Blog Detail

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) will launch the continental celebration of its Golden Jubilee at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Kampala (Uganda) on the 29 July, 2018.

SECAM was born out of the desire of African Bishops during and after the Second Vatican Council of 1965 to establish a forum in which they could speak with one voice on matters pertaining to the Church in Africa. As a result, in July 1969 in Kampala-Uganda, during the visit of Pope Paul VI, the first by any pontiff to Africa, SECAM was formally launched.

The year-long Jubilee celebration scheduled for the period, 29th July, 2018 to 28th July, 2019 will have as theme; “Church: Family of God in Africa, Celebrate your Jubilee! Proclaim Jesus Christ your Saviour!”

In celebrating the Golden Jubilee of SECAM, each faithful, and every Christian community in Africa and Madagascar, is invited to let the call to this mission resonate in him/her and respond to it with zeal. It will be a time to celebrate in thanksgiving, God’s wonderous deeds, to reflect on the progress made by the Church so far, to seek repentance and conversion in the Continent, and afford all a time for renewed commitment to witness to Christ in Africa and Madagascar.

The Launch of the Golden Jubilee Year will be led by the President of SECAM, Most Rev. Gabriel Mbilingi, Archbishop of Lubango, Angola, and the SECAM Standing Committee. They will be joined by the Bishop Presidents and Secretaries General, of SECAM’s eight regions, theologians and the Church leaders and lay people from the host country Uganda.

The launch will be replicated in all dioceses, parishes and churches across Africa, Madagascar and the adjacent islands. A comprehensive program contained in the working document (Instrumentum Laboris) on the celebration shall be widely circulated to animate the celebration down to the grassroots of the Church in Africa.

Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, who is the President of SECAM’s Episcopal Committee on Social Communications (CEPACS) will also represent Nigeria at the launching.
Signed
SECAM Secretariat