AMERICA/CUBA - Cuban Bishops’ pastoral plan aims to foster Christ centred spirituality and a laity aware of its vocation, strengthened in missionary spirit with new ardour, creativity and courage

Monday, 19 June 2006

Havana (Agenzia Fides) - “Together to Build Tomorrow” is the title of a 2006-2010 pastoral plan issued by the Catholic Bishops of Cuba to mark the 20th anniversary of the National Meeting of the Catholic Church which started a process of renewal based on the fruits of Vatican II and the CELAM conferences in Medellin, Puebla and Cuba which opted for a missionary, praying and incarnated Church renewed in her dynamism to find with new courage and creativity new paths for announcing the Gospel. In this 3rd Pastoral Plan the Bishops focus on three main challenges: Christian Spirituality, Lay Identity and the Evangelising Mission.
In harmony with CELAM 5 in 2007, the Pastoral Plan aims to “intensify missionary activity and discipleship helping communities centre their lives in Christ, renew spirituality in order to collaborate to transform reality and render hope possible”. The Plan aims to encourage missionary spirit and commitment starting from an analysis of the present situation in Cuba: members of the Church in Cuba, community life, moral life, liturgical and sacramental life, missionary life, pastoral care for youth, family, laity, catechesis .
In view of mission the pastoral plan, “intends to give attention to the ad gentes dimension of evangelisation which is the primary commitment of the Church, essential and never completed (cfr. RM, 31)". "In Cuba - the Bishops write - where for many years evangelisation was confined to intra-ecclesial environment, we want to find ways to foster witness to the Gospel in the family, in society, at work, in political and cultural environments". Mission ad gentes means "going out", "exiting from the security of the church building and the trodden paths to reach out to the men and women of Cuba and create new spaces for Christian presence in society". Such missionary efforts must be based on "authentic spirituality " and "continual contact with the Lord in prayer and the sacraments, the Eucharist especially ".
The Bishops present three challenges: 1) foster deeper Christian spirituality "centred on the encounter with Jesus Christ who illuminates life in all its dimensions and leads to a life of commitment which spreads hope and is in keeping with the Christian identity"; action lines include: accompany processes of conversion and discernment with ongoing formation; encourage missionary and Marian spirituality to have active and dynamic communities; discover the necessity and value of priestly and religious vocations; help Catholics live the faith in its social dimension. 2) promote deeper mission awareness among the laity through: specific formation for the laity; formation for young Catholics to help them be responsible and committed followers of Christ; help Cuban families discover their role in society; help all lay people live their vocation to be disciples and missionaries of Christ in the world. 3) Mission of evangelisation to proclaim Christ and help build his Kingdom with new ardour, creativity and courage; objectives: give priority to mission formation; help communities imbue pastoral activity with missionary spirit; help people realise that the news of the Gospel carries a humanising power which motivates, accompanies and sustains every social action undertaken by the community. The new pastoral plan will be launched on 8 September feast of Our Lady of Charity del Cobre, patroness of Cuba. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 19/6/2006; righe 50, parole 656


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