The Department of Christian Formation, Liturgy and Culture encourages all Catholics in the region of Southern Africa, Botswana and Swaziland in their parishes and religious communities.

We ask priests to arrange periods of adoration as well as catechesis for the members of their parishes. Since we are still under Covid-19 restrictions, parishioners could gather for adoration as families. Some parishes may be able to organise live-streaming or podcasts with the aim of catechesis in helping our members come to a deeper appreciation of the Blessed Eucharist.

Our prayer books and missals also contain appropriate prayers to lead to a deepened Eucharistic devotion. The Department is organising a novena in preparation for the solemnity of Corpus Christi. This will be distributed through the media office of the Conference and we hope that the language pastoral regions will take initiatives to translate the texts into the local languages.

Radio Veritas has agreed to broadcast the novena each day together with a catechesis which will be offered by a designated bishop or priest. The Media department of the Conference will also indicate how people can access these through podcasts or other means. In the Department we are especially requesting parish priests to take initiatives and animate a eucharisitic revival during the month of June.

We will give further information for what is being prepared in the months of August and September by way of a seminar and with the use of the social media to invite participation of especially priests and religious (but not exclusively) for a deepening of and devotion to the blessed Eucharist. This will lead up to and coincide with the International Eucharistic Conference taking place in Budapest in September.

Year of St. Joseph

We ask Parish Priests to organise something special in their parishes for St. Joseph: prayers from the prayer manuals, formation and instruction. A very useful resource is Pope Francis letter proclaiming the year of St. Joseph. These activities could be the focus of Wednesdays which is the traditional day dedicated to St. Joseph, or on the last Saturday of each month because it precedes the first Saturday traditionally devoted to the Mother of God. The Department is organising something special for fathers’ day which will appear on the website of the Conference as well as be heard on Radio Veritas.

The Archdiocese of Cape Town has an interesting initiative regard this year of St. Joseph which can be accessed on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Website: https://adct.co.za or the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnj6J2Sc_dW058_zPCSA4zw

If your parish or community has something of interest please communicate with Sr. Victoria or Sr. Patricia, secretaries in the department. Sr. Victoria Sibisi VSibisi@sacbc.org.za

Sr. Patricia Finn pfinn@mweb.co.za