ZAMBIA: A Missionary Priest of Synodality Appeals to Colleagues to Embrace the Synodal Church
Fr. Cletus and Priests of Solwezi Diocese
By Fr. Wilbroad C. Musonda
A Synodal Missionary Priest based in Monze Diocese, Zambia Fr. Cletus Mwiila has implored the priests of Solwezi Diocese to embrace The Synodal Church that aims to walk together and listen to the voices of all parishioners in their respective parishes in the Diocese.
“At the core of Synodality there is a journeying together with the parishioners in which each one is valued with respect and is allowed to add a voice in the carrying out of pastoral work of the parishes”, said Fr. Mwiila, adding that prayer is one way that can make the Synodal Church becoming a successful one.
Fr. Mwiila was speaking during the Diocesan Priests’ Retreat-themed Synodality and Prayer of 27 Diocesan priests of the Catholic Diocese of Solwezi which was held at Kasisi Mission Retreat Center situated in the Archdiocese of Lusaka, Zambia from 23rd to 28th July 2024.
Fr. Mwiila who doubles as a Missionary Synodality Priest and Parish Priest of St. Mary Catholic Church in Monze Diocese underscored the important role of the Holy Spirit in the Synodal Church. He stressed that this spiritual gift sanctifies the whole process of Synodality in which there is listening, discernment, and collaboration of all members.
This involvement in the synodal journey he said, enables the success of the Synodal process which results in a Synodal Church that promotes church renewal and growth, encouraging a more participatory and inclusive approach to discernment and decision-making in the parishes of the Diocese
Furthermore, Fr. Mwiila in a social media message made available to the retreatants with the topic Synodality and Prayer, insisted on the role of the Holy Spirit and appealed to the priests to hugely focus on faith and service in their dispensation of their priestly pastoral ministry in their parishes.
“I am insisting on faith and service as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our pastoral ministry. Indeed, we can’t reawaken the Church and the world without reawakening ourselves”, Fr. Mwiila emphasized.
This can come to fruition if the priests and God’s people are walking together while allowing the Holy Spirit to be at the center of the spiritual reawakening of The Synodal Church coupled with the vigor of the priests’ vocation of service to God’s people in the local and universal churches.
This spiritual reawakening, Fr. Mwiila elaborated, should be viewed within the context of Synodality, hence it should begin within the priests themselves and always be seen with the eyes of faith that are anchored on the benefits of spiritual reawakening.
To ensure that The Synodal Church bears some spiritual attributes among them the spirit of oneness, the Missionary of Synodality Priest added that, the priests should first and solely look to God from the day they embarked on their priestly duties in their pastoral ministry of the church.
“The day of my spiritual awakening was the day I saw, and knew I saw all things in God and God in all things”, reveals Fr. Mwiila, who pointed out that prayer is a vital spiritual exercise in the life of a priest because it nourishes the priest’s spiritual foundation, enabling them to discern God’s will.
Fr. Mwiila is among the 300 Parish Priests who recently attended the international meeting of Parish Priests in Rome under the theme: “Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting.”
This was organized by the Vatican following concern from the first session that priests are key to the implementation of any programs aimed at promoting Synodality at the grassroots level.”
