AMERICA/BOLIVIA - Apostolic Vicariate Ñuflo de Chávez celebrates its 70th anniversary: "Church is community, participation and mission"

Friday, 10 December 2021 missionary animation   anniversaries   local churches  

Concepcion (Agenzia Fides) - "As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of our Vicariate of Ñuflo de Chávez, we remember the important events that have happened and of the people of our people, whom many of us have known. How can we forget the town of few inhabitants where the groups organized by the parish priest of that time invited to fix the streets, the square, the cemetery, and to work on the construction of the Parish Center where children, young and old could meet. Then the restoration of our cathedral church of which we are proud ... The Good Lord has been good to us and to our people, so it is up to us to work and continue so that the seed of good continues to bear fruit, for the good of all the inhabitants of our people". This is how Msgr. Aurelio Pesoa Ribera, OFM, Apostolic Vicar of El Beni, President of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference expressed himself, in the homily of the Mass celebrated on December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Patroness of the Apostolic Vicariate of Ñuflo de Chávez, during which the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Vicariate was celebrated, with the motto: "Church communion, participation and mission". The homily focused on the biblical readings of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: "Today in the Word of God we consider the worst of man, sin, and the best of man, the answer of the Virgin Mary", emphasized the bishop. "We see growing divisions and hatred between brothers ... We see the ability to lie about the events of our history, the instrumentalization of power for the benefit of a few". He therefore warned: "We urgently need encounter, reconciliation, forgiveness and dialogue between Brothers and sisters, between Bolivians, in every city and in each of our families, but how difficult it is for us when hatred, the fruit of our situation of sin, penetrates our hearts, our homes and our institutions". In conclusion, he invited the people to seek the intercession of Mary so that "she may continue to inspire examples of love in Bolivia, so that we can build a country without discrimination. A country among all and for all. A country without exclusion…".
The Vicariate Apostolic Ñuflo de Chávez is located in the department of Santa Cruz and was established on December 13, 1951. The work of evangelization in this area was started by the Jesuits in 1691, and since 1823 it has been carried out by the Franciscans Minor ( OFM). It has a population of 197,189 inhabitants of whom 161,076 are Catholics. There are 18 parishes, 19 diocesan priests, 5 sisters, 3 seminarians. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 10/12/2021)


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