Johannesburg, 21 February, 2022 / 8:21 pm (ACI Africa).
Those involved in the youth ministry of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) have been urged to reach out to all young people in the Church irrespective of their membership in any Church sodality group.
In a February 18 invitation note to the 1st SACBC young adults conference, the leadership of SACBC youth office said that the Diocesan youth chaplaincy caters for all young people between 13-35 years and when meetings are scheduled, no other church gathering should be planned.
“It has to be noted that the youth ministry of the SACBC and that of the Diocese should seek to minister to all young people irrespective of whether they belong to a sodality or association or movement or not,” SACBC youth leadership says in the invitation note.
SACBC youth officials explained, “The Diocesan Youth Chaplain is responsible for all Young People between 13-35 years of age and when Diocesan Youth gatherings are called on a specific date, no other activities of youth sodalities / associations / movements are to be called either by a Religious Congregation / Deanery or Parish on the same date/s that will bring about poor attendance in a Diocesan gathering.”
In the invitation note for the conference that is scheduled to take place from June 15 - 19 in South Africa’s Pretoria Archdiocese, the leadership of SACBC youth office explains that restriction for other gatherings during this conference of the youth is a call for cooperation since “We do not compete but work together.”