Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The Chairman for the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) has called upon the people of God in the Eastern Africa region to ensure that the fire that was lit to mark the golden jubilee of Small Christian Communities (SCCs), remains burning to strengthen evangelization at grassroots.
“The Church in Eastern Africa launched 50 years after the establishment of Small Christian Communities in the AMECEA region, a great tool and a new way of being a Church that was initiated as a result of putting the communion ecclesiology and teachings of Vatican II into practice and promoting communion and participation of all the faithful in the Church,” Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde said in the statement shared with AMECEA Online Wednesday, December 20, adding that, “Our responsibility is therefore to keep the fire of Small Christian Communities burning in the region so that the seeds of Christian discipleship experienced, may ever remain a gift to the Church and the world.”
According to the Zambian Prelate and the Local Ordinary of Solwezi Diocese in Zambia, the SCCs model which was proposed by the AMECEA bishops in 1973 as a shift in the ecclesial model from the parish-centered to the Church in the neighborhood, sharing the same way of life and living the Gospel values in the community, should enkindle “the spirit of listening, discernment, and communion among the people of God for active participation in the Church, as we journey together in the mission of evangelization.”
Speaking on behalf of the AMECEA Bishops, the Chairman appreciated the active participation of the people of God in the region during the first phase of the synod which concluded in October.
“In congruent with Pope Francis who has strongly emphasized journeying together as a Church without leaving anyone behind, we appreciate the active participation of the AMECEA Church in the synodal journey from the Small Christian Communities to conferences and continental levels and finally through our delegates who devotedly participated in the first session of the Synod on synodality in Rome,” Bishop Kasonde said and continued, “The synodal process is still ongoing until October 2024, I invite each one of us to play his/her role as we encourage a Church that listens by allowing the Holy Spirit at the center of our discernment.”
He further acknowledged the successful activities realized in the region in the year saying, “The AMECEA region has received tremendous blessings right from the beginning of the year when the Holy Father organized a “pilgrimage of peace” to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo…the Holy Father advocated for an end to constant social violence and conflicts that have led to long-suffering and hardships for God’s people.”
“We further appreciate the new Cardinals and the new bishops in the region. This is a great privilege for the Church. As Pope Francis said in his homily during the Consistory, may you embrace the apostolic zeal and bear witness to God’s boundless love. Not forgetting the new Diocese that was created in Kenya, may this help reach out to the people of God even to the peripheries,” he said.
Even though the region has achieved a lot in the months the Bishop said, “The AMECEA region is grappling with numerous challenges ranging from the negative impact of climate change: droughts, floods, and cyclones to continued social conflicts in various countries especially Sudan where thousands have lost their lives, others displaced, while some have fled out of the country to seek refuge.”
He noted that the bishops extend their solidarity to those who have been affected as they pray for God’s continued protection.
“As Christians worldwide commemorate the Advent season in anticipation of the second coming of Christ, I wish all the people of God in the AMECEA region a fruitful Christmas as we welcome Him who loves us unconditionally and embraces us as His beloved disciples and a prosperous New Year 2024, full of God’s blessings,” the chairman concluded provoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Grace.