The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is finalizing its preparation of the Golden Jubilee celebrations since the establishment of the Catholic Bishops Episcopal Conference of Ethiopia, which is going to be on July 24 – 26, 2015, under the theme: “Get up and eat for the journey is still long” (1 Kings 19:7) taken from one of the first Pastoral Letters of the Conference.According to Fr. Hailegabriel Meleku, the National Pastoral Coordinator, the closing ceremony will be a 3 days event (July 24 – 26, 2015) and it will be attended by Religious Leaders, Government Officials, Partners and invited guests from within the country and abroad.
He said that the main closing events will include panel discussions, presentations and a Thanks Giving Mass on the last day.
 |
| Fr. Hailegabriel Meleku, National Pastoral Coordinator |
Fr. Hailegabriel said that this period of celebration has given the Catholic Church in Ethiopia the opportunity to reflect on the achievements in Pastoral and Social Ministries during the past 50 years and plan for a better future. He also said that the Church has taken this occasion to organize events where Catholics from all the Eparchies, Vicariates and Apostolic Prefecture in the Country meet to share their experiences and discuss their faith as well as pray together.
A symposium, an exhibition and a pilgrimage to six Dioceses were organized as some of the events to mark the highlights of the Jubilee Celebration. The closing ceremony of the Symposium was honored with the presence of His Eminence Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Oriental Churches.
“Thanks be to God we had a very successful celebration throughout the year, the success of the celebration is due to the active participation of the Bishops, the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat, the Religious, the Laity, the Golden Jubilee Committee and the coordinator,” Said Fr. Hailegabriel.
For the past one year the Catholic Church in Ethiopia prepared various events to celebrate the Jubilee year. The Celebration began on April 26, 2014 with the opening Eucharistic celebration presided by His Eminence Cardinal Berhaneyesus C.M., at the Nativity Catholic Cathedral in Addis Ababa.
The History of 50 years the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, a compendium of Pastoral Letters and the Pastoral Letter on the Family, which have been prepared for the occasion, will also be officially launched.
by: Makeda Yohannes, Communications and Public Relation Officer, Ethiopian Catholic Bishop Secretariat