MALAWI: AMECEA Conferences’ Secretaries General Meet in Lilongwe

The
Secretaries General from all the AMECEA Conferences held their first ordinary
meeting for this year in Malawi on 24th – 25th
March 2014 while commending the preparation done by the Malawi Conference for
the coming 18th AMECEA plenary Assembly.

                                                         

Speaking
to AMECEA Online News, the AMECEA Secretary
General Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo said the main agenda for the meeting was a follow-up
on 18th AMECEA Plenary Assembly scheduled to take place in Malawi in
July.

During
the two-day meeting which took place at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi
Secretariat in Lilongwe, AMECEA Secretariat presented to the Secretaries General
a report on technical part of the preparations in terms of sourcing for
expertise who will give presentations during the study sessions of the plenary.

According
to Fr. Lugonzo, all individuals who are scheduled to give presentations during
the study sessions of the plenary have been contacted and have confirmed their
availability and willingness to participate. “The presenters are now only
waiting for AMECEA Secretariat to give them directives in terms of time and
length in regards to the contents and specific objectives of the presentations,”
Fr. Lugonzo explained.

The
Secretaries General also managed to look at the plenary program, which has been
set and is only awaiting final touches.

The
other issue that was discussed at the meeting was in regards to fund raising strategies
for the plenary. Fr. Lugonzo told them that the AMECEA Secretariat has been
seriously involved as he confirmed that some of the AMECEA Partners and well
wishers whom the secretariat approached have already given their contributions
and the secretariat is currently waiting for responses from the rest of the
partners they contacted.

In
terms of Local Contributions, Fr. Lugonzo said that some of the AMECEA Dioceses
have started sending their contributions. The Secretaries General agreed to
approach the issue of local contributions with a sense of urgency and they
committed themselves to fast track and ensure through collaboration of
conference’s Chairmen to have all contributions from the dioceses to be
submitted by May 2014.

He
confirmed that Malawi conference is set for the plenary; a venue where
study/business sessions will be held has been identified and booked. The venue
where opening/closing ceremony of the plenary will be held has also been
identified and booked. In addition the conference has also identified venues
for accommodations for the plenary delegates.

He
said that the Malawi conference has also set up operational committees that are
in-charge of various logistics.

He
concluded by saying that the secretariat is now busy finalizing the documents
to be presented during the study sessions of the plenary.

Participants
to the Meeting were: Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo – AMECEA Secretary General (Kenya),
Msgr. John Kauta – Secretary General (Uganda), Rev. Fr. Cleophas Lungu –
Secretary General (Zambia), Fr. Daniel Rono – Deputy Secretary General (Kenya),
Fr. Jacob Odwa – Secretary General (South Sudan), Fr. Gallus Thomas – Deputy
Secretary General (Tanzania), Fr. George Buleya – Secretary General (Malawi),
Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo – Deputy Secretary General (Malawi), Sr. Anne Muiruri –
AMECEA Secretariat (Kenya), Gloria Pereira – Catholic Secretariat (Malawi)

Source:
AMECEA Social Communications and ECM