Mandate
The Department of Pastoral Affairs leads the development, stewardship, and implementation of a national pastoral plan for the Catholic Church in Nigeria. It provides strategic guidance to ensure that pastoral care, sacramental life, and liturgical practice across the country remain faithful to Catholic teaching and aligned with the Synod on Synodality and other universal pastoral priorities articulated by the Holy See.
Key Responsibilities
The Department’s primary functions include:
- Liaising with diocesan offices to harmonize sacramental guidelines and pastoral discipline in conformity with universal Church norms.
- Guiding national liturgical initiatives and promoting a faithful and reverent liturgical life across all dioceses.
- Supporting pastoral policy development and ensuring consistency in pastoral practice throughout the Nigerian Church.
Units Within the Department of Pastoral Affairs
A. Pilgrimages, Synods and Congresses Unit
This unit coordinates major national and international ecclesial gatherings that nurture the Church’s communal, pastoral, and spiritual identity. Its work strengthens communion among the faithful while fostering engagement with the global Catholic community.
Primary Responsibilities Include:
- Facilitating national Catholic pilgrimages within and outside Nigeria.
- Providing guidance and oversight for diocesan and provincial pilgrimages.
- Coordinating national synodal processes, including consultations, listening sessions, and documentation in accordance with universal synodal norms.
- Organising national pastoral congresses, assemblies, and conventions that serve as forums for shared reflection, formation, and mission.
- Liaising with the Universal Church during global synods, jubilee celebrations, and other international ecclesial events.
Through these activities, the Church in Nigeria remains fully engaged in the broader life of the Catholic communion, fostering shared experiences of faith and mission that deepen pastoral unity and missionary zeal.
B. Catechism and Religious Instruction Unit
This unit strengthens the Church’s teaching ministry by ensuring sound catechetical formation and doctrinal integrity at the national level.
Key Functions Include:
- Developing and updating national catechetical guidelines and curricula that reflect the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
- Supporting dioceses in the training and ongoing formation of catechists.
- Providing resources for catechesis in parishes, schools, youth groups, and adult faith programmes.
- Promoting the use of approved texts and materials that uphold Catholic doctrine.
- Ensuring doctrinal soundness and pedagogical clarity in all religious education content.
- Collaborating with the Directorate of Social Communications to develop and disseminate catechetical media and digital content.
By doing so, the unit helps preserve the doctrinal identity of the Church while fostering an informed, committed, and missionary faith among the Catholic faithful.
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