Synod Will Involve People in Future Planning for the Church
Parishioners from Bemana hire special bus to be part of synod
The launch of the Catholic synod will involve the people in the future planning of the church.
This was confirmed by Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, who conducted the launch of the Eucharistic Celebration Synod at the ANZ Stadium in Suva yesterday. Archbishop Loy Chong said the two main focuses of this year’s synod were:
• The need to update people on the current teachings. • and the last Synod held 27 years ago and a lot of things that have happened in the country since then from social problems, to political problems, also on all forms of violence, the impacts of climate change and globalisation.
“So the church needs to be able to respond to these problems or to at least speak about them,” the Archbishop said.
“During this year, we will be holding seminars around various groups in Fiji with youths, women and men.
“Some people are brought up on the old teachings and some on the new teachings. We need to get them together so they have a shared vision.
“And this is important because in order to respond correctly as a church, you need to have a correct understand of the church and its teachings.
“Next year we will have a meeting and will formulate our plan for next short term and long term plans,” he said. Parishioners feel blessed to be part of event Sixty members of the Bemana Catholic Parish hired a special bus to be at the launch of the synod at the ANZ Stadium.
“We paid $60 each and we’re proud to be here at the ANZ Stadium to witness the launch,” 50-year-old Marika Tivitivi said.
He said they left Bemana early and would return home after the synod launch. According to Mr Tivitivi they had been told about the synod by the head office in Suva and had prayed and fasted for it for months.
A message to them from the Archbishop, was to pray for an end to violence against women and children.
The Bemana Catholic Parish, Mr Tivitivi said, supported the Archbishop’s call to stop violence against women and children. He said the synod was blessed by the fine weather.
Alina Rasamila, 34, from the Tamavua Parish, Suva, said she felt blessed to be part of the synod.
She said the Tamavua Parish had been praying for the synod and its theme. Ms Rasamila and the 60 people from Bemana Parish and were among thousands of Catholics from around Fiji who gathered at the ANZ Stadium to witness the launch of the synod. The theme of the synod year is “Connecting in Jesus”. The theme expresses Fiji Catholic Church’s desire to be connected to fundamentals of Jesus’ mission.
A pamphlet given out at the entrance to the ANZ Stadium said: “To be connected in Jesus is to take on the mission of the historical Jesus. Jesus did not preach about himself. Rather, he preached about the coming of God’s Kingdom.”
Through the synod the Fiji Catholic Church will develop a shared pastoral vision and mission and bring about a spiritual awakening among Catholics.