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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Welcome to Project Linkup</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to Project Linkup"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> News Archive</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="02ad2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Prayer for Project Linkup"><U><IMG SRC="03ba0aa0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="170" ALT="A Prayer for Project Linkup" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Back to Archive Contents Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>A Vision for an RCIA Parish</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Belgrave's Small Church Communities - Birthing New Christians</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Imaging initiation in Small Church Communities</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Connection between SCCs and RCIA in East African Parishes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Caring for New Catholics</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>RCIA is Booming in Africa</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Easter 2005 for Project Linkup in Dar es Salaam</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Project Linkup - On Safari in East Africa</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>What kind of Church does the Rite want?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Current News Article"><U><B>Current News Article</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>News Article Archive</B></div> <div> <I>May 2004</I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>RCIA IS BOOMING IN AFRICA</B></I></div> <div> Fr Joe Healey</div> <bR> <div> <B>Fr. Joe Healey provides us with a snapshot of the journey of catechumens to Easter in a typical East African parish below.</B></div> <bR> <div> "While there is a revival of the RCIA in different Western countries, it is booming in Africa.  In a typical parish in East Africa 80 to 100 adult catechumens are baptized during Holy Saturday Night Vigil Service. Although far from being realized, the ideal is that the respective SCCs "accompany" their adult catechumens during this Lenten season.  This takes place in various ways.  The adult catechumens are encouraged to participate in the weekly or biweekly meetings of their SCCs mainly for prayer and bible reflection.  Then the SCC members participate in the stages of the RCIA that take place in the parish church on different Sundays in Lent. </div> <bR> <div> The eight SCCs in the Mikocheni section of St. Peter's Parish in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have a special Lenten program in their subparish.  There are talks every Friday afternoon during Lent in the subparish church.  The SCCs prepare the readings and songs.  The adult catechumens participate in and through their respective SCCs.</div> <bR> <div> This raises a valid question: Are the new laws and directives from the Catholic church with headquarters in the Vatican still Western-oriented/Western-influenced?  An example is to chose Palm Sunday as the annual international celebration of Catholic youth.  This may fit countries in Europe and North America - even Australia - that have relatively few adult catechumens, but not our African context.</div> <bR> <div> Palm Sunday already has many liturgically rich ceremonies.  We make a big thing of the procession of the palms sometimes winding through the streets of a typical small town like Mhunze, Tanzania.  This Sunday ushers in the busiest and most intense week of the year for our adult catechumens preparing to be baptized on Holy Saturday night.  Many activities are coordinated through the SCCs like the adoration after the Holy Thursday Mass and the outdoor Stations of the Cross ceremony on Good Friday.  To add on a big youth celebration on Palm Sunday doesn't fit.  Much better to choose another freer, less packed day of the year so the concentration can be on the youth themselves." </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id29_m.htm" TITLE="News Archive"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>