IFCA	SEMINAR of formation for responsible lay people and assistants KENYA, Bethany House Murang’a – 4-8May 2004
	Vocation of lay people in Africa: witnesses and apostles of Christ the Risen Catholic Action both in the local and universal Church

Bethany House, Sagana – 06 / 05 / 04

SPIRITUALITY AT THE CENTRE OF HUMAN
AND CHRISTIAN FORMATION OF CATHOLIC ACTION
Conference by P. Paolo Tablino imc

Introduction: During this current year 2004, Catholic Action is celebrating because of the fact that two of its members have been declared members of the heavenly family of saints:
16 May: Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
5 September: Blessed Alberto Marvelli
Personally in my life I have had the privilege to know other CA members who might in future be declared saints: Carlo Carretto, Luigi Gedda and others from Alba and Turin who are not so well known.
During the XX century we have seen many lay people, well known and active in social and political spheres and who might be declared saints, like Giorgio La Pira, Giuseppe Lazzaro, Alcide De Gaspari etc.
From Acts 11, 19-26 we see that lay people have always been active in the Church.

1) Lay people according to Vatican II
a) For the first time in the history of the Church, an Ecumenical Council
has produced a document on the Church as the People of God in all its
totality.
b) In this fundamental document, “Lumen Gentium”, there are two Chapters which are of special interest to lay people:
Chapter IV speaks about ‘The Laity’
Chapter V speaks about ‘ The call of the whole Church to holiness’.
c) For us in Africa this has at least two special meanings.
We should overcome the mentality that Africans are inferior to
Europeans, a concept which results from our colonial past, and that Church means Hierarchy and Religious.

Before we start speaking about formation we should first understand
what we mean by lay people and identify their fields of work.

2) The various fields of lay apostolate
a) Besides “Lumen Gentium”, Vatican II has given us a document which
speaks specifically about lay apostolate: “Apostolicam Actuositatem”.
This document gives us a clear picture of the various areas where the laity
should carry out their apostolate but I will speak only about three of
these.
• The family: It is lay people who build the family (the Sacrament of Matrimony). African christians are called to preserve the christian idea of the family. We know that the West is abandoning not only the
Christian concept of the family but the very concept of a family. We
should therefore be prepared because the West seems set to spread these ideas in Africa as well.
• Civil and social life: Here in East Africa, this comes under “Justice and Peace”.This is an area where catholic lay people should work very hard to overcome tribal conflicts and corruption.
• The life of the Christian community: This is the area most preferred by Catholic Action lay people – Evangelization; Mass Media (Alberioner); Religious Education (young people); the Parish (Liturgy, Economy, the Poor); the Grassroots.
c) Six basic virtues need to be fostered in these particular fields:
• For the family: the sacredness of life, chastity in young people
• For civic life: honesty and competence
• For CatholicAction: sacrifice, dialogue

3) Lay People’s Formation.
The whole of Chapter IV of “Apostolicam Actuositatem” treats the subject of formation in depth. I will speak about three points:
a) Spiritual formation is of the utmost importance. Belief in creation, redemption and in the presence of the Holy Spirit should be the basis of our life and action. Thus one realizes the importance of prayer (meditation, Marian devotion), of a Eucharistic life, of Bible reading and of spiritual exercises ...
b) Intellectual formation: Bible study, the Great Authors.
c) Formation for the Apostolate: a missionary formation which should start in early childhood. – “Tre Giorni” (Alba).

Conclusion: My conclusion is the same as that of “Apostolicam Actuositatem” that is a strong and firm appeal to all lay people for a prompt, generous and geniun response to the voice of Christ without any limitations.
During the XX century, the Catholic Church has widely spread in Africa.During the XXI century the Church should work harder on the santification of priests, religious and lay people.