By Makeda Yohannes
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| Rev. Fr. Hagos Hayish, CM, ECS Secretary General |
The Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat (ECS) is turning 50, Established by the Bishops’ Conference as the implementing arm of the Church 50 years ago, the secretariat has since been operating vested with the mandates of facilitating, representing, coordinating, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation for the Diocesan Offices and Catholic institutions in the country.
According to Fr. Hagos Hayish, C.M., ECS Secretary General, the occasion of the Golden Jubilee will be marked bringing together all partners of the Church who have supported Her throughout the years in spreading the Gospel and serving the people.
For years it has been organizing the Catholic Church Partner’s Coordination meeting annually, a forum in which all stakeholders in the country and outside meet to discuss achievements of the Church and also design a way forward for a strengthened service to the people. The next Coordination meeting stands out to be special as it will coincide with the celebration of Golden Jubilee of ECS. It will be held on March 26 – 29, 2017, in Addis Ababa in which over 150 people are expected to attend.
For years it has been organizing the Catholic Church Partner’s Coordination meeting annually, a forum in which all stakeholders in the country and outside meet to discuss achievements of the Church and also design a way forward for a strengthened service to the people. The next Coordination meeting stands out to be special as it will coincide with the celebration of Golden Jubilee of ECS. It will be held on March 26 – 29, 2017, in Addis Ababa in which over 150 people are expected to attend.
“The Catholic Church’s contribution to the ongoing development efforts of the country has been tremendously for more than a century, and since the establishment of the Secretariat we have been rendering these services in a more coordinated manner all over the country. Our Partners have travelled this journey with us all the way, we plan to mark our Golden Jubilee during the coordination meeting as we hope it will give us the opportunity to officially thank our partners and recognize their contribution,” said Fr. Hagos, C.M.
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| Mr. Ato Bekele Moges, Executive Director of Ethiopian Catholic Social Development Commission |
Ato Bekele Moges, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Catholic Social and Development Commission (ECC SDCO), said that the idea of organizing an international conference came with the ambition of including all partners from all sectors of the Church in the discussion. He said that it is usually the Caritas partners that attend the coordination meeting but this time all Catholic development organizations and pontifical Institutions are expected to join the conference.
“Pastoral ministry is the main core of Church, with our Social Development services we are witnessing the Gospel, thus the representation of all our partners is important for us to strengthen our Church’s role in the country’s efforts of building a more socially upright society,” said the Executive Director.
Catholic Bishops’ and higher Government Officially are also expected to attend the event. Issues of national and international concerns and the Church’s role will be discussed in the conference and side meetings. It is expected this international conference will bring more partners, Diocesan Offices, Religious Congregations together in one conference room creating more opportunities for a strengthened partnership and networking. ECS, representatives of Diocesan Offices, Religious Congregations and Partners are working together in organizing the conference.
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