The member of the Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ) who has been at the helm of the South Sudanese Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination on 24 January 2021 is said to have told CMA members, “Today you are commissioned by the Church to go out and proclaim the gospel.”
“As Jesus said to his disciple, I sent you out to the world to proclaim the good news beginning from Jerusalem and your Jerusalem is your family,” he told the Catholic men, and added, “You are going to begin the proclamation of the gospel from the family and the Church and in this way, you will be able to reach the society and the whole nation fulfilling the promise and the commission of Jesus Christ.”
Bishop Remijio further said, “Jesus is now sending you out today to the world to proclaim the good news beginning from the family.”
The 49-year-old Catholic Bishop who is heading the Finance Committee for the planned papal ecumenical visit to South Sudan told the Catholic men he was commissioning, “We need to see some changes in your lives at the family and church level.”
CMA will be of no benefit in the Diocese of Wau “if there is no change among the Catholic men in terms of faith and their participation in the Church,” he said.
The Catholic Bishop welcomed the new members of CMA in his Episcopal See and promised his support saying, “I will say you are welcome, and you are the pioneers of the Catholic Men Association in our Diocese, we shall support you to move forward.”
In a January 24 report, Bishop Remijo urged the people of God under his pastoral care to think about new ways of evangelization and to refrain from perceiving faith as a mere program.
The Local Ordinary of Wau Diocese further said that despite the challenges faced by the people of God under his pastoral care, evangelization needs to continue without anyone giving up.
“The Church exists to evangelize; thus, the evangelization is and will remain the top priority for the Diocese of Wau. We have to reclaim our heritage and the great Commission of Jesus,” Bishop Remijio who temporarily governed the Diocese of Rumbek from 5 May 2021 till March 25 said.
Patrick Juma Wani is a South Sudanese journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. Patrick holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Makerere Institute for Social Development (MISD) in Uganda. He has over 7 years of extensive experience in leading the development and implementation of media, advocacy, communication and multimedia strategy and operations, with an excellent track record of editorial leadership, budget management, and stakeholder outreach. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.
