Mission: Listening and Collaborating with the Local Church – Justice and Peace, Integrity of Creation (JPIC)

The theme of mission, as outlined in the Capitular Acts, was the focus of the Plenary Council held on September 11, 2025.

Three presentations guided the participants’ discussions: those of the General Assistants, Fathers Aloysius Ssekamatte and Pawel Hulecki; and the JPIC-ED Coordinator, Fr. Prosper Harelimana. Each presentation addressed some aspect of the mission described in the Capitular Acts.

Fr. Aloysius Ssekamatte addressed the topics of “Listening and Collaborating with the Local Church”. Based on the recommendations of the Capitular Acts and reports from the Provinces and Sections, it was clear that most of our Provinces and Sections have good relationships with the local Church. However, he identified several challenges, including: local people are forgiving of one’s frailty in language learning, but they are less tolerant toward those who disregard or disrespect their culture; very few confreres are competent in writing the local languages at the level of publications; tendency to do what we have always done; some few confreres who opt not to participate in the activities of the local Church; cases of reluctance to accept appointment to mission in poor and remote areas; respectful explanation of the changes that have taken place in our Society and presentation of the way we operate today.

Fr. Pawel Hulecki addressed another aspect of the mission: “Justice and Peace, Integrity of Creation (JPIC)”. After analyzing the recommendations of the Capitular Acts in light of the received reports, he highlighted their strengths. These included: awareness of internal injustices and call to self-reflection; engagement in environmental care (tree planting, clean environment, solar energy); formation of laity and youth is prioritized; strong desire for insertion where key decisions for Africa are made; communities are attentive to social issues: immigrants, abuse, witchcraft, human dignity.

He also mentioned the weak points, including: lack of consistency in handling employees’ situations across Provinces/Sectors; possible over-reliance on a few specialized confreres rather than a shared responsibility; limited follow-up on impact of activities (evaluation, continuity); few confreres are trained for advocacy and lobbying at international/continental level; participation in local associations and Laudato Si’ Platform is still low.

Then, Fr. Pawel invited the Coordinator of JPIC to give his presentation. Father Prosper Harelimana presented a report summarizing the JPIC Coordination’s activities from 2022 to 2025. He began his presentation with the famous quote used by our founder in 1888: “… I am a man, injustice to other men revolts my heart …” Using the JPIC-ED 2022-2028 strategic plan as a starting point, the Coordinator drew out some future perspectives and suggestions: whenever possible, appointing confreres who are passionate about JPIC-ED ministry; encouraging confreres to follow JPIC-ED related online courses (which often are offered at low costs); appointing confreres for further studies in the field of JPIC-ED; evaluate the implementation of JPIC-ED Program for Initial Formation; …

Participants then broke into working groups before concluding the morning with Holy Mass, which was presided over by the Superior General. The afternoon was devoted to sharing experiences. It was remarked that it is by fully living our charism, which is our strength and identity, that a healthy complementarity with the local Church becomes apparent. It was also affirmed that JPIC is part of our charism and DNA. Therefore, no Missionary of Africa should feel estranged from justice issues, whether internal or external.

By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,

Charism: Sharing our Charism with Lay People – Mission: Primary Evangelization

On September 10, 2025, two presentations were given by members of the General Council: Fathers Anselme Tarpaga and Pawel Hulecki.

Father Anselme continued with the second section, which concerns our charism namely “Sharing Our Charism with the Laity”. First, he recalled the 2022 Chapter’s recommendations on this topic. Then, he guided the participants through the General Council’s actions. The most significant development was the drafting of a Lavigerie Family Charter by a joint M.Afr. & MSOLA committee. He acknowledged that the Provinces and Sections had welcomed the ongoing process positively. However, he identified some challenges, notably the lack of clear statutes and the need to strengthen formation. Before concluding, Father Anselme observed: “Now the time of the laity is beginning. It is up to us to help our lay brothers and sisters to welcome the Charter, to organise themselves, and to embody Lavigerie’s charism in their own realities”.

With Father Pawel Hulecki’s intervention, the participants then turned their attention to the second point of the Capitular Acts, which concerns mission. Throughout his presentation, he addressed the various aspects of primary evangelization in line with the Chapter’s recommendations. For each recommendation, he discussed the strengths and weaknesses that emerged from the reports of our Provinces and Sections.

Among the strong points, we can highlight the following: language learning is recognized as crucial for mission; six years fosters stability, trust, and continuity in mission; clear commitment to peripheries and vulnerable people; experienced confreres provide concrete support; General Council has reinforced the Communication Team; some provinces regularly publish structured content on social networks.

Of the weaknesses, a few are worth mentioning: ongoing language and cultural formation strategies are unclear or absent; community conflicts can push for premature transfers; limited strategic planning for new insertions; risk of overloading experienced confreres with responsibilities; media efforts lack coordination and strategic direction; the quality and presentation of content on social networks are not always good and relevant.

After each presentation, the participants returned to their respective teams. They concluded the morning together, around the altar of the Lord. Father Arsène Kapya, Provincial Superior of PAC, presided over the Eucharistic celebration. In the afternoon, the secretaries of the various teams presented their reports to the group. Looking to the future, participants globally affirmed the need for formation for all stakeholders in the Lavigerie Family Charter. Regarding primary evangelization, it emerged that this requires the missionary to be a mature Christian with zeal, conviction and passion for God and humanity.

By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,

Introduction – Methodology – Charism: Evangelical Counsels

Tuesday September 9, 2025 marked the start of the Plenary Council’s actual work. The adopted timetable puts prayer at the heart of this assembly with three moments of communal prayer each day.

After Morning Prayer, participants gathered in the meeting room. All of the expected participants had arrived in Nairobi. The Superior General, Fr. Stanley Lubungo, welcomed them and reminded them of a few practical matters, including the use of Google Drive to reduce paper usage. Then, the timetable and the three groups for the team sessions were presented. The calendar for the three weeks was then presented, along with the three groups for the sessions in teams.

The Superior General then gave a well-elaborated introduction to the Plenary Council, reminding the participants that it is not a General Chapter. “The General Chapter is the highest authority in the Society for all its spiritual and material interests. …” (C&L 157). He reviewed the three aims of the Plenary Council, as outlined in our constitutions and laws (C&L 240.3). He appreciated the various reports from Provinces and Sections, noting that the overall evaluation of the past three years was positive. However, he lamented that some Provinces and Sections did not consider the decisions made at their Post-Capitular Assemblies when presenting their reports.

Fr. Stanley Lubungo then recalled the theme that guided the 2022 General Chapter: “Mission as Prophetic Witness.” Furthermore, he provided specific examples when evaluating the tasks assigned to the General Council. He concluded his introduction by inviting the moderator of the Plenary Council, Fr. Charles Obanya, to present the methodology.

Building on the Superior General’s introduction, the moderator reminded the participants that they are leaders. He encouraged them to embrace three approaches to leadership: ethical, adaptive, and servant leadership. He then presented the methodology, saying: “To achieve the main objective, which is to evaluate how the 2022 Chapter has been received and to what extent its recommendations have been implemented, the Plenary Council will utilize the SEE, JUDGE, and ACT method as an evaluation strategy. This method is chosen firstly because it was used at the Chapter of 2022, and therefore it gives us the advantage of consistency and easy use by those members who were present at the Chapter. Secondly, the method is simpler in comparison to other Methods. It is also an effective tool for transformation”.

The Superior General then opened the Capitular Acts, beginning with the first point on Charism. The Capitular Acts clearly states that the “Charism identifies us and orientates our mission”. He argued that the characteristics that define our charism can be summed up as a passion for God and passion for humanity. Father Stanley then discussed the Evangelical Counsels, demonstrating their intrinsic relationship to our charism. He highlighted the importance of spiritual companionship, emphasizing the fraternal character of our communities. For our Superior General “the Evangelical Counsels constitute the very engine for consecrated life”.

The morning sessions concluded with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. Dennis Pam, the Ghana-Nigeria Provincial Superior. In the afternoon, the participants first met in groups before reconvening in the general assembly. They concluded the meeting by sharing reports from each group and discussing what can be done in future based on the See-Judge-Act method.

Click here to read excerpts from the introduction by the Superior General

By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,

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.,