Religious Life, AN African Perspective
The Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa (IHSA) is a Catholic religious congregation focused on education, evangelization, and empowering vulnerable women and girls, particularly against harmful practices like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriages. The cover photo shows a member of the IHSA congregation playing joyfully with children in the Gerald Goldin Memorial Day Care and Nursery School, which they opened in 2022 in Kisarawe, Tanzania.
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POPE LEO XIV CREATES NEW CATHOLIC DIOCESE IN MOZAMBIQUE, APPOINTS COMBONI BISHOP AS PIONEER LOCAL ORDINARY
Pope Leo XIV has created the Catholic Diocese of Caia in Mozambique, and appointed Bishop António Manuel Bogaio Constantino, who has been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the country’s Beira Catholic Archdiocese, as its pioneer Local Ordinary.
BY MOZSPARKS
THE NEWLY established Diocese of Caia has been carved out from the ecclesial territories of Beira Archdiocese and the Dioceses of Chimoio, Quelimane and Tete; it is a suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Beira.
According to the Tuesday, December 23 Holy See Press Office statement, the Episcopal See of the new Catholic Diocese is the city of Caia, with St. Matthew the Apostle Parish church as the Cathedral Church.
Profile of the pioneer Local Ordinary of Caia
Bishop António, a member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ), was born on 9 November 1969 in the Beira Catholic Archdiocese.
He started his Religious and Missionary formation with the Comboni Missionaries in Nampula Catholic Archdiocese and enrolled for philosophy at St. Augustine’s in Matola. He completed his Novitiate with the Comboni Missionaries in Uganda and later obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Rome-based Pontifical Gregorian University.
Ordained a Priest in June 2001 in the Beira Archdiocese, Bishop António was sent for further studies in journalism and obtained a licentiate in integral communication from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Spain.
As a Comboni Priest, he served as Director of the Vida Nova journal of the Catechetic Centre of Anchilo, Parish Priest, Diocesan official for catechesis and Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pastoral Care of the Diocese of Tete.
He also served as Provincial Superior of the Comboni Missionaries in Mozambique from 2017 to 2022 and as president of the Conference of Religious in Mozambique (CIRMO) from 2019 to 2022.
He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Beira Archdiocese on 13 December 2022 and assigned the Titular See of Sutunurca. He was Consecrated Bishop on 19 February 2023.
Territory of Caia Diocese
When installed as Bishop of Caia, Bishop António will shepherd the people of God in the territory comprising the civil districts of Caia, Chemba, Cheringoma, Chinde, Doa, Luabo, Maringue, Marromeu, Mopeia, Morrumbala, Mutarara and Tambara.
The Diocese of Caia covers an area of 54,569 square kilometres and has a total population of 1,603,063, of whom 153,149 are Catholics.
The Episcopal See begins its pastoral mission with 16 parishes, served by 15 Diocesan Priests and eight Religious Priests. It also has 17 female Religious and 18 Seminarians.
After the division, the Beira Archdiocese constitutes an area of 41,437 square kilometres, a population of 1,951,119 and a Catholic population of 185,230, with 38 parishes.
The Diocese of Chimoio now covers 57,989 square kilometres, with a population of 2,204,868 and a Catholic population of 89,702, with 20 parishes.
The Diocese of Quelimane has an area of 40,450 square kilometres, a population of 2,686,727 and a Catholic population of 1,263,520, served through 25 parishes.
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Tete now extends over 94,367 square kilometres, with a population of 1,858,539 and a Catholic population of 321,665 with 26 parishes.
Author: clubofmozambique.com
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