By Ann Schneible
ROME, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The forthcoming Year of Faith, said Cardinal Napier of South Africa, is meant to remind the faithful that each and every one of them is called “to proclaim the Gospel anew by living and professing our faith.”
As the Church prepares to begin the Year of Faith in just about three weeks time, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of the Archdiocese of Durbin, South Africa wrote a letter to encourage parishes to take this as an opportunity to engage in evangelization and help bring about a renewal of the faith.
In the apostolic letter Porta Fidei, Pope Benedict XVI announces the year of faith, which will begin on October 11, 2012. The Holy Father speaks about the “need to rediscover the journey of faith,” calling for the whole Church to “seek friendship with Jesus Christ, who is the one who gives us the abundance of life. [The Pope] reminds us to be light that cannot be hidden, as well as witnesses of faith who are not afraid.”
Cardinal Napier notes that the Year of Faith coincides with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. For this reason, the Holy Father called for a General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will explore the theme: “The New Evangelization for the transmission of the Christian Faith”.
“This is a timely reminder,” writes Cardinal Napier, “that each of us is called to use this time of spiritual grace to proclaim the Gospel anew by living and professing our faith in our parishes, our homes, our families, our religious communities, our schools and even our workplaces.” Pope Benedict also calls on the faithful to profess the Creed publicly during this Year of Faith.
In an initiative for the Year of Faith, Cardinal Napier commissioned Father Desmond Royappen to design a wristband which displays the ancient Christian symbol of a fish along with the words: “Credo Domine” – “I Believe.” These wristbands will be accompanied by a card upon which is written a prayer for the Year of Faith on one side, with a statement of commitment on the other, all translated into English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, Setswana, Portuguese, French and Italian. Cardinal Napier said that the wristbands are “a wonderful way of reminding us to keep our commitment to our faith, as well as to identify ourselves as Catholic who have made a special pledge to be faithful during this Year of Faith.”
“Let us band together,” he concludes, “to celebrate the Year of Faith as one big Catholic family.”
