Holy Bureaucracy

Tuesdays are my regular office days. Of course, there are some seasonal or temporary alterations to this rule (due to planned meetings, events, travels and so on). Still, I try to be faithful to this schedule in order to ensure my people that whenever they come from far, from remote outstations looking for me or with some office business to deal with - they find me on Tuesdays home.

Today is no exception to this rule. I'm home. People come with various issues, problems and things to share with me - ranging from requests for baptismal certificates (new ones or duplicates), confessions, spiritual advise, to purchase books or other religious articles, to register their intention of marriage (prenuptial investigation), to ask for Holy Mass, to seek help in their daily life problems etc...


So, this is more or less what I did today. Just finished a few minutes ago registering prenuptial investigation of one mature couple who have just decided to regulate their status by getting married in Church. And they are older than me. Wise decision, I must say. Very pleasant folks, I know them for many years, so hard to convince them to straighten their things up. I guess the marriage of their daughter to one military officer in our field artillery camp in Kiabakari made them think hard and convince them that the time is up for them too to get sorted out.

My main task today was to register in Baptismal Register all those who I baptized last Sunday in Nyamikoma outstation. This is a dark side of all sacramental services and pastoral work in the parish. This HOLY BUREAUCRACY. I reckon, this is one responsibility of a parish priest which I dread most - to sit for hours in the office to painstakingly enter name after name with all relevant data and making sure all are correct and I do not make mistakes.

So, this is what I did today since right after morning Mass till now, but I succeeded! All the name and all their data are in the Baptismal Register. Tomorrow and the day after I will try to issue all baptismal certificates and enter their records into Index of Names (a register of baptismal names, like a huge alphabet, where every new baptized person is registered under her/his name; if the name is completely new, then I open a new tab with this name and enter the record of the baptism of that person). This Index comes very handy when someone comes to the office and does not know the details of her/his Baptism. So, I look up in the Index and check under her/his Baptismal name if there is a record of her/his Baptism in fact. Then it is easy as along with the name of the Baptized, we enter in the Index of Names also the names of parents and the date of birth with the number of Baptismal record. Once I get hold of that person in the Index, then I look for the number of Baptismal record and all the remaining data are there in one place in Baptismal Register.

Still, I prefer to get trashed and exhausted during Liturgy of Baptism of huge numbers of catechumens that to sit alone in the office, bored to death, entering their records in proper books...Ahhh, so exciting...NOT!





Yet I know, that I have to do it right, I have to precise, I have to fulfill my duty, I have to be focused, otherwise people may get all sorts of problems if their Baptismal record is missing, or data incorrect or some other mistakes occurred out of our negligence mainly or reckless registering procedures one of us sets for himself in his parish, thus giving his successors or parishioners looking for their Baptismal Certificates real headache! (Disclaimer - the picture to the left is NOT my office! Just an example how office may look like if one does not care...)







This HOLY BUREAUCRACY in the Holy Mother Church is nothing else but a sign of love and respect to the People of God. And a source of peace of mind, knowing that my records are safe and correct and I do not have to worry whenever I need a certificate of my Baptism or any other received Sacrament. They are all there...

It getting dark already. Now off to fight with bees that assaulted the church and swarm around trying to build a house for themselves. Sorry, guys, I may think about keeping bees in an orderly manner one day, but today you've got to move on!