Laity coordinators reminded of mission's significance

- Nigel Akuani

 

Port Moresby: Twenty Laity coordinators from Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands were reminded of their mission in the Church and Society as it is their noble vocation. 

 

A week-long Laity Workshop for Laity Coordinators entitled, ‘Our Catholic Laity: Holy and Formed for Mission’ was held from 25th to 29th November at the Catholic Bishops Conference. 

According to the facilitator of the Workshop and Secretary of the Laity Commission, Eva Wangihama, the purpose of the workshop was to advocate to the coordinators to make their structured approaches more parish-orientated rather than diocesan-based. 

 

“Programs should start at the level of the community and move to the parish level. There should be the involvement of the people right from the grassroots. From family to community, community to the parish and the parish to the level of the diocese,” she said.

Lessons covered in the workshop included Re-echoing the Missiological Symposium, Word of God in lay formation, Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, State of lay formation in dioceses with their opportunities and challenges, and the Pontifical Mission Society in Diocese Missionary Cooperation. 

The participants also shared in panel discussions, presentations, recommendations and an evaluation of the lessons. 

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The workshop also had two external facilitators from the East Asia Pastoral Institute in Philippines, Carmencita Rojas a Consecrated Lay person and a Theology Professor Dr Dennis Gonzales. 

 

Ms. Rojas described the occasion as a convenient method in learning from each other. She expressed her gratitude for the hospitality shown and said she was open to returning to PNG in future to attend similar laity training programs.

 

As a result of the workshop, the participating Lay Coordinators are expected to integrate their new learning and re-echo the key ideas to their dioceses. They will draft a simple, realistic plan of action to share with their team in the diocese.