Lay Apostolate

 

Leadership

Chairman: Rt. Rev. Desiderius Rwoma, Bishop of Bukoba

Vice Chairman: Rt. Rev. Salutaris Libena, Bishop of Ifakara

Executive Secretary: Rev. Fr. Ubaldus F. Kidavuli

 

1.0 Introduction

 

The department is entrusted with promoting Lay Apostolate through the activities of Laity Council, Lay Movements, Communities and Associations through:

 

• Increasing the Capacity of the dioceses by empowering the Laity to know and witness their faith.

• Improving the capacity of the Dioceses by promoting Family Apostolate and Youth Ministry.

• Improving communication in terms of teamwork spirit with other departments and Diocesan offices of Lay Apostolate.

• Improving the sustainability of the Department, Lay Movements, Communities and Associations.

 

2.0 Identity of LADE

 

LADE is one of the Departments of the Catholic Secretariat (CS) of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC). Key stakeholders of LADE include the following:

 

• TEC and all Local Ordinaries through and with the Catholic Secretariat.

• Office of the Department (Bishop Chairman, Vice Chairman and Department al Secretary)

• Diocesan Lay Apostolate Directors and Executive Secretaries.

• The National Council of the Laity (NCL) as an umbrella of all Lay Movements, Communities and Associations at the National level.

• Chaplains of Lay Movements, Communities and Associations at the national and diocesan levels.

• The People of goodwill.

 

LADE is managed by its head office comprising of the Bishop Chairman (Rt. Rev. Desiderius Rwoma), Bishop Vice Chairman (Rt. Rev. Salutaris Libena), the Departmental Executive Secretary (Rev. Fr. Ubaldus Kidavuri), Youth Coordinator (Rev. Fr. Liberatus Kadio), and moderators or co-ordinators of other departmental sections. Although The Executive Secretary is responsible directly to the Bishop Chairman, his daily work is subject to the supervision and co-ordination by the Secretary General of the TEC.

 

3.0 Vision of LADE

To see the Church as a Family of God ( EA 63) whereby the laity are brothers and sisters together with the clergy, those in consecrated life, and all people of goodwill in evangelizing the secular world (Evangelizing together as Family).

 

4.0 Mission of LADE

LADE`s mission is to administer and manage pastoral functions and activities related to Lay Apostolate in the Church as mandated by the TEC through the Catholic Secretariat. It promotes active involvement of the laity in bringing the Good News (Mt 28: 18) into all the strata of humanity and through their influence transform the world and humanity from within (EN 18).

 

5.0 Goals of LADE5.1

To co-ordinate functions and activities of Lay Movements, Communities and Association so that they are carried out in harmony and in collaboration with those of the other members of the Church and society namely: the clergy and those in consecrated life.

 

5.2 To foster and promote unity of mission and vocations of Lay Movements, Communities and Associations, in tune with the teachings of the Church, policies and directives of the TEC. All these and in view of the signs of the time, in the process of inseminating Gospel values and principles and transforming the secular world.

 

5.3 To promote empowerment of the laity through training, capacity building and spiritual formation leading to the growth of the members of Lay Movements, Communities and associations at all levels.

 

5.4 To facilitate and enable effective supervision of the operations of Lay Movements, Communities and Associations through and with chaplains and Diocesan lay apostolate directors.

 

6.0 Some Objectives

 

Having articulated its vision, mission and goals, LADE embarked on to identify some objectives as a point of departure for action. Two objectives have been identified namely:

 

• To promote broad and common awareness of Lay Apostolate within the mission of the Church.

• To improve office operations.

• To date these objectives have remained the major concern of LADE.

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7.0 Activities and Achievements

7.1. LADE had on-going training programs for lay leaders and those involved in Lay Apostolate [eg. Chaplains and Diocesan Lay Directors and others according to the annual calendar].

 

7.2. The Department is convinced that, only lay people who know their faith can be good witnesses of their faith. The formation of these lay leaders as, agents of evangezation, through seminars meetings and congresses is therefore our first priority.

 

7.3. Annual Calendar for Meetings is as follows: usually three times a year, a meeting of all executives at the national level (SEIDA), once every month meetings of executive committees of lay Movements Communalities and Associations, once or twice a year a meeting of diocesan lay apostolate directors, and once a year a meeting of LADE.

 

7.4 Recollections and meetings have continued to enrich the vision of Lay Apostolate among executives at the national level. The recollections which are held at least three times a year are financially supported by national lay leaders. The NCL, in collaboration with the respective of the lay Movements, Communities and Associations select appropriate themes, prepare timetable, invite participants and finally compile resolutions and recommendations.

 

7.5 Training manual

The Department has developed a training manual which contains basic teachings of the Catholic faith. This manual has been distributed to all 34 Catholic dioceses.

 

7.6 New Constitution of the Council of the Laity

The department is facilitating the revision of the Constitution of the Council of the Laity which is very important in order to meet the needs of our time.

 

7.7 Elections of Lay Leaders [2013]

The office of the Lay Apostolate Department in collaboration with the National Council of Laity (NCL) prepared all laity for the elections through. Radio programs where the Executive Secretary of LADE had a chance to elaborate different issues on how election of lay leaders of the National laity Council, Lay Movements, Communities and Associations could be done in all 34 Catholic Dioceses. Again different Seminars were held before and after the election. We intend to have a three days seminar in the first week of December after which the newly elected lay leaders will be sworn to their offices. Thereafter, their names and position they hold will also appear in this web page.

 

8.0 Construction of the Bakanja TEC Laity Training Centre

The objective of completing the construction of the BAKANJA TEC Laity Training Centre is still our priority. Our main strategy is to get support from dioceses through the laity contributions as agreed by the Laity Council`s General Meeting and approved by the Bishop’s Plenary Assembly.

 

Under the guidance of the Bishop Chairman the department has succeed to form a building and a fundraising committees. These have carried out the work of consultancy in agreement with the architectural team, and the first building is now at the final stages.

 

The department has worked hand in hand with the laity council to remind all Christian faithful, from all 34 Catholic Dioceses to adhere to their commitment to raise funds by contributing about Tshs. 200= from each baptized and confirmed lay Catholic, leading to the completion of the construction of Bakanja TEC Laity Training Centre. We are happy that, this has been received positively and at the moment we are in the second phase of the final stage of the first building.

 

9.0 YOUTH MINISTRY

Young people are a gift to the Church; they are the future of the Church and society at large. We have now a clearly structured youth ministry which will cater for the needs of youths at the Conference and diocesan levels. This structure accommodates the nation youth Co-ordinator [a newly appointed, Fr. Liberatus Kadio, a catholic priest from the catholic diocese of Same], under the Lay Apostolate department, headed by Rev. Fr. Ubaldus Francis Kidavuri [the executive secretary], the Diocesan co-ordinators and chaplains and all those in the centers of the higher institutions of learning (i.e. Universities and Colleges) who co-ordinates youth activities. Youth desk can be categorized under Lay Apostolate into three groups- VIWAWA, TYCS and TMCS.

 

9.1 VIWAWA [TYCW]

It is the movement of young workers (those employed and self employed), men and women, who want to help other young people to reflect and subsequently act in their own situations, life, work etc. Gospel of Christ and the social teaching of the church. This movement of young catholic workers was firstly introduced in Tanzania in 1959 and officially recognized in 1979 by Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC).

 

9.2 TYCSYoung Catholic Students was created in Europe as part of the Catholic Action movements that began to spread in the 1920s. Progress was interrupted by the Second World War, but its expansion began again with the constitution of the International Documentation and Information Centre in Freibourg – Switzerland, which in 1954 took the name International Young Catholic Students [IYCS]. This part of the specialized Catholic Action tradition, featured educational and apostolic ministry for evangelizing secondary schools and higher educational establishments; the importance of this basic team as the cell of the student community was its militant commitment to transforming the world.

 

Tanzania Young Catholic Students [TYCS] is an organized group of Catholic students striving to become a community of disciples of Jesus Christ by being evangelized and evangelizing. As a movement for, by and with the students, the method of Cardinal Joseph Cardjin’s [See, Judge, Act] is being used in the movement’s actions, activities and programs.

 

TYCS was introduced in Tanzania in 1960, and was officially recognized by Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) in the same year. It was registered in 1970 as a member of International Young Catholic Students. To date her members from the 34 dioceses are about 320,000.

 

9.3 TMCS

The International Movement of Catholic Student [IMCS] was found in 1921 in Fribourg Switzerland. This was localized to be TMCS in Tanzania and was indeed introduced in 1984 at the University of Dar Es Salaam.

 

It emphasizes the responsibilities of Catholic Students within the life and mission of the church. It is a student apostolate among student of higher Institutions of Learning in Tanzania. The students are guided by the motto “PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR”.

 

Its historical establishment in Tanzania is as follows:

1984 – 1985: The movement was introduced in Tanzania.

1997 – 1999: Its re – establishment and affiliation to the Pan Africa office in Nairobi.

2000 – 2006: Formation of the movement.

2007- 2011: Spreading the movement [Iringa then TEC] and its stabilization (awareness).

2012 to date: The movement is carrying on its activities as per national plan.

 

9.3.1 General Objectives of TMCS

To promote student apostolate among students of higher education, emphasizing their responsibilities within the life and mission of the church in the world.

 

To promote justice that is crucial for the transformation of society in collaboration with all people in common reflection and action for a more just and equitable social order at all levels, thus; national, continental and international.

 

To deepen their experience of the Christian Faith lived through commitment and its communication to the students’ milieu by witnessing Jesus Christ.

 

To develop an educative process that will help students translate their Christian faith into a more practical efforts at building a more just society.

 

9.3.2 TMCS Methodology

The movements’ methodology is REFLECTION – ACTION – REFLECTION