Chaplaincy, Spiritual Direction, Council Membership among Ways to Sustain Lay Associations: South African Archbishop

For Archbishop Mpambani, besides assigning Chaplains and Spiritual Directors to associations of the Laity, the involvement of the lay faithful in Pastoral Councils can go a long way in ensuring their sustainability.

The lay faithful, the South African member of the Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCI) said, “take pride in that sense of belonging and they join the groups for personal spiritual enrichment as well as with the need to participate more in the activities and the mission of the Church.”

“When we elect the Diocesan Pastoral Council, we also ensure that the associations and sodalities are represented so that we keep in touch with them,” the Local Ordinary of Bloemfontein Archdiocese since June 2020 said in his July 11 presentation.

During the virtual event, representatives of associations of the Laity shared their experiences.

In Malawi, Mary Shawa, the president of Maula Senatus, which covers Lilongwe Catholic Archdiocese, and the Dioceses of Dedza, Mzuzu, and Karonga recognized the active participation of the members of the Legion of Mary in the mission of the Church.

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Dr. Shawa said that the country’s president of the Marian movement founded by the Servant of God Frank Duff in 1921 is a member of the National Laity Council. She lauded the development, adding that having representation on the National Laity Council allows them to take part in the Church's mission.

Legionaries in the country are involved in home visits, which she said have been fruitful as some cohabiting couples have been brought back to the Eucharist by having their marriages solemnized in the Church.

Dr. Shawa said that the home visits have caught the attention of the President of the Episcopal Conference Malawi (ECM), who has requested documentation on how the Legion of Mary conducts the visits so the practice is replicated elsewhere.

“In Malawi, each of the group has a Diocesan Chaplain and spiritual directors at the Parish level,” she said went on to say, adding, “Every time we have a meeting, a religious person is given the responsibility to be with us for spiritual guidance.”

She continued, “The Legion of Mary and other movements in Malawi do a lot of work together with the Church and in all the celebrations, and commemorations, the groups are fully involved.”

Also sharing his experience during the July 11 virtual event, the president of the Franciscan Third Order in Kenya, Patrick Kamau, said, “We are involved in the parishes where we take part in liturgical ministry, reading the scriptures and participating in Eucharistic ministries, catechesis and even in evangelization.”

“We try to make our presence felt in church activities because we participate in many other activities including washing the Priest’s vestments and visiting the sick,” Mr. Kamau added.

In South Africa, the President of Interdioceses of the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception of Mary said the group is involved in raising funds for the formation of Priests in Seminaries.

“We ensure that each member contributes every year a certain amount of money which goes to the seminaries to ensure that our Dioceses are not straining in terms of paying fees for our Priests,” Khosi Mthembu said.

Ms. Mthembu added, “We also participate in the construction of Church structures through contribution of funds from our members.”

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She lamented the vice of favouritism from a section of Priests, saying this discourages members to be part of some associations of the Laity.

“Bishops should ensure that there is open communication because, in some instances, you find that Priests don’t want to hear anything about a specific sodality group and prefer another sodality group at the expense of others,” Ms. Mthembu lamented.

She emphasized the need to intensify faith formation of members of sodality groups as well as their reaching out to the people of God in need of their support, including visiting the sick in their neighbourhoods.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.