Return of 21 Choir Members Brings Joy and Jubilation at St. Joseph’s Mangbangaru Catholic Parish
On July 4th, 2021, jubilations and celebrations filled St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish Mangbangaru when the ‘prodigal’ sons returned. The parish witnessed the return of 21 choir members who for the past eight years abandoned the church due to varied reasons ranging from the conflicts that have ravaged the young nation to the various social life challenges that have pushed the majority of young South Sudanese into the life of desolation.
The young people like the prodigal son who chose to go back to his father decided to return back to the church and to the choir after drifting from the path of faith into a life characterized by behaviors inconsistent with the church teachings.
Fr. Abel Tindi, the Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Maingbangaru Catholic Parish presided over the Eucharistic Celebrations during which the reunification took place, urged the returnees to remain strong in faith and be prayerful for their lives and others. He told them that the Church is happy to welcome them back as they are still considered sons and daughters of the parish and the diocese in general.
Fr. Abel expressed that should his actions as a priest demoralize anyone to a point that they wished to leave the church, then aggrieved persons should be open with him and tell him his mistakes so that he can mend his ways.
“We are all human beings and misunderstandings and mistakes are to all of us, including
me as a priest. It is therefore important that if my actions can make you want to leave, then it is better to approach me first and tell me to improve. This is because the church does not belong only to priests but to all baptized Catholics,” Fr. Abel explained.
He advised choir members who have remained steadfast not to treat their colleagues who have returned with indifference but rather to welcome them wholeheartedly and walk together as one family of God.
Speaking on the same occasion, Mr. Kumbonyaki Patrick, the current choir chairperson said that it was joyful to welcome back their fellow members whose return will make the whole parish more active and lively. He expressed that the coming back of their former colleagues was a blessing and an indication of growth in the local church.
Kumbonyaki further said that the economic situation of the parish choir members is bound to improve with time as this year they have managed to cultivate and planted groundnuts and maize in a one-acre piece of land. He hopes that the crops will perform better and this means that they will not only have food but also surplus to sell and obtain money for other uses in the group.
Most of the choir members and young people who talked to Rurugene Online News applauded the efforts of the Parish Priest Fr. Abel Tindi whom they said is currently playing a key role in promoting growth and development in the Parish. His efforts to promote reconciliation, peace, and unity and to bring back young people to the church are slowly bearing fruits.
This is evidently in the return of the old choir members which now brings making the group boast of 57 members.
St. Joseph’s Mangbangaru Catholic was established as Parish in 2015 during the first anniversary of Bishop Joseph Gasi Abangite who is the first native Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio. The Catholic faith reached Maingbangaru area in 1942. Fr. Abel Tindi has been the fourth Parish Priest since the parish was established six years ago.
By Elias Ginana Mangbondo
