A PARISHIONER AND lay Salvatorian from Thornbury in Gloucestershire travels this month to Tanzania for a year as part of a project aimed at starting the second generation of lay missionaries.
At the conclusion of Mass at Christ the King parish, Thornbury, Paul Keenan, president of the Westonsuper-Mare circle of the Catenians, presented a £1,000 cheque from the Catenian Association bursary fund to Lewis Linehan.
The grant added to the £1,325 raised by Thornbury parishioners to assist with the expenses of his assignment as a temporary lay missionary with the Salva torian Fathers at their Morogoro seminary in Tanzania.
The largest seminary in Africa, with 300 students, the other orders represented at the establishment include the Benedictines, Augustinians, Carmelites, Franciscans, Vincentians and many more.
Approximately 40 priests, brothers and sisters are involved in the teaching of the students. With his BSc honours degree Lewis, 23, will be working as a part-time lecturer in the seminary, concentrating on creating new and improved catechetical materials for gaining new vocations, publicity for the Salvatorian Order’s new Catholic radio station and editing the new seminary benefactors’ newsletter.
On a full-time basis with the seminary staff, Lewis is the first temporary lay missionary to be sent from England to Tanzania.
With his assistance the Salvatorians aim to attract more young Catholics to join the second generation of lay missionaries.
Learning Swahili has been a particular challenge for Lewis in his preparations.
Fortunately Fr Richard Mway SDS, a recent seminarian at Morogoro and currently attached to the Thornbury parish from Tanzania, is providing valuable coaching.