The community pastoral council holds its first seminar

For the first time in its life, the community pastoral council held a seminar at Bra. The theme chosen by the organizers was: "Go into the world and proclaim the Good News to all creation" (Mk 16, 15) and the topics were: Nature, purpose and function of the parish pastoral council and The spiritual growth of the members. The members received two talks offered respectively by Fr. Celso and Fr. Renato, the two spiritual assistants of the English-speaking Catholic community. At the end the participants shared about the internal affairs of the community and concluded the meeting with a prayer. The president Paul Ikwelle thanked the two priests for their effort and encouraged the members to carry out the teachings received.

The members of the community pastoral council with the two spiritual assistants and other guest priests

One of the teachings: "The aim of the council is to make the life and activity of the parish ever more closely conform to the gospel" (Paul VI):

A bit of history

It is good the recall how the English group started. It was at the end of 2005 we met some English speaking people in a Cyber Café in Bissau. We asked them where they were from. Some said from Nigeria, others from other countries. We proposed them to meet from time to time in order to form a little group. They agreed. The first meetings were held in the Curia. One of them was elected as chairman. His name: Nfor Dama, from Cameroon. We celebrated the first Mass in N’Dame in June 2006.

Later on, for family reasons, Nfor had to leave and return to his country. Thanks to God, the group continued and today is composed of about 70 people.

Here is what Nfor recently wrote from Cameroon, after receiving the news of the Holy Trinity Day Feast:

“I am happy and grateful for the good news. May the grace, the mercy and the blessing of God be with you all. I am happy to hear my efforts have made a change and finally God answered my prayers. English Mass at last has come to stay, God’s willing”. 

The first picture shows Nfor (the second one from the right) and the second picture the first Mass in N’Dame.

                                                                                                          Fr. Celso