By Bosco Bush
His Eminence, Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, on Friday, July 12, 2024, issued pastoral orders to address the concerns of the faithful.
According to the Cardinal, the pastoral orders also strengthens spiritual growth across all parishes and Catholic-based institutions in the country.
The directives, which cover various sacraments and administrative guidelines, aim to ensure the strict observance of spiritual practices and the effective implementation of the Church’s policies.
Regarding the Sacrament of Baptism, the orders state that there is no age limit, and a child can be baptized at least 8 days after birth.
Additionally, the child’s name should preferably correspond with the names of saints, apostles, or prophets, or any other Christian-related name.
For the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the age for receiving the first Communion has been set at 7 years and above, with a mandatory training period of at least 3 months before receiving the Eucharist.
As for the Sacrament of Confirmation, the child must be at least 12 years old.
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony has also been addressed, with the allowable age of marriage set at 18 years and above for both couples.
Spouses are directed to conduct their marriage blessing ceremony in their respective parishes, and the order specifies that only five people are essential for the marriage to take place: the couples (who are the ministers of the sacrament), two sponsors (witnesses), and one official witness from the Church (a bishop, priest, or deacon).
Regarding the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, each parish is directed to encourage and explain to the Christian faithful the importance of this sacrament, which is meant to heal and not end life.
In Catholic schools, the orders mandate that there should be at least one Holy Mass per month and a unified mock examination should be conducted for upper-class students who are preparing to sit for the national examinations.
Additionally, the orders stipulate that the head teachers and Christian religion teachers should be qualified Catholics or at least qualified Anglicans.
Cardinal Ameyu has emphasized the effective implementation of these and many other directives across all parishes and institutions within the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, to strengthen the spiritual growth and devotion of the faithful.