Missionaries of Africa, Jinja

Filbert Tarimo The spirit of caring for the environment in Lavigerie House, is enjoyable. It surrounds several kinds of intelligence. Normally the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, nurtures students to grow in the aspects of intellectual, spiritual, human formation and pastoral work. As part of the signs of intellectual growth, which is intermingled with spiritual formation, human formation incorporates doing manual work which involves several intelligences, such as body/kinaesthetic and spacial intelligences. The use of the body parts, creatively to make the compound beautiful, also, helping in the development of sufficient reasons for the existence of things the way they appear by nature and how they should look like. Areas of concentration include our gardens, where we obtain our vegetables, our animal farm, our banana plantation where we obtain our yellow bananas and Matooke. Together with this, we have candidates who are committed in taking care of our Chapel wo...

The chapel at the residential stay of candidates of the Missionaries of Africa was full of jubilations. The newly accepted candidates sung merrily the joyful songs. They widely opened there well moulded mouths as they articulated the words of the song,  Sancta Maria , the Anthem of Missionaries of Africa. Furthermore, it was during the Easter Triduum. They were over joyed, having been granted the chance to embrace the charism of the Missionaries of Africa to the fullest, not only to the full. Luya dance performance by the Missionaries of Africa candidates It is a new style of living as young energetic men with diversities live together. People of different race, tongue and nation assemble, just like the Disciples of Christ, for a period of three years of discernment at Lavigerie House. They converge to form ONE CULTURE. Is it a mystery? It could be. It is a joy that love, unity, trust, toleration and the spirit of cooperation is enriched among people who ha...

Artist: Jean Marie Bamutaze The Pelican is a water bird that takes full care of its young ones. It is all things to its young ones the fact that it hatches in big numbers. In times of scarcity of food, it feeds its young ones on its own blood by biting itself to bleed. In that way, the Pelican so much inspires and speaks to us at Lavigerie House and the Society of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) at large. It helps us feel our identity in the Gospel and in Christ through his laying down of life for us. Again inspired by Cardinal Lavigerie our founder in his words “Be all things to all”, this is to be just as a Pelican to its young ones. This is the greatest value of love that we embrace in our service to human kind. Following the inspiring sacrifices of Jesus and the Pelican who both shade their blood for the survival of others, we too be there in special attention and priority to the needs of others. We portray this through helping the needy, the n...

It is important to reckon that a remarkable balance between the mind and the heart is indispensable in life. This is precisely the reason for blending our daily lives with the power of the intellect. Somebody said the eye of an intelligent person perceives things in depth and not merely superficially. The eyes are a clear sign of light which is in people. Any person who has an illumined mind has a limpid gaze or a clear stare if you will. Missionaries of Africa house in Jinja have a provision of students to attend lectures at the consortium, Philosophy Centre Jinja (PCJ). The main reason of this is to allow students, undergoing formation, acquaint themselves with abundant information that aids them to handle issues in this rapidly growing world that is complex with massive ideologies and technologies. Through attention to the studies, students are able to develop more the multiple intelligences that are present and unique in them. Intellectual formation is very essential aspect...

It is amazing to hear how we joke about painful experiences either in us or others. During our workshop on trauma strategies, awareness and resilience, we had some moments of cracking jokes with one another that “that is trauma or you are traumatized” but this is one this one way of identifying hurtful experiences in ourselves. The ability to talk about trauma itself is healing. Thanks to our facilitators for their dedication and commitment to guide us into the way of recovery! A major fact remains; we have painful experiences. These we faced them either before our birth or after. Significantly, at a tender stage of our development (infancy), we are delicate which provides ground for any hurts and easily wounded because we are vulnerable. Mentioning that you are traumatized itself is traumatizing. Should we then keep silent in shame and resentment? We can respond yes and no depending on what we want. In case one feels at ease with sadness and pain, we say yes. The second resp...

Kiwanuka, Joseph Nakabaale (1899- 1966)   Bishop Kiwanuka was the first native African to be ordained a Catholic bishop in modern times. He was born at Mawokota County, Uganda, the child of Catholic parents, Victoro Katumba Munduekanika and Felicitas Nankya Ssabawebwa Namukasa. Joseph was baptized at Rubaga, Kampala, on June 25, 1899. He received his primary education at Mitala Maria from 1910 to 1914, when he entered Bukalasa junior seminary. After studying philosophy and theology at Katigondo major seminary, he was ordained priest at Villa Maria on May 26, 1929. In his fourth year at Katigondo, Kiwanuka felt the call to join the Society of Missionaries of Africa. Bishop Henri Streicher, his ordinary, opposed the move. However, Fr. Voillard, the Superior General of the society, who visited the seminary in 1928, agreed to admit Kiwanuka after ordination to the priesthood.  Shortly after his ordination, Kiwanuka received his call to the novitiate of the Missionar...

The word Formation and indeed Formator are relatively subjective concepts. Through my own experience, starting from my time in Formation as a Candidate and my experience of working in the field of Formation as a Formator, I have come to distinguish 4 types of ‘Formator’, in Formation. These ‘Formators’ may or may not nurture the good growth of the Candidate. This is the reason I would like to share about them so as to help anyone in our Houses of Formation. Here, I present these ideas with their strengths and limitations. These 4 Formators are: The Holy Spirit, The Candidate, The Peer Group, And the Elder or the officially appointed Formator. Obviously, the only Formator, for most of us is the ‘Elder’ who has been given the duty and right to form the Candidate. You may not agree with me, but I think we should also give importance to the three others. In addition, I wouldn’t mind putting them in this order of importance: 1: the Holy Spirit; 2: the Candidate himself; 3: the Peer Gr...