SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudanese Prelate Encourages Continual Adoration in the Diocese
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
As the Catholic Church commemorated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, South Sudanese Prelate has request Christians in all parishes of Tombura-Yambio Diocese to have continual adoration so as to draw strength for their daily mission and service from the Eucharist.
In his Pastoral letter dated Sunday, June 6, Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Barani Kussala disclosed, “From now on there must be a continuous practice of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with this name ‘Adoremus’. Through this event, we seek to rejuvenate Eucharistic adoration in our parishes and institutions as the source of strength for our lives and for our mission, that of making present the love and compassion of Jesus in our society.”
“This Solemnity of Corpus Christ in our Diocese is special,” the Local Ordinary of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio expressed and explained that continual adoration is to create a special opportunity for Christians to reflect on the centrality of the Eucharist in their lives hence the need “to have daily and weekly permanent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.”
In the Sunday letter, the Church leader asked the Christians to dedicated their prayers on the day of Corpus Christi for “unity, peace and healing in our diocese and Nation, the Republic of South Sudan.”
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is normally marked by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament.
“Makes Christ present in towns and cities throughout the world, but His presence cannot be limited to just one day, a noise you hear and then forget. It should remind us that we have to discover our Lord in our ordinary everyday activity. Side by side with this solemn procession, there is the simple, silent procession of the ordinary life of each Christian,” said Bishop Kussala.
He emphasized the importance of bringing Jesus out into pathways, roads or streets of villages and towns or cities saying, “Our nation South Sudan is in chaos. I believe our Lord can bring people peace. It’s an ancient tradition, and I think we need to go back to some of our ancient traditions and remind ourselves of what our true grounding in the world is today.”
As he urged Christians for the continual adoration in parishes the Bishop said, “I pray most earnestly today that this Solemnity will draw us more deeply into the glory of this sweet Sacrament. I pray that our preparation for diocesan daily Adoremus, the permanent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and our participation in it, will reawaken in us all the deep desire to share our faith, to invite others to come to its consolations and find again its joys.”
“In this way, we will take to heart again the wonderful words of our Blessed Lord: ‘As I, who am sent by the Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me” the Bishop says drawing his reflection from the Gospel of John and added, “In receiving this food, in prayer before this Sacrament, let us always remember: Adoremus, Come, let us adore him.”
The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Corpus Christi annually on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which falls one week after Pentecost Sunday.
