News archive

Mission outside Africa (Europe/Americas/Asia/Generalate) – Encounter and Dialogue

Friday, September 12, 2025, marked the end of the first week of the Plenary Council. The day consisted of three in-person and three online presentations.

In the morning, the Assistant General, Fr. Aloysius Ssekamatte, presented the mission aspect entitled “Mission outside Africa (Europe/Americas/Asia/Generalate)” in the Capitular Acts. He began by discussing the implementation of the first recommendation regarding the Generalate, which was presented as a “portal to the African world”. A team of six Generalate members, called “MG Vitrine”, has been established. This team has organized several activities. Father Aloysius pointed out that financing the activities remains a challenge. He then addressed the question of our presence in Asia. According to the Section report, our presence in Asia is valued, and the Society should not be discouraged by the visa issue. It was noted that it is the Chapter that decided about the Society’s presence in Vietnam. He added that all of our projects outside of Africa are valued, though some require evaluation. The General Council and all the Provinces and Sections are ready to support insertions outside of Africa by providing personnel.

The second half of the morning was devoted to another aspect of the mission, entitled “Encounter and Dialogue”. Father Anselme Tarpaga, Assistant General, introduced the subject by referring to the text of the Capitular Acts and informing participants that there would be additional presentations on the topic by confreres involved in the field. Father Prosper Harelimana, the JPIC-ED Coordinator, presented the Coordination’s activities in terms of Encounter and Dialogue. He concluded by stressing that the success of Encounter and Dialogue depends on the commitment of all, including Provincial Superiors, confreres, formators, and candidates.

The long-awaited moment had arrived to follow the witness accounts of three confreres engaged in Encounter and Dialogue missions. They were all connected via Zoom.

Father Innocent Habimana is on mission at the Saint Jean XXIII parish in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. He shared his experience with Christian-Muslim dialogue in Niger and Burkina Faso, noting: “I did not study Islamology. What I’m going to share with you is neither a theoretical presentation nor an academic discourse”. He gave several examples of the “dialogue of life” and “dialogue of work” that he experienced in these two countries with their different realities. In his conclusion, he stressed that dialogue with others does not happen overnight. It “requires patience, gentleness, humility, respect, and above all, a great deal of love. There will certainly be disappointments, but if there is love for the other, dialogue is always possible”.

Father Brendan O’Shea is on mission at the Kungoni Centre for Culture and Art in Mua, Malawi. He shared his experience engaging in dialogue with African Traditional Religions (ATR). He recalls developing an interest in this type of dialogue at a very early age: “My mother and those older people despite being staunch Catholics were also surrounded by many traditional beliefs that lasted long after St Patrick’s work”. His interest grew with the Missionaries of Africa and the various training courses and specializations he pursued. While on the mission, he witnessed the shame people felt because they were afraid their traditional beliefs were hidden behind another reality. “Kungoni put the lamp on the hill so that it would shine – these beliefs were no longer whispered or hidden but given due respect and precedence”.  In his view, dialogue with ATR deepens our understanding of the divine in our lives.

Father Bonaventure Mashata is on mission in South Africa at the Edenglen community in Johannesburg. He serves the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) in the department for Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue, and Dialogue with the Secular World; as well as in the department for Formation, Life, and Ministry of Clergy. He shared his experience with ecumenism. Born to a Methodist father and a Catholic mother, he began his journey of dialogue within his own family. He recounted his ecumenical experiences as a Missionary of Africa: first in Ethiopia as a stagiaire and then as a priest. He then specialized in ecumenical studies before teaching ecumenism in Abidjan. While discussing the challenges he faces in his new mission in South Africa, he concluded that his experience with ecumenism “has unfolded as a landscape of relationships with people from various Christian denominations. […] the greater ecumenism lies in opening ourselves to the entire Universe, to Humanity, and to the Divine through Dialogue”.

The morning session, which kept participants captivated in front of the videoconference screen, culminated in the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by Fr. Oswald Mallya, Provincial Superior of the EAP. 

In the afternoon, participants gathered for a sharing session. It emerged that some confreres, who had been reluctant about the idea of our mission outside Africa, are now beginning to accept it. The mission outside Africa needs to be strengthened. With regard to the subject of Encounter and Dialogue, the participants expressed their profound gratitude for the three confreres’ online contributions. It is worth remembering the response of one of them: “It is the joy of being motivated by the love of Christ, that love which enables us to go out and meet others, to share the same realities, and to endure the same trials with patience; the joy of carrying the charism of the Missionaries of Africa”.

In conclusion, the Superior General thanked the participants for their commitment, which crowned the success of the first week. He invited them to rest on Saturday so they could continue devoting their energies to the reason they came to Nairobi.

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, participants will visit three prisons to show solidarity with our incarcerated brothers and sisters.

By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,

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.,