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“A very special week”: Catholic Official on Ongoing National Bible Week in Angola

Sr. Elisabete Corazza, a member of the National Commission for Biblical Pastoral Ministry of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST). Credit: Daughters of St. Paul (FSP)

By João Vissesse

Uíje, 17 July, 2024 / 2:04 pm (ACI Africa).

A Catholic official has described the ongoing National Bible Week in Angola as a special moment for the people of God in the Southern African nation.

The July 16-20 event is taking place in the country’s Catholic Diocese of Uije under the theme, “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.”

In a Monday, July 15 interview with Radio Ecclesia Angola, Sr. Elisabete Corazza, a member of the National Commission for Biblical Pastoral Ministry of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) said the week is an opportunity for the members of the biblical pastoral care from the two countries to share ways to foster their familiarity with the scriptures. 

“It is a very special week because the Word of God is effective and for that we need to know it more, to love it, and to become its missionary disciples,” Sr. Corazza said.

She added, “We're going to welcome representatives, delegates, from our Dioceses in Angola and beyond. This year we also have a representative from the Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe.”

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The Brazilian-born member of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP) said that during the five-day event, there will be various themes to reflect on, including the theme of the event itself.

“We are going to offer guidelines and content for the month of the Bible in September, and deepen in a very particular way, Lord's Prayer,” she said.

The FSP member also said that the events of the week are part of their preparations for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year. 

“Pope Francis is asking us to make this year a year of prayer, and we're also going to have the space to get to know the elements of prayer in the Bible better,” she said.

Pope Francis announced the start of a Year of Prayer in preparation for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee in January, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.

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In his Angelus address on January 21, the Holy Father said that the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year is to be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

In the July 15 interview, Sr. Corazza said guest speakers during the week will be “biblical scholars”. 

“We will have several biblical scholars who will help us on this journey, especially Fr. Bem Vindo Wato, one of the Dehonian Fathers who is in the Diocese of Viana, and also Fr. Cláudio Zua, who is from the Archdiocese of Luanda,” she said.

Sr. Corazza said the President of CEAST's Episcopal Commission for Biblical Pastoral Care, Bishop Dionísio Hisilenapo of Angola’s Namibe Diocese, and Bishop Joaquim Nhanganga Tyombe of the country’s Uije Diocese will grace the occasion.

João Vissesse

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate. 

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