By Charles K Mark
The body of late bishop Paride Taban is expected to arrive tomorrow from Nairobi, according to the Catholic Diocese of Torit.
According to the reception program, after the arrival of the body the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba will hold a requiem mass at St. Theresa’s Cathedral Parish in Kator at 2:00 pm of the same arrival date.
On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., the remains of the late Bishop Emeritus will be taken to Nimule Loa
A holy mass with the native communities of Loa (Nimule) will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. on the same date stated above.
At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023, the body of the late bishop Paride Taban will arrive in Torit at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
On Friday, November 10, 2023, at 10:00 am, a requiem mass will be conducted at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral followed by burial at 1:00 pm of the same date.
The first Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Torit, Emeritus Bishop Paride Taban, passed away on All Saints Day at the age of 87 years.
Biography
Bishop Paride Taban was born in 1936 in Opari, Magwi County of Eastern Equatoria state.
He was the first leader of the Sudan Council of Churches, founded in February 1990 and served as an Auxiliary Bishop of Juba on 28 Jan 1980 to 2 July 1983 and served as Bishop of Torit from 1983 to 2004.
Taban was the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Torit in what was then Sudan from 1983 until 2004.
In 1989, when the then-rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) overtook Torit, he was arrested along with three other Catholic priests Until 1990.
According to historical facts, Paride and Nathanael Garang were the only two Bishops active in areas held by the SPLA.
Since his retirement from the diocese, he has been leading an effort to make peace in South Sudan real by setting up the Kuron Peace Village, established in 2005.
Before becoming bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Torit, Taban was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Juba and the titular bishop of Tadamata from 1980 to 1983.
He was ordained on May 24, 1964, and consecrated a Bishop on May 4, 1980, in Kinsasha by Pope John Paul II.
Taban was sent to Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide for reconciliation efforts where his contribution also yielded fruits.