Opening of the Plenary Council
On this Monday, September 8, 2025, the Feast of the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Plenary Council was opened in Nairobi at the St. Charles Lwanga House, the provincial house of the East Africa Province of our Society of the Missionaries of Africa.
The day began with Lauds. The Superior General, Father Stanley Lubungo, introduced the prayer by explaining that the choice of September 8 was not random, but was made specifically to begin this Plenary Council under the protection of our patroness, Our Lady of Africa, whose birthday the universal Church celebrates.
The participants then gathered to discuss a few practical matters before beginning the recollection. The Provincial Superior of East Africa, Father Oswald Mallya, welcomed the participants and then discussed some practical aspects of the house. The Superior General then gave some general guidelines and introduced the participants.
Father Théobald Muchunguzi, one of the formators from our theology formation house in Nairobi, led the opening recollection. He guided the participants through the theme, «Listening to the Voice of the Holy Spirit through Others in the Spirit of Synodality». He encouraged them to pray for the grace to embrace a synodal spirit rather than impose their own ideas and agendas, and to focus on the mission of our society. May the Spirit of God guide us! To conclude the day’s theme, he invited all participants to spend the rest of the day in silence, until the opening Mass which began at 5:00 PM. You can download the full text of the recollection here.
The Archbishop of Nairobi, Most Reverend Philip Arnold Anyolo, presided over the Eucharistic celebration. In attendance were not only the participants of the Plenary Council, but also the confreres present in Nairobi, as well as the candidates from the theology formation house, who animated the liturgy. The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa were also present to mark the anniversary of their foundation. Members of the Lavigerie lay association in Nairobi also join their large Lavigerie family, along with a few visitors.
In his introduction, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Nairobi emphasized the importance of the Plenary Council as a celebration of our missionary vocation. Mission was willed by our Lord Jesus Christ, who called and sent us throughout the world to touch the minds and hearts of people. He added that by remaining closely united, we could always see the world as a whole, as God created it, and capable of allowing us to live together as brothers and sisters.
During his homily, the Most Reverend Philip Anyolo revisited the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew and invited us to contemplate the change that the Blessed Virgin Mary brought to it as she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, who took control of everything. He went on to encourage us to always reserve a place for Mary in our assemblies so that the Holy Spirit may control our thoughts, hearts, and actions. He summarized these as the three H’s: head, heart, and hands. Furthermore, he said that to have a successful Plenary Council, we must keep a place in our assemblies for Mary, the Holy Spirit, and Cardinal Lavigerie, our founder. The Shepherd of Nairobi assured us of his prayers and those of the Holy Father because our plenary council is not our mere invention, but an event of the Church, by the Church, and in the Church.
To conclude the day, a meal was shared with all those present.
By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,
