He was elevated to the rank of a Cardinal in November 2016 and subsequently appointed the Cardinal-Priest of Italy’s St. Teresa of Avila Church in Corso d'Italia.
Cardinal Piat is set to mark his Golden Jubilee of his ordination to the Priesthood during the diocesan “Feast of Vocations,” August 2 alongside Fr. Gerald Sullivan. Two other clerics will celebrate their Priestly Silver Jubilees.
“Vocations Day is giving thanks to the Lord for all the priestly and religious vocations he has given to the diocese for a long time,” Cardinal Piat reflects in the video post.
During the August 2 event, Catholics in the religiously-diverse nation are also set to celebrate the vocations of three “young people” who will be joining the seminary in September “for the first time in a long time,” a moment the Cardinal says is “very beautiful to see how the Lord is faithful to his promise.”
The 79-year-old Prelate explains in reference to God, “He said I will give you pastors according to my heart. And now he is giving us young people, old people, the middle-aged, who have known the joy of the Gospel and who are passionate about sharing it as far as possible with others.”
To be marked under the day's theme, “Give thanks for the jubilees, pray for new vocations. ‘Give them yourselves to eat’ (Mt 14, 16),” the event will have the faithful also pray for vocations in the one-diocese Island country.
The people of God in the country will also take part in the annual fundraising campaign for seminarians who are undergoing their formation to the Priesthood abroad.
Bringing together 47 parishes of the Catholic Church in the 1.2 million-populated nation, the diocese of Port Louis reportedly has 92 priests, 348 nuns, and 135 religious.
Catholicism is the dominant Christian denomination with 26.2 percent followers who are spread across the Diocese of Port-louis and the Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues.
Famous for its beaches, reefs, coastal lagoons and mountainous interior such as Black River Gorges National Park with waterfalls, wildlife, rainforests, and hiking trails, the Indian Ocean Island nation, which is located about 1,930 kilometers off the coast of Africa, relies on tourism as one of the main sources of income alongside agriculture.
