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DIOCESE OF MAKENI
Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Religious and Laity
February 25, 2004
THE CHURCH
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
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“He resolutely set his face towards Jerusalem” (Luke 9,51).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ our Saviour leads us on the way to the Father. As we begin
another season of Lent, I send you cordial greetings and I invite
all of you, priests, religious and laity, to renew your resolution
to follow Jesus with determination and joy.
TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFRICAN SYNOD
This year we have special reason to summon together the entire diocese
of Makeni in a great act of thanksgiving and commitment to the Lord.
Ten years ago the Bishops of Africa gathered together with the Holy
Father for a Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops,
popularly known as “The African Synod”.
The Holy Father Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortation ECCLESIA
IN AFRICA (The Church in Africa), called the Synod “an historic
moment of grace: the Lord visited his people in Africa. Indeed, this
Continent is today experiencing what we can call a sign of the times,
an acceptable time, a day of salvation. It seems that the “hour
of Africa” has come” (African Synod 6).
On the Tenth Anniversary of the African Synod, I invite you all, Priests,
Religious and Laity, to reflect on our response to the hour of Africa
and to thank God for that historic event of grace.
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
When we consider the history of evangelisation in our country, we
have many reasons to give thanks to God. I list only a few:
- Our Christian roots go back to our distant past. The king of the
area where there is present day Freetown was baptized by Fr. Barreira
four hundred years ago.
Since that time, in spite of lack of priests, of sickness and of many
other difficulties, a small group of people kept the faith alive in
our land.
- Blessed Anne Marie Javouhé visited Sierra Leone almost two
hundred years ago. She was the first missionary woman to Sierra Leone
and gave outstanding witness of Christ’s love for the poor,
particularly for enslaved and marginalized girls.
- Later the First Vicar Apostolic of Sierra Leone, the Servant of
God Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac, came to Freetown with
four companions. They all died within the space of two months (June
1859). Their death, however, planted the seed for a new vigorous era
of evangelisation.
Not too long afterwards the Holy Ghost Missionaries came to continue
the work. In our diocese in particular the Xaverian Missonaries have
laboured selflessly so that all may come “to know the Father
as the only true God, and the One you sent, Jesus Christ” (John
17:3). Many others followed them and the church was firmly established.
- At the beginning of the Third Millennium we can state that the “Plantatio
Ecclesiae” in our country has been accomplished. We have solid
Christian communities; we have Christian families; charitable, educational
and social institutions; pastoral centres, seminaries, and a growing
number of local priests and religious. The church is here to stay.
It is no longer a “mission” church in the sense of being
directed exclusively by foreign missionaries. The vast majority of
our church personnel are sons and daughters of the soil.
We, as a diocese, pay homage to our missionaries with the words of
the Apostolic Exhortation “The Church in Africa”: “
The splendid growth and achievements of the Church in Africa are due
largely to the heroic and selfless dedication of generations of missionaries….
The hallowed soil of Africa is truly sown with the tombs of courageous
heralds of the Gospel” (Af. Synod 35). They are our ancestors
in the faith and we owe them an immense debt of gratitude.
Today we still welcome missionaries to assist us in the great task
of evangelisation.
We also pay tribute to the sons and daughters of Sierra Leone who
served as co-workers of the missionaries, especially catechists and
translators.
At the beginning of the Third Millennium of Christianity, we can apply
to our country what Pope Paul VI said of the rest of Africa: Sierra
Leone is a new homeland for Christ.
May the name of the Lord be praised.
CHALLENGES
On our pilgrim way with the Lord towards the heavenly Jerusalem, we
must be ready to face the challenges that lie ahead. I wish to list
a few that I consider of fundamental importance.
The call to Holiness
The call to holiness rings loud and clear throughout the entire Bible.
“As He who called you is holy,
be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written:
‘Be holy because I am holy’
(I Peter 1,15-16).
The African Synod demands the courage of holiness from each one of
us. I dare to make the same appeal to every of you in the diocese
of Makeni. “Being young in faith, you must be like the first
Christians and radiate enthusiasm and courage. In a word, you must
set yourselves on the path of holiness. Only thus can we be a sign
of God in the world and re-live in our country the missionary epic
of the early church” (Af. Synod. 136).
The Holy Father in his numerous exhortations to Christians everywhere
never tires to repeat the call to holiness, particularly to our youth:
Do not be afraid to become the saints of the Third Millennium.
I am aware that the call to holiness applies first of all to us the
Bishops. I accept it in humility and confidence and I repeat it for
each one of you: Do not be afraid to strive for holiness.
Lent is an opportune time to die to sin and to live for God alone.
Let us renew our resolutions. Let us take advantage of prayer, of
mortification, of the sacrament of reconciliation, of the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist, of popular devotions, of charitable actions,
of work for justice and human dignity.
The urgency of evangelisation
The growth of the church in Sierra Leone makes the challenge of evangelisation
an even more poignant duty for all of us. In our diocese and the country
at large, there are many areas and groups still untouched by the Good
News. The duty to take up the task of evangelisation is now primarily
incumbent upon us.
Pope Paul VI gave us this task forty years ago: “Africans, you
are now your own missionaries”
(Kampala 18 Oct. 1964). Have we taken this commitment seriously? In
each parish there should be an “Evangelisation Committee”
in order to organise evangelisation activities and to animate the
parishioners to spread the Good News. We must radiate our love for
Christ and reach out to all the others. “Each one, reach one”
could be a good beginning to bring Christ to every corner of this
land.
There is also the need to evangelise ourselves, since the purpose
of evangelisation is “transforming humanity from within and
making it new” (Ev. Nun. 18). Evangelisation requires deepening
of the faith. “In Africa today formation in the faith too often
stops at the elementary stage…A serious deepening of the faith
is thus urgently needed” (Af. Synod 76).
Parishes should not be solely places of worship, but also centres
of formation at all levels. It is incumbent upon parish priests to
organize regular catechetical instruction, Bible studies, formation
programmes.
I ask those in charge of our Pastoral Centre to resume regular training
of catechists and laity.
“To bear witness to the Gospel in word and deed: this is the
task which the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops
received and which it now passes on to the Church of the Continent.
‘You shall be my witnesses’ (Acts 1,18): this is the challenge”
(Af. Synod 56).
The necessity of inculturation
The need of inculturation is now an accepted fact in the church. It
is a challenge that we cannot ignore and that we cannot face superficially.
It requires both a deep knowledge of the faith and a serious reflection
on the culture. In the field of liturgy we have already made significant
strides.
Inculturation, however, “ includes the whole life of the church
and the whole process of evangelisation. It includes theology, liturgy,
the church’s life and structures” (Af. Synod 62).
Our Church in the diocese of Makeni must show to the world the African
face of Christ. This requires a balanced approach.
“A serious concern for a true and balanced inculturation is
necessary in order to avoid cultural confusion and alienation in our
fast evolving society” (Af. Synod 48).
We must clearly preserve the features of Christ, while striving to
remain authentically African.
I pray for our African scholars to continue research and to offer
appropriate suggestions.
I urge the staff of our Major Seminary to guide our future priests
to a sensible understanding of the need of inculturation. Respect
for our culture demands that we promote whatever is beautiful, dignified,
whatever enhances human dignity and our positive values. Anything
to the contrary must not be introduced or preserved under the name
of culture.
The need for self-reliance
Self-reliance is a non-negotiable goal for our church. “It is
therefore urgent that the particular churches in Africa have the objective
of providing for their own needs as soon as possible, thereby assuring
their self-sufficiency” (Af. Synod 104). This requires judicious
use of available resources, a re-examination of our life style, balanced
budgets, maintenance of church and community assets, accountability,
fund raising activities and increased donations on the part of church
members. We should not, however, turn our liturgies into fund raising
exercises. We need to change our mentality of dependence and learn
to live within our means. “Lastly, we cannot forget that a Church
is able to reach material and financial independence only if the people
entrusted to it do not live in conditions of extreme poverty”
(Af. Synod 104).
The scandal of poverty
“To proclaim Jesus Christ is to reveal to people their inalienable
dignity, received through the Incarnation of his Only Son…..
Endowed with this extraordinary dignity, people should not live in
sub-human social, economic, cultural and political conditions”
(Af. Synod 69).
We live in a land of plenty, yet the majority of our people live in
abject poverty. Wealth is not fairly distributed but concentrated
in the hands of the few. About 80% of the population live in absolute
poverty with expenditures below $1 a day. Women and children and people
in rural areas are particularly affected. The scourge of corruption
destroys the moral fibre of our people.
As a Church we cannot remain indifferent.
In the first place, “the Church, as a community of faith, must
be an energetic witness to justice and peace in her structures and
in the relationships among her members… It is necessary therefore
to examine with care the procedures, the possessions and the life
style of the Church” (Af. Syn. 106).
Secondly we must challenge the prevailing culture of self-serving
power, of oppression, fear, waste, and apathy. Corruption is often
accepted as a fact of life. Unemployment threatens our youth with
despair and violence. We must educate our people to demand their rights
as well as to perform their duties towards family, society and state.
For these reasons I encourage the formation of Justice and Peace Commissions
at various levels to defend the poor, promote justice and human rights.
These tasks are especially urgent for the lay faithful who hold public
office.
I ask that the poor and marginalized be always the first to benefit
from the development projects sponsored by our Caritas office, parishes
and religious organizations.
I am aware that many priests, religious and laity work tirelessly
to alleviate the sufferings of the poor. I thank them and encourage
them to continue in this service so dear to the heart of Christ.
At all levels, “the Church must continue to play her prophetic
role and be the voice of the voiceless” (Af. Synod 106).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
At the beginning of the Third Millennium of Christianity, ten years
after the celebration of the African Synod, we look to the future
with hope. The war that has devastated our country has come to an
end. Normal life has resumed throughout the country. Our diocese is
growing and vibrant.
God has pitched his tent in our midst. “Christ, in the members
of his body, is himself African” (Pope Paul VI quoted in Af.
Synod 127). This gives us renewed strength to walk with him on the
way to Jerusalem.
The African Synod was closed on the 8th of May, 1994. In order to
keep alive in our lives the flame of the Spirit and the grace of the
Synod, I now choose the second Sunday of May to be celebrated every
year as the SUNDAY OF THE AFRICAN CHURCH. I wish it to be an occasion
of thanksgiving to God for his blessings and of renewed commitment
to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to Africa and to the world.
May is the month dedicated to Mary. I entrust our country and ourselves
to Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Africa.
+ George Biguzzi
Bishop of Makeni |
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