Dominica’s Catholic Church will appoint permanent deacons to the Diocese of Roseau early next year – the first in almost two years – as it sets out on a new pastoral course that includes evangelising this country.

Bishop Gabriel Malzaire made the announcement to thunderous applause from hundreds of Catholics, gathered in the Botanical Gardens on the feast of Christ the King, November 26.

Bishop Malzaire explained that the diaconate, like the priesthood, was a ministry of service of God’s people and a legitimate part of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. It originated from apostolic times, he explained.

Bus loads of Catholics, exuberant in praise, began assembling in the Botanical Gardens from the island’s ten parishes from as early as 8 a.m. for what, to Dominican Catholics is a can’t miss event.

Priests from all the parishes in Dominica as they enter the Botanical Gardens in procession for the Feast of Christ the King

Members of Mickael Ferrol Cultural Group from Paix Bouche dance in the recessional procession

Families attended with picnic baskets. Vendors did brisk trade with food stalls and a church group operated restaurant facilities from the Convent High School, offering traditional Sunday lunches that included macaroni and cheese, fish, chicken, a variety of salads, as well as local beverages.

The Bishop also charted a fresh course for Dominican Catholics, under the theme, Christian stewardship as a way of life and announced plans to rename the Diocesan Family Life Centre, as the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and re-intensify efforts in the area of Family Life.

The Church will also enhance its social communications, through increased use of television, radio and the print media, to make the word of God more present to the faithful, as the Bishop pointed out.

“This year we have been putting some effort into the development of the main pillars of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan, namely evangelisation. The key pillars on which the Diocesan Pastoral Plan stands are evangelism, stewardship and collaborative ministry.

“We focus on the theme: Called and sent to Evangelise. The Church can never exhaust the need for the evangelisation of the world. Evangelisation remains the principle mission of the Church and therefore we need to intensify our efforts towards that goal in 2007 and beyond”, Bishop Malzaire declared.

Increasing the numbers of Catholics and devoting special attention to Adult Formation are among other plans for the Pastoral Year.

Bishop Malzaire’s address followed the homily by visiting American, Deacon Alex Jones, a former Pentecostal pastor converted to Catholicism, who left the island earlier this week, he said, with the people’s warmth, “your love, acceptance and your sunshine.”

The Bishop pointed out that the Diocesan Pastoral Centre would be used as the main avenue in which the Church hoped to continue the implementation of the Diocesan Pastoral plan.

He told the gathering that many families today were in crisis and were weakened by the challenges in today’s society.

In that regard, the Family Life Secretariat will continue to function at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre.Ten persons were commissioned as Lay Associates in Pastoral Care.
(Edited from The Chronicle)