Angola’s Menongue Diocese Golden Jubilee: Local Ordinary Hails Growth in Vocations, Missionary Presence
Bishop Leopoldo Ndakalako of the Catholic Diocese of Menongue in Angola has hailed the pastoral and missionary growth in his Episcopal See over the past five decades and noted an increase in vocations to Priestly and Religious Life.
In his homily during the closing Mass of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, Bishop Ndakalako rejoiced at the expansion of parish communities and outreach to the peripheries.
He said it was a day of “grace to ordain eight Diocesan Priests and one Religious,” a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), whom he described as “a son of this land of Cuando and Cubango.”
“We have committed ourselves to the creation of 15 new parish communities to better serve the People of God across the entire Diocese,” the Angolan Catholic Bishop said during the August 24 Eucharistic celebration that was held at the Shrine of Missombo, on the Mount of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Humanity.
According to Bishop Ndakalako, the establishment of new Parishes “responds to Pope Francis’ call to bring the Gospel to geographical and existential peripheries, making the Church closer and more present among rural and isolated communities.”
He lauded the cooperation among Dioceses in Angola, noting the contribution of Priests from Namibe, Caxito, Lubango, and Benguela Dioceses, whom he described as a “concrete gesture of inter-Diocesan solidarity and pastoral love.”
Looking ahead, Bishop Ndakalako called for strengthening the formation of the Laity, Catechists, and pastoral agents.
“We are called to grow not only in number but in the quality of witness. The Church must continue to be ‘light and leaven’ in a society undergoing profound changes, through investment in ecclesial infrastructure and the creation of adequate spaces for Catechesis and spiritual accompaniment, especially in the most remote areas of the Diocese,” the Catholic Church leader said.
He described the growth in vocations to Priestly and Religious Life as “the fruit of systematic pastoral care since I assumed office in 2019, with growing attention to formation, spirituality, and the accompaniment of Seminarians.”
“The Diocese rejoices; our hearts give thanks for the gift of vocations and the rebirth of the first fruits of Consecrated Life in these past five years,” Bishop Ndakalako said.
He described the Golden Jubilee as “a time of grace, a period in which memory becomes a song of praise and hope clothed in commitment and affirmation.”
He noted that “2025 marks a triple Jubilee: the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the Jubilee of the Diocese of Menongue itself, and the Jubilee of Angola’s Independence – symbolizing a bridge between a past marked by suffering and the construction of a future of communion, justice, and hope.”
The 56-year-old Catholic Bishop also reflected on cooperation between the Church and local and national authorities.
He said, “We cannot fail to give thanks and express gratitude to the governmental authorities who, in close collaboration with the Church, have worked for the well-being of the people, the promotion of social progress, and the fostering of closeness and prosperity.”
He lauded the government’s role in “safeguarding peace, promoting religious freedom, and cultivating the common good as the basis for harmonious social coexistence.”
“We entrust to Our Lady the Jubilee Mission of our Diocese. May she now open it! Mary, Mother of God, continue to create our missionary spaces and projects, strengthen the communion of the faithful so that the name of the Diocese may be a sign of living faith in the heart of Angola and the whole world,” Bishop Ndakalako implored in his August 24 homily.
By João Vissesse
Published on the aciafrica website
