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Diocese of
Keimoes-Upington Bisdom van Keimoes-Upington |
Welcome |
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Patrons:
The Immaculate Conception & St. Francis de Sales |
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www.catholic-keimoes.org.za |
omikeimoes@telkomsa.net |
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Suffragan Diocese of the Province of Bloemfontein -
Republic of South Africa |
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HERDERSBRIEF
(English follows)
Geliefde Broeders en Susters, Volk van God
van die Bisdom Keimoes-Upington
“Ek dank my God elke keer wanneer ek aan
julle dink. Altyd, in elk gebed van my vir julle, bid ek met blydskap oor julle
deelname in die evangelie, van die eerste dag af tot nou.” Fil 1:3-5
Ek dank die Liewe Vader vir u-almal wat vir
my gebid het, vir al u nederige offers en spesiale intensies, en vir my
wonderbaarlike herstel in verlede jaar.
Ek bid en loop tree vir tree saam met u, veral diegene wat geliefdes aan
die dood moes afstaan in hierdie pandemie tyd, waarvan ons nog steeds die letsels
dra.
'n Nuwe begin
Ons is opgewonde en nog onseker oor die
toekoms, hoe ons vorentoe gaan beweeg, en bly steeds waaksaam omdat die
pandemie van COVID nog altyd met ons is. Dus moet ons
leer om daarmee saam te leef en die nodige aanpassings daarvolgens te maak.
Soos ons dan nou terugkeer na die normale
Heilige Mis bywoning, vra ek dat elkeen verantwoordelikheid sal neem dat u die
nodige inenting teen die virus geneem het, om voorsorg te tref dat ons nie
mekaar aansteek nie.
Hou asseblief by die voorsorgmaatreëls:
· Was en ontsmet gereeld en
sorgvuldig die hande;
· Hou 'n goeie afstand tussen
mekaar;
· Dra 'n masker wat die mond en
neus bedek;
· Bly eerder tuis indien u enige
verkoue en griep simptome toon.
Sondag verpligting
Soos ons ook nou nader beweeg na die Vastyd
hoop en vertrou ek dat, diegene wat nie die Sondae Heilige Mis kan bywoon nie, dit ten minste
een keer in die week sal bywoon indien moontlik.
Vanaf die eerste Sondag van vastyd word die
vrystelling van die verpligting van Sondag Heilige Mis gehef. Dus vra ek dat
ons weer na die Sondag Heilige Mis terug sal beweeg want ons beskou dit as
Hoogtepunt van ons as Katolieke.
Die sinodale kerk
Vanaf verlede jaar Oktober is ons as Kerk in
sinode (o.a. is ons op 'n geloofsreis) en daar is nóg twee belangrike dinge wat
van ons gevra word, veral in hierdie tyd van sinode:
· Om deel te neem aan die Liturgie
op Sondae
· Om deel te neem aan die
byeenkomste van die klein Christelike gemeenskappe en die beantwoording as groepe
oor die vrae van die sinode.
Ons Katolieke gebruike
Ek is bly dat ons nou weer die wywater by die
kerk ingange vir gemeenskaplike gebruik sal kry. Indien u ongemaklik is met die
gebruik van die wywater in hierdie tyd van die pandemie, maak net die
kruisteken by die ingang van die kerk.
Ons sal nou ook voortgaan met die vredesgroet
tydens Sondae Heilige Mis. Alhoewel ons dit nie gaan doen met 'n handdruk of 'n
drukkie nie, vra ons net dat die gemeente mekaar op 'n redelike wyse groet.
Die gemeentes wat daaraan gewoond was om die
Heilige Kommunie ook uit die kelk te ontvang sal nog nie nou en in die nabye
toekoms daarna terugkeer nie, maar dit is steeds belangrik dat die leringe van
die Konsilie van Trent beklemtoon moet word, dat die Heilige Kommunie wat ons
in die één of ander gedaante ontvang, bly 'n deelname in die volheid van die
Liggaam van Christus. Die simbool is egter onvoltooid, maar die realiteit is
voldoen.
Finansiële sake
Aangeheg by hierdie brief is 'n verslag van
die Kollektes wat verlede jaar in ons bisdom opgeneem is en die bedrae van die
Parogies wat deur die kanselary ontvang is.
Omdat die PMS kollekte verlede jaar so min
was, is 50% van die spesiale kollektes na die PMS kollekte geskuif, as
erkenning van die belangrikheid van ons deelname in die sendingwerk van die
Kerk.
Hiermee vra ek u volle ondersteuning vir die
kollekte vir die Biskoppe van Suider-Afrika gedurende die Vastyd, veral omdat
die Vastyd kollekte 'n oproep is tot opofferinge en 'n tyd om openhartig te gee
God en die kerk. So dan ook vra ek dat u ekstra moeite sal doen om diegene te
ondersteun wat so geweldig geraak is as gevolg van die COVID
pandemie.
Onderhoud van die plaaslike priesters
Ek vra ook dat u u
parogie priester sal ondersteun met u gereelde maandelikse bydrae. Vir diegene
wat dalk agter geraak het, sien hierdie uitnodiging as 'n nuwe begin en probeer
om gereeld u maandelikse bydrae te gee vir hierdie jaar.
Ek word altyd so gemotiveer en is beïndruk
met die pensionarisse wat so gereeld hulle bydrae gee. Hier dink ek baie aan
die woorde van een van ons bekende biskoppe, Aartsbiskop Hurley, toe hy gevra
is hoekom hy nie aandring op 'n tien persent bydrae van die mense nie. Sy
antwoord was: “ 'n Mens kan nie grense plaas oor hoe iemand sy liefde vir God
en sy kerk uitdruk nie”.
Wees asseblief vrygewig in die manier waarop
u u liefde vir God uitdruk.
Die sinodale reis
Ten slote, hier volg 'n aanhaling uit die
tweede eucharistiese gebed vir versoening.
“Hoewel die mensdom verdeeld is deur twis en
tweedrag, ... deur u Gees beweeg U immers die mensehart sodat vyande weer met
mekaar praat, teëstanders mekaar die hande reik, en volke mekaar wil ontmoet.
Deur die werking van u mag bewerk U dit so, o Heer, dat selfs haat deur liefde oorwin word, wrok
voor vergiffenis wyk, en tweespalt in wedersydse behae verander.”
Hierdie woorde lei ons tot 'n dieper besef en
insig tot die sinodale gees waarmee ons as kerk nou betrokke is. Dit is my
gebed dat deur hierdie sinodale reis, ons almal in ons geloof, hoop en liefde
verryk mag word, as gesinne en gemeentes.
U Biskop,
+Edward
+Edward Risi OMI
Biskop Keimoes-Upington
oooOOOooo
PASTORAL
LETTER
My
dear Brothers and Sisters, People of God of the Diocese Keimoes-Upington
“I
thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for
you making my prayer with joy, thankful for your partnership in the gospel from
the first day until now.” Phil 1:3-5
I
thank God for health and strength to continue serving you as your bishop and I
am deeply grateful to all who prayed and made humble offerings and petitions
for my recovery last year. I remain close to all of you and in a very special
way with you who bore the pain and loss of loved ones to the pandemic which still
troubles us.
A
fresh start
We
are looking forward to resuming our life as church members but remain cautious
because the scourge of COVID remains with us. We have to
learn to live with it and make necessary accommodation.
With
our return to regular Mass attendance, I would sincerely ask all who
participate in the church services to make sure to be vaccinated because no one
of us wants to be responsible for passing on the virus to others nor being
infected by others.
Please observe the necessary caution -
· By washing your hands with soap and water
and sanitising your hands regularly
· Observing the social distance
· Keeping the nose and mouth masked
· Choosing to stay at home when not feeling
well
Sunday
obligation
With
the approach of Lent I look forward to our people
returning to Sunday Mass and when not possible on a Sunday, one day within the
week.
From
the first Sunday of Lent, the exemption from Sunday obligation will be lifted
and I ask that we return to Sunday Mass as the high-point
of our Catholic life.
A
Church in Synod
Since
October of last year, we are a Church which is in Synod (i.e.
on a journey of faith) and there are two important things that are asked of us
at this time:
· To participate in the Sunday liturgy and
· To participate in the small Christian
community gatherings in which we work on the synodal questionnaire.
Our
Catholic traditions
I
am also happy that we will once again have holy water at the entrance of our
churches for the faithful to use. If anyone does not yet feel free to use the
holy water, because of COVID, making of the sign of the cross at the entrance
to the church will be sufficient.
We
can resume the sign of peace at Sunday Masses. Although we will not be doing so
with a hand-shake or a hug, giving a sign of
acknowledgement and recognition is what is asked for.
Those
communities that were accustomed to receiving Holy Communion from the chalice
will not be resuming that practice for the foreseeable future
but it is important to re-emphasise the teaching of the Council of Trent that
communion received under one kind or the other is a participation in the
fullness of the Body of the risen Christ. The symbol is incomplete
but the reality is at its fullest.
Financial
issues
Attached
to this letter is a report of the collections taken up in the diocese last year
and the amounts from each parish which were received by the chancery.
Since
the PMS collection was so low last year, 50% of the special appeal was
forwarded to the PMS collection as a recognition of the importance of our
participation in the missionary dimension of the Church.
I
ask your full support for the appeal of the Bishops of Southern Africa during
this Lent, The Lenten appeal is a call to make
offerings and sacrifices for the church and an effort to meet the needs of so
many whom the church is supporting who have been affected by the conditions of
COVID.
Support
for our priests
I
also ask you to support your priest through the monthly parish planned-giving.
If you have fallen behind in the past, take it as an invitation to make a new
start this year and keep up to date for the months of this year.
I
am always encouraged by the example of so many pensioners who give their
contribution so regularly. And I think often of the words of the famous
Archbishop Hurley who when asked why he does not insist on a ten percent
offering from the people answered: “You cannot put boundaries on how people
express their love for God and His Church”.
Please
be generous in your loving response to God.
The
synodal journey
In
conclusion, I refer to the following prayer coming from the text of the second
eucharistic prayer for reconciliation:
“For though the human race is divided by
dissension and discord, … by your Spirit
you move human hearts that enemies may speak to each other again, adversaries
may join hands, and peoples seek to meet together.
By the working of your power it comes
about, O Lord, that hatred is overcome by love, revenge gives way to
forgiveness, and discord is changed to mutual respect.”
These
beautiful words lead us to a deeper appreciation and understanding of the
synodal spirit in which we as Church are now involved. It is my prayer that
through the synodal journey we be enriched in our faith, hope and love, in our
families and communities.
Your
Bishop
+Edward
+Edward Risi OMI
Bishop Keimoes-Upington
http://www.catholic-keimoes.org.za/general/welcome_files/image002.jpg
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Diocese] [Administration] [Necrology] [Diary] [Schools] [Parishes] [Clergy] [Days of Prayer, Collections,
etc.]