SOUTH SUDAN: Lack of Liturgical Tools and Facilities an Urgent Pastoral Challenge in Tombura Yambio Diocese
Ginaba Lino
Tombura-Yambio Diocese is experiencing lack of liturgical kits, facilities, and tools in the parishes as one of the challenges facing priests not to carry on their duties across the diocese smoothly.
The realization came in after the diocesan pastoral consultative body met to deliberate on how to improve the pastoral ministry and to promote their pastoral activities as a result of the first diocesan synod which was celebrated early this year in the diocese.
The meeting focused on the challenges facing pastoral workers in the Diocese and the way forward.
Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio stated that most of the tools have been used for many years and some have been lost.
“The diocese is running short of prayer books, lectionaries, Missals, vessels, and vestments which are meant for celebrating the Holy Eucharist”
Bishop Hiiboro says some of the liturgical books they are using now are incomplete as some pages are missing.
“It is not strange to find that some parts of lectionaries of year A or year B in parishes or chapels’ would be completely missing and you can imagine the frustration.”
The meeting, therefore, resolved to put effort in trying to repair some of those liturgical books where possible and find ways on how they can publish or acquire new books for liturgical celebrations and Sacred worship in the diocese, adding that the diocese should raise funds in order to publish these books and acquire new vessels.
“We are experiencing lack of these essential tools because of the perennial conflict and many of those items can only be imported, and the costs are quite expensive”.
Bishop Hiiboro says, in their discussions with the pastoral workers they deliberated on how the Diocese can make some vestments from the local materials which is available as well as considering cheaper ways of print liturgical books locally.
The meeting tasked on priests and laypersons especially the catechists to work towards addressing the challenges facing the Diocese.
The pastoral body also noted that the support and care for catechists in the diocese needs to be increase because they are doing more work in different parishes, chapels, and prayer centers where priests are unable to reach.
The committee revealed that there is a need to have ongoing formation and training centre for catechists, adding that the Diocese should also look in to the issue of facilitating their movements while carrying their duties.
Some catechists lack bicycles that can facilitate their movement to cover the long distance in the diocese.
The bishop says the diocese will look in to the problems and see how they can resolve the issues.
