UGANDA – Nabinoonya: General Conference, Continued and Concluded

After two Intensive Days of Work and Sharing, the Members of the General Conference took a day of Pilgrimage to Schools, Visits, and Fraternal Meetings.

Early on Wednesday, September 9^th, we set off for the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Munyonyo. The Munyonyo Shrine, located near Kampala in Uganda, is the Historic Memorial Site where King Mwanga II ordered the Execution of Christian Subjects in 1886. We began with the Eucharist in the Basilica, followed by a Guided Tour of the Shrine: Saints Denis Ssebugwawo and Andrew Kaggwa were executed on the Spot, while others began their Fateful March to Namugongo.

After that Pilgrimage, we traveled to Kabojja, a District of Kampala. Mugwanya Primary School sits on   Top a Hill overlooking Kampala, and it was on that Site that the Province has built a New Secondary School: SMACK of Kabojja (currently affiliated with St. Mary’s, Kisubi). Brother Simon Mpanga, the Headmaster of St. Mary’s and also in charge of that New Site, gave us a compelling Overview of its Future, which is certainly destined for significant Growth. We received a very Warm Welcome from the Community.

Then, we returned to Kisubi, where another Visit awaited the Members of the General Conference. A guided Tour of St Mary’s College was led by a Committee of Guides (Senior Students of St Mary’s) who showed us around that Immense School Complex, whose Reputation was well Established in the Country.

Then the Community welcomed us for Lunch.

St Mary’s College was the First FIC Community in Uganda? and so we went to the Site of the Last FIC Community, where all the Deceased Brothers of the Province have been laid to Rest; I am referring to the Brothers’ Cemetery of the Province. It was a moment to look through the Inscribed Names of the Brothers who have marked so many Beautiful Chapters in those 100 Years of the Life of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Province.

The Day ended with a Visit to the Scholasticate (Named after the Founder of the Province: Bro Charles Jules Poitras Scholasticate), located near Nabinoonya. There, too, we received a Warm and Fraternal welcome from the Approximately 25 Scholastics present; some of them, in their Third Year at the Scholasticate, had already left for a Three-Month Internship.

The General Conference would resume its Work for the Final Two Days. First, on September 10^th, a New Theme was Addressed: Governance. That included the Governance of the Institute at the Sectoral Level and the Governance of the Institute at the General Level. It was a Moment Rich in Sharing and Reflection: how to Support and Guide the Provinces and Districts, each with its Own Unique Characteristics (some Older, others Very Young, some Small Structures, some with Widely Dispersed Sectors, and others Large and Rapidly Growing). But for all those Situations, the Questions remain the same: what kind of Leaders would there be tomorrow? what kind of Support would be provided? what kind of Formators would be needed? Should there be Consolidation or not? What about Resource Sharing? What was the Role and Value of International Collaboration? Since to Govern was to Foresee, that Day was crucial for considering the Future of the Institute.

On the Last Day, September 11^th, the Superior General initiated a Period of Community and Synodal Discernment in order to apply Article 193.2 of the New Rule of Life:

“Given the changing numbers of the Institute, the Superior General and his Council will ensure that a sufficient number of Chapter Members are maintained and that all Sectors of the Congregation are fairly represented. The Practical Details of the Elections are included in the Chapter Book.”

In Practical Terms, the Superior General and his Council are entrusted with a Threefold Responsibility regarding the Composition of the General Chapter:

• Maintain a Sufficient Number of Chapter Members
• To ensure a Fair Distribution of Delegates among all Sectors of the Congregation
• Specify the Electoral Procedures and Record them in the Chapter Book.

The General Government would transmit to all the Brothers of the Congregation the Fruits of that Discernment Process, as well as other Guidelines, particularly those resulting from the Reflection around Dilexi Te at the beginning of the Conference.

The Last Afternoon was more of an Information Session, where each Major Superior gave some News from his Province or District; a Time also to Discuss the Postulation Process (where young Enzo Carollo stands); Communication (Website, Click Info) and various Publications…

The Superior General and his Council wished to conclude that General Conference with a Festive Eucharist. That was led by the Scholastic Brothers and presided over by Three Priests, Chaplains to the Brothers in Kisubi, who took turns celebrating the Eucharist each day in Nabinoonya.

For that Time of Thanksgiving, the 21 Young Postulants and all the Brothers of the Area were invited: a Beautiful Fraternal Gathering of over 100 Participants. The Eucharist concluded with a Procession to Our Lady of Nabinoonya, “the Virgin who came to collect the Medicines to Heal us!”

Altogether, in the 3 Languages ​​of the Congregation, we Renewed the Consecration of the Institute to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with the same Prayer said at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, at the end of the 2024 General Chapter.

The Evening concluded around a Campfire and a Shared, Fraternal, and Warm Dinner. The Very Next Day, the Major Superiors departed for their Respective Home Bases. The Next General Conference was Scheduled for September/October 2027 at the Mother House in Ploërmel.