SOUTH SUDAN: Pioneer Bishop of Bentiu, South Sudan Announces 100 Years of Faith in Yoanyang Parish
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
In anticipation of 100 years of the Church’s journey of faith, to reflect on God’s providence, the Church’s growth and achievements, and to renew the commitment to live and spread the Gospel in Yoanyang Parish, Bentiu Diocese in South Sudan, the Local Ordinary has officially announced the commemoration will be in May 2025.
“I take this opportunity to confirm that the Centenary Celebration will take place in Yoanyang on the Good Shepherd Sunday the 11th of May, 2025,” Bishop Carlassare a member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) announced in a statement shared with AMECEA online on Saturday, December 7, and told the Christians that their participation in the centenary is a sign of hope.
According to the Italian-born Prelate, the Church in Bentiu will celebrate the foundation of the first mission station in Yoanyang.
“Missionaries arrived in Yoanyang in the year 1925. They left their countries, their parents, and their friends. They came to a land that they did not know, to people that they did not know, but these people became their family and friends,” Bishop Carlassare narrated the history of how evangelization began in the new Diocese that was recently crafted from Malakal Diocese.
He continued, “The missionaries were moved by the love of God. The love of God moved many other people after them: faithful Christians, catechists, lay pastoral agents, and local priests. Their participation in the mission of God wrote a beautiful story of faith, hope, and charity.”
In his narration, active contribution of the missionaries made the Church to be truly the family of God where every person finds a home, a message he says is well captured in his episcopal motto: “For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).
In celebrating 100 years of faith the Bishop said in his Saturday message, “We come to understand that we are all part of this mission. We receive the baton from our elders, so that we may continue the work of evangelization since the mission needs all of us.”
He assured the Christians that the mission that had been built on the rock of a firm and secure hope was not the work of one day but for a century.
“The mission is not the work of a single person, rather it encompasses the lives of many people. When St. Daniel Comboni realized how great the mission was and how limited his life and possibilities were, he said: “If I had a thousand lives, I would give them all for the mission,” Bishop Carlassare explained.
The fact that the centenary year of the Church in Bentiu coincides with the Church’s Jubilee year-themed “Pilgrims of Hope,” the Bishop pointed out that the Church in Bentiu will not just be celebrating the past, but also what is to come: “For I know the plans I have for you – declares the Lord – plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11).
Calling on the intercession and protection of Mother Mary, the pioneer of Bentiu Diocese reminded the Christians that the first sign of hope should be the desire for peace in the country of South Sudan.
“The past conflicts made us miserable. Our environment is devastated. The need for peace challenges us all and demands that we take concrete steps to improve our living conditions,” Bishop Carlassare said and quoted the message of St. Paul the Apostle, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).
