ETHIOPIA: ECS set for 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly
Rev. Abba Hagos Hayish, CM, Secretary General ECS
Over 90 percent of the preparatory activities mandated to the host conference for the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly have been achieved. According to the Ethiopia Catholic Secretariat (ECS) Secretary General Very Rev. Abba Hagos Hayish, CM the bulk of preparatory activities have been accomplished and what is remaining is just the final touches.
According to a report he shared with AMECEA Executive Board, the Ethiopian Bishops Conference in December 2014 established Episcopal Preparatory Commission led by the Bishops themselves and chaired by H.E. Cardinal Berhaneyesus. “In January 2015 the main preparatory committee which is composed of 106 people and comprising of lay people, religious men and women, private individuals, volunteers and the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat National office was established.”
This was followed by the creation of different subcommittees charged with different responsibilities. They include liturgy, fundraising, logistics, hospitality and transportation subcommittees. Other subcommittees include public relations, Security, health, administration and finance, protocol subcommittee and finally art and culture subcommittee for the entertainment. All these establishments have contributed to the success of the preparatory committee.
The subcommittees have since been engaged in mobilizations, consultations, networking and extensive awareness creation of the historic event that is scheduled to take place in July this year.
“Step by step we have managed to reach a position where we can thankfully say that we are ready to host the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly,” said Abba Hagos. “Although it took quite some time to develop and approve the AMECEA Plenary Assembly Logo as well as the prayer, we have managed to extensively promote the Plenary logo and the prayer in the dioceses, and throughout the country as well as with the government and the general public through the government media as well as private media in the country,” he elaborated.
Other promotion measures the conference have carried out for the 19th AMECEA Plenary Assembly in the country where the Catholic Population is less than 1% includes: translation of the Plenary Assembly Prayer into about ten native languages in the country to enable the faithful from different dioceses to pray in their dialect. The secretariat has also produced billboards bearing the plenary Assembly logo and the theme and these are placed in strategic places within the capital city especially in the Catholic Church owned properties.
“We are also trying to work on vibrant diversity, equal dignity and peaceful unity in God in the AMECEA Region on the theme. We started to break this theme in different seminars and workshops in different parts of the country through the structure of ecclesiastical jurisdictions in Ethiopia but also where other public could join us in the discussion,” Abba Hagos explained.
Speaking to AMECEA Online News in Addis Ababa the logistic Coordinator of the event, Getahum Tafesse said that they have identified some volunteers who have international experience in hosting delegates to be part of their team. The volunteers who will fully be engaged in the plenary will undergo short training to familiarize themselves with the nature of the event on how to receive the delegates, take care of them from the time of arrival to their departure.
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
