They will be baptized in three years if everything goes well in the catechumenate. Three grandfathers have just begun their journey in the parish of Titus and Timothy in the western Mayo Kebbi, in the diocese of Pala, Chad. Their parish priest, Father Lin Kiekie, Oblate missionary of Mary Immaculate, Congolese Tell me.
What do these old faces mean if not one of the facets of the Church of God which is in the diocese of Pala, Holy parish Titus and Timothy in the West Mayo Kebbi. They walk patiently in communion, participation and mission.
The diocese of Pala, a former Apostolic Prefecture (19 December 1956) taken from the diocese of Garoua in Cameroon, was erected on 16 January 1964. It is located between the Mayo Kebbi East and the Mayo Kebbi West regions. Founded by the Oblate missionaries of Mary Immaculate, this diocese has been headed since 2021 by a young bishop, Mgr Dominique Tinodji. It is a futureful diocese.
In this diocese, there are these old faces mixed with those of young people and adults who are calling us today. These old faces, almost at the end of their lives, have barely entered the catechumenate. It is the first official meeting of the Church and the candidates. They expressed their burning desire to continue their discovery of Jesus Christ and to conform their lives to the Gospel.
However, here are two points to raise. Bishop Jean Claude BOUCHARD, omi (1977 to 2020), had banned the baptism of small children. Moreover, cultural diversity adds to it as an ingredient that makes us embrace faith in adulthood, sometimes very advanced! Thus, Christian communities « Weaving » Together... A fabric of fraternity. Their diversity « Weaving » « a leopard skin » unique and glittering variety, royal garment for Christ and his people of kings, priests and prophets », as the famous Congolese theologian Oscar BIMWENYI KWESHI said, happy memory. This is what makes the beauty of this particular church that is in Pala at the same time in the universal Church. Yes, in the multitude of candidates who walk to meet Jesus, there are not only young people and adults. But there are also these parents and grandparents. They travel towards baptism after three years of catechesis. All walk, but each at its own pace; Isn't this a proper way to conceive their faith, to state and explain it in order to advance towards the same mission?
Lin Kiekie, o.m.i.
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