to their countries with the commitment to be missionaries in their environment and with the promise to see each other again during the school holidays to talk about the mission of missionary childhood", concludes Don Giuseppe. (GG/AP) (26/5/2017 Agenzia Fides)

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