Seek ‘holiness’, Bishop Stima tells youths
Bishop Montfort Stima of Mangochi Diocese of the Catholic Church has asked the youth in the diocese to deepen their faith to live a holy life and become useful citizens of the country.
The bishop spoke during the Mission Sunday which also coincided with the Diocesan Youth Day held at St Augustine Cathedral Parish in Mangochi.
Stima observed that in the past it was possible for young people in the age bracket of 11 to 20 to be canonised as saints, something that has diminished of late.
to be reached out
He observed: “It was possible for someone as young as 11 to be called a saint. But can the same be true today? I think not, because the young generation today is entangled in all sorts of things.”
Stima called on the youth to pursue various vocations to take rightful positions in church and society, saying this was the reason the Catholic Church is embarking on different activities to ensure their involvement in leadership roles in view of the fact that they were the future of the institution.
He said Mission Sunday was an important occasion in the church in general and the diocese in particular because there are still pockets of people who do not know Jesus Christ.
Said Stima: “In Mangochi, there are a lot of people who need to be reached out with the message of Christ. Mangochi Diocese is one of the beneficiaries of missionary work and as such we need young people to take up the responsibility of spreading the Gospel.”
In his homily, Stima tackled the issue of modern technological challenges, which he said others were abusing.
Said the bishop: “Technology is good for the church, actually the church has always advocated for the adoption of modern technology as a way of propagating the word of God, but others have gone to extremes to abuse it.”
He said it is imperative for the church to pray over the ‘social media madness’ because a lot of people were being destroyed by the technology let alone families being broken due to the emergence of new communication channels.
On his part, Father Christopher Sichinga, diocesan youth chaplain and vocational director, said the Mission Sunday provides an opportunity to the youth to come together to proclaim the Catholic faith. n
