Our Lady Flight Into Egypt ~ Mary is honoured as the Chief Patron of our Diocese of Port Elizabeth. In accordance with the official liturgical Pastoral Guide it is therefore elevated to a solemnity (big feast) for the local church and celebrated on the Sunday that occurs on 4th February or between the 4th and 10th February each year.

pastoral development office (pdo)

CONTACT
Fr Jerry Browne, PO Box 7082, Newton Park 6055.
Tel & Fax (O): (041) 365 2117. Tel (H) 041 365 4399 E-mail

WHY CATHOLIC

Fr Jerry Browne
Small Christian Communities continue to meet throughout the diocese to share faith; pray together; learn from the scriptures, the teachings of the church and one another; to support one another; and to be actively involved in the mission of the church. During the Lenten Season, SCC’s will use the resource Lenten Longings. This resource focuses on the Sunday readings for each of the Sundy’s of Lent.
In the second part of the year, from June onwards, plans are under way to introduce a new faith sharing resource entitled Why Catholic?

Many Catholics have inherited the Catholic faith without knowing why they are Catholic. Some may not have been exposed to a solid faith formation. Although many consider themselves Catholic, they would welcome renewing a clear Catholic identity that appreciates the unique basis, content, richness, and joy of our Catholic faith. This, in turn, would help them become more comfortable in reaching out to others as everyday evangelizers. Why Catholic? aims to help people to better know Jesus Christ and his saving love for us. It is for those who want to know more about their faith and share time with others deepening that faith.

Why Catholic? is proposed for the widest possible participation in the parish. Why Catholic? invites people to become more familiar with and to embrace the teachings of the Catholic faith as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Why Catholic? process is designed to balance prayer, sharing on Scripture, and reflection on the teachings of our faith, providing a full and fruitful faith-sharing experience for participants. While a prayerful listening to and reflection on Scripture is an integral part of each session, Why Catholic? is not meant to be a Scripture study.

By nourishing and strengthening women and men in all callings, Why Catholic can serve as an essential tool on the journey to mature Christian faith. The process has been designed to help participants discover and embrace their own personal faith story. It is founded on encouraging us to live the reasons why we are Catholic, and so lead us to a faith that is lived more authentically, connecting us more deeply and meaningfully to God, and to others.

The First year we will will focus on Christian Prayer. The first few sessions of this book focus on prayer itself and how God commuiates with us. The next sessions look at different forms of prayer and some difficulties we exoerience in prayer. The last sessions offer a deeper look at the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Lord’s prayer. The sessions don’t just look at what the catechism says about prayer, but uses various styles of prayer in the sessions.

LENTEN LONGINGS Cycle A

Lent is a time of prayer, reflection, and conversion.

Lenten Longings is for Small Christian Communities, Seasonal groups, Individual reflection

Six faith-sharing sessions with:
scripture references
reflections
sharing questions
prayers.

Explore more deeply the Lenten Sunday readings in simple everyday language.

Copies are available from the Pastoral Development Office at R15,00 each (plus postage). Please contact us at pdo@isat.co.za or on 041 365 4399

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