Bishop’s Annual Appeal 2018

Over the fourteen years of my tenure the church has faithfully prayed for vocations.  We have prayed that God would “Raise up generous and dedicated leaders from our families and our friends who will serve as sisters, priests, brothers and lay ministers”.  We have also said in that prayer “Send your Sprit to guide and strengthen me that I may serve your people following the example of your Son, Jesus Christ, …”

My appeal to the Church this year is for Vocations; building a Catholic Culture.  In the first place my appeal is resonant with the second part of the Vocation Prayer “Send your Spirit to guide and strengthen me that I may serve…”  I put this as a priority in this year’s appeal and I state here again what I have said in previous appeals; the more we know and live our faith and the more we get involved in ministry and get engaged with the life and activities of the faith community, not only will we celebrate and enjoy our faith in a meaningful way but the Church, in a collaboration of vocations, can bring Christ to the world.  Collaboration in faith is “the identification, release, and union of all the gifts in ministry for the sake of mission” (Sofield & Juliano).  This is a wonderful image of the Church.  This is my appeal, let us each and together live our Baptism and Discipleship.

 

A number of people over the years have made generous monetary contributions to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal.  These have been of great help in the work and ministry of the Church at the diocesan level through the various commissions and Departments.  Funds realized from contributions this year will support three areas:

  1. Seminarians and persons discerning their vocation

Seminarians support:  The diocese recently ordained three deacons to the diocesan priesthood.  Fr. Joel Rathna and Fr. Devadass Berchmans were ordained in September 2017 and Fr. Carl Philadelphia in January 2018.  All three spent their final period of formation at the regional seminary.  At present there are two seminarians, Francis Xavier and Joseph Oguejiofor studying theology at the Seminary in Trinidad, where the average cost per seminarian per year is G$2,000,000.

Vocations support:  Accompanying persons who are enquiring about and exploring the possibility of giving their lives in service of the Church – Priesthood, Diaconate, Consecrated life, lay ministry.

 

  1. The vocations committee’s outreach

Support the ministry of the Vocations committee and other diocesan organisations in visiting parishes, holding conferences, arranging formation programmes and generally available to assist faith communities in promoting vocations and building Catholic culture.  All Catholics – diocesan commissions, councils, organisations, parishes – will be invited to promote activities of building our Catholic Culture.   This will be executed through new and existing activities such as the engagement of parishes, producing educational and informational content for print and web, formation opportunities, explore best practices and tested programs, hold conferences etc.

 

  1. Parishes struggling to build the faith

Support for parishes struggling in their mission to build the faith in their local areas.  In 2017 some of those parishes receiving support amounted to $2,412,000.00.

I thank you for your generosity.

 

With the Joy of the Gospel

+ Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB

 

 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://rcdiocesegy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/baa-2018.pdf” title=”baa 2018″ height=”700″]