He continued, “Believing and practicing our faith is more than just praying every Sunday. We must be ready to sacrifice our own lives, because words do not move stones, but our own effort does, each one bringing his brick, each one taking his turn to build this church.”
In his homily, the Local Ordinary of the Juba Metropolitan See also acknowledged with gratitude the work of early missionaries, noting that their efforts laid a strong foundation of faith and helped spread the Gospel among the people of God in the country.
He said, “Let us show our respect to the efforts of all those who built this church, because their efforts have brought us to where we are today.”
“No one would like to stay here. But those missionaries from Europe came and settled here,” Cardinal Ameyu said, recalling how a century ago the area was largely undeveloped, covered by forests, and infested by mosquitoes and tsetse flies, conditions that discouraged settlement.
The South Sudanese Church leader urged the people of God to take the centenary celebration as a moment to reexamine their conscience, saying, “My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate these great 100 years of the family of Jesus in this Parish, let us resolve to rise and move forward.”
He added, “We must establish transformation within ourselves, and these 100 years should be an examination of our consciences. We must confirm ourselves as people of the beloved Son, Christ.
“We must live according to the spirit of the Gospel so that we can be called righteous, because God has given us all the necessary grace to overcome sin,” Cardinal Ameyu said in his January 11 homily.
The Cardinal encouraged young people in the country to embrace family life and take responsibility for the future of the Church, saying, “We cannot survive without the family, because from the family all these vocations come.”
“You must carry this church forward, the next 100 years belong to you. I appeal to you: choose good partners and marry in the Church. That is the only way we can carry this faith forward,” he noted.
Cardinal Ameyu, whose transfer from Torit Diocese to Juba Archdiocese in December 2019 was met with resistance from a section of the Clergy and Laity of South Sudan’s only Metropolitan See also called on young people to reject the culture of violence and instead embrace dialogue and reconciliation as means of resolving conflicts.
