The monthly vocations discernment workshop sought to highlight the beauty and importance of the vocation of marriage on 24 June.
The day started with marriage preparation, with counselling couple Mahadi and Robert Buthelezi sharing their journey of marriage.
They were followed by Nono Sibuyi who described the sacrament of marriage as a communion of life and love, designed by God, which is full and intimate, freely given, faithfully lived, forever for the good of the spouses and for children.
She also described marriage as a covenant which is indissoluble. “Once you are married, in the eyes of God you can never be divorced”.
Lolo Nkamankeng encouraged young people to be celibate until marriage as sexuality is a gift from God which should be enjoyed in conjugal union. As there were young ears in attendance, the groups were separated according to age. Sr Esther Okoro and Sr Dawn Niro facilitated the session with the little ones.
The speakers sensitively and deftly answered difficult questions such as why the church deems masturbation immoral and why she does not recognise same-sex unions and polygamous marriages. Mass was said by Fr Peter Neeman Aboki He commended Sr Esther and the vocations department for organising a programme on the vocation of marriage ‘as it is the primordial vocation’. He said he, Br Sicelo Ntuli, a seminarian who was helping during Mass, Sr Esther and Sr Dawn would not be called to their respective vocations had it not been for the sacrament of marriage which has always been there for a long time.
Young people who had earlier expressed that they did not believe in marriage as they are yet to witness exemplary unions, came out of the workshop converted.
Lerato Mohone
