Aid to the Church in Need: Brazil: Archbishop of Natal stresses the importance of catechesis

Brazil: Archbishop of Natal stresses the importance of catechesis

Posted by Press Release on 1/10/2002, 12:50 pm

PRESS RELEASE
BRAZIL. ARCHBISHOP OF NATAL STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF CATECHESIS FOR THE CHURCH'S PASTORAL MISSION
October 1st 2002. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is "an immense service for the Church in the world". In these words the archbishop of Natal, Dom Heitor de Araújo Sales, expressed his gratitude and recognition for the aid given by ACN to Latin America ever since 1962.
During a recent visit to the headquarters of the charity in Germany, Dom Heitor also expressed his gratitude for the generous support the benefactors of ACN have given to the Catholic faithful in his own archdiocese in the impoverished northeast of Brazil over the past four decades. In particular the Child's Bible, "God Speaks to His Children" - the biggest project ever funded by ACN - has been of great importance for pastoral work both in the archdiocese of Natal and throughout Brazil. Since 1979 some 8.5 million copies of this book have been distributed in this country in the official Portuguese language alone, while an additional 94,000 have been distributed in the Indian language Guaraní. And Aid to the Church in Need currently has further translations of the Child's Bible in preparation, notably in the indigenous languages, Tukano and Yanomami for the indigenous Indians in the Amazon region. "In my diocese there is also a very great demand for poster sets with illustrations from the Child's Bible. So far we have 63 - that is roughly one for each parish. But it is not enough", said Dom Heitor. The posters have proved to be an ideal complement for work with the Child's Bible, and hence they should be made available not only to the parishes but also to the schools, he believes. And the archbishop described the little catechism, "I Believe", which is also published by ACN, as a "fantastic instrument of catechesis."
The bishop, who is a brother of Cardinal Eugenio de Araújo Sales, listed among the priority projects in his diocese the basic support of religious sisters, construction aid and support for the training of priests, religious and lay pastoral workers. Mass stipends are likewise of great importance for the support of his priests - especially the elderly and sick priests. And Dom Heitor expressed his "great satisfaction" at the growing number of religious vocations in his diocese. At the same time however, he regretted the fact that foreign sects, funded from abroad, were active in the diocese of Natal too. The only way for the Church to counter their "missionary activity" was through the spread of a sound knowledge of the Faith - and hence through a still more effective catechesis.
For further information please contact
Phillip Collignon
Australian director
Ph/Fax:02 9679-1929
e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org
Internet: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
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