Outreach

Theme: Walking Together

COMMUNITY MAGAZINE 2021

MILL HILL FORMATION HOUSE JINJA Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

1

Theme: Walking Together

Editorial Team

Timothy Eretu Ass. Chief Editor

Denis Kazibwe Editor

Emmanuel Ebulu Chief Editor

Mark Mugerwa Editor 2

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Peter Ginyiera Editor

Theme: Walking Together

Chief Editor

W

ith great joy, I welcome you to yet another edition of our annual outreach magazine. It is always a privilege for us to share our thoughts with you, our esteemed reader. We do not take it for granted. I would like to take this opportunity to thank very heartily, all the members of the editorial

board for their tireless efforts to ensure that this issue of the magazine comes out perfectly. Special gratitude also goes out to our formators, for making efforts to proof read the articles. We also extend our deep gratitude to all our sponsors for making the funds available to produce this noble work. I hope that the contents of this magazine will

fill you with great insights about our formation house as well as trigger you to think about various issues addressed herein. I wish you a peaceful reading time.

BY EMMANUEL EBULU YEAR 3 (UGANDAN)

A Word from the Rector

C

ompelled to put down a few words for this magazine, I do not want to think of it as a task, but rather as an opportunity for me to pause and reflect on our life here in Jinja Formation House.

For myself, as usual, time seems to fly! No sooner had the year 2021 come, than it is gone, despite of it having been a year of the challenge of embracing the „new normal‟ – doing ordinary things in a new way: staying and working from home, studying online, meetings on zoom, being social at a distance and the like.

At the time I was writing this, we were fast coming to the end of our first semester and everyone in panic mode – preparing and getting set to go for Christmas holidays. The semester went very fast, perhaps

because of the cordial atmosphere we enjoyed in our community; everyone being cooperative, supportive and companionable.

Indeed, we practically and fully lived up to our theme of this formative year, “Walking Together.”

contributed articles for this magazine on various disciplines which are very informative and educative. A very big thank you for your time and effort. The editorial team also deserves special credit for their unstinting work.

Many thanks to my co-formator Fr. John Kwa Akain, the Support Staff, all our students and external resource personnel who greatly contribute(d) to the smooth flow of life in our community.

A very big thank you to our General and Local councils, benefactors and friends, who support us in various ways.

As for you our esteemed reader, holding this magazine in your hands, read it and enjoy it. And together, let us continue praying for the healing of our world from COVID-19 pandemic and all its effects.

Our students, Fr. John Akain and Fr. Joe King – the Society Representative of the Mill Hill Missionaries in East Africa Area

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2022.

FR. CHARLES OKATA, MHM, RECTOR, UGANDAN.

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

3

Theme: Walking Together

WALKING TOGETHER: FORMATIVE YEAR THEME BECOMES A SYNOD THEME makes it easy to be grasped and hopefully lived. This not only gives credence to our formative year theme but it also assures us that the Holy Spirit is „leading and inspiring us‟ in our resolve to continue Christ‟s agenda of bringing life to all in abundance as our Chapter Prayer and theme intimate.

T

owards the end of May, this year 2021, which is quickly aging out, when our students had all gone for their annual six weeks pastoral ministries, Fr Charles Okata and I took some time out to plan for the formative year 2021-2022 with a special focus on the Induction Week.

One of the key items on the table of discussion for us each year, as we plan for the incoming year, is the theme for the year. The theme for the Formative year, 2020-2021 was „Witness.‟ Reflecting on the happenings within and outside our formation house, we came up with „Walking Together‟ as our theme for the Formative year 2021-2022.

Little did we know that in October 9th -10th this year, 2021, Pope Francis would invite the whole Church to reflect precisely on the importance of „Walking Together‟ as a Church by convoking a Synod on the theme: „For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.‟ The phrase, „walking together,‟ which we conceived in May as the theme for our Formative Year 2021-2022 at once captures the very essence of the synod theme and

4

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

The word Synod comes from two Greek Words: syn which means together or same, and hodos which means path, road or way. Put together, synod therefore means same path, same road or same way.

A call for a synodal Church therefore, is a call for a Church that walks together on the same path: the path of justice, the path of care, the path of peace, the path of encouragement, the path of joy, the path of active faith, the path of enduring hope, the path of sacrificial and self-giving love that leads us to God. Pope Francis‟ invitation for a Synodal and not pyramidal church seems to suggest that a classy church fabricated on the model of the world of distinctions and ranks cannot fulfil her mandate of gathering all people together in Christ. At her best, a pyramidal church breeds an unhealthy and sometimes vexed relationship among its members.

Contrary to such a church, the Pope invites us to envision and embrace under the guidance of the Holy Spirit a Church in which all are cherished, in which everyone matters and in which all are welcomed. Calling for a synodal Church, Pope Francis invites us to realise that no member of the church, clergy or lay, rich or poor, young or old, black or white, is too poor to give and too rich to receive.

We all need each other since we are

all fellow pilgrims on the way with Christ who is both the Way and the Destiny of our walking together. A synodal Church is a communion Church whose members actively participate in God‟s mission together as missionaries of the Gospel of joy that liberates, lifts up the fallen, bandages the wounded, heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, and makes the lame jump like gazelles, the deaf hear and the dumb preach the same Gospel.

To help us have a fruitful reflection on this theme of Synodality of the Church, during these two years of preparation for the Synod in 2023, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on the Church as a place of encounter, a place of listening and a place of discernment. He is s u g ge s t i n g t h a t f o r u s t o effectively walk together as a church, we must cultivate a culture of encounter during which we listen to one another, to God and then discern God‟s will revealed in his Son Jesus whose birth we celebrate this season of Christmas.

It can also be said that one of the key reasons of Jesus becoming one like us is that God, in Jesus desires to walk with us so that inspired by the Holy Spirit we, who are images of God may walk with God and with one another. May we, therefore, during this Christmas Season be aware of the presence of Christ who has come into the world solely to walk with and by us, and to teach us how to walk together as we celebrate his birth: the birth of joy, the birth of hope, the birth of love, the birth of peace in our hearts.

Merry Christ and Happy New Year!

Fr John Kwa Akain, MHM Formator, Cameroonian.

Theme: Walking Together

T

A COMPASSIONATE HEART

he word compassion is derived from two Latin words, „Cum passio‟ expressed to mean „with the suffering.‟ To be compassionate then is to be with others in their suffering. We learn from Jesus the compassionate master who, looking at our mess, was moved to even give up his life that we may be saved. Is this reality lived by each one of us today? Jesus upon meeting Mary and Martha after the death of their brother Lazarus, moved by pity, he wept! [Jn.11:35]. Mother Teresa of Calcutta would rightly say, “Suffering, if it is accepted together, borne together, is joy.” When we embrace the suffering of others, we become one with them and the burden is shared.

Could we draw any lessons from the challenge the Covid-19 has posed to us? Those who previously proved stronger than others are not more or less than those they under-looked.

We still and all called for the help of others and we all needed that only person who would come as a solution. Yet at the service of all,

have been the men and women of good heart. Those who in their littleness, have always extended their helping hand to treat the sick, provide for their needs, and above all, embrace the suffering of others as their own.

A compassionate heart is a welcoming heart, ready to offer love, ready to give care, and ready to share hope. “A Living Love Hurts – Mother Teresa of Calcutta.”

If we listen to Jesus, he will tell us what he said before: “Love one another as I have loved you.” He has loved us through suffering, dying on the cross for us and so if we are to love one another, if we are to bring that love into life again, we have to begin at home by being compassionate to one another.

A compassionate heart will heal that child, that sick and poor person longing for love.

It will feed that hungry person, clothe the naked, support the poor, and above all, it will uphold the dignity of every human being.

Otherwise, we would not be able to understand and effectively help those who lack all, if we did not live like them. All gestures of love however small, but done in favour of the poor and the unwanted are important to Jesus.

BY Paul Magero YEAR 3 (UGANDAN)

THE INTERNET TECHNOLOGY IN THE CHURCH

O

ur souls keep on longing for Christ every day especially when the situation is chaotic. The use of technology and the internet has tremendously kept the faith of people burning in the entire world. Churches were the first places to be closed but the use of the

internet kept the lives of people awake to the extent that Masses, praise, and worship services were being broadcast over the radios and televisions. The love of Christ will never be separated from his people.

Covid-19 came as a hindrance in the world to test how people were in their faith, in all their struggles.

Nevertheless, with a lot of effort and sacrifice people were able to connect to the internet and they started attending conferences and meetings via zoom and fostering communication in the church.

Technology and the internet in the church have extensively enabled people of God to remain united in prayer life and communion with

others. The internet also curbed the movements of people that would have caused too much congestion in public places making us susceptible to contracting the virus. In the process of closing churches, people had lost hope. Some of the faithful endeavored to make their monthly tithe via mobile money. This showed the love people had for their church.

I think the coming of the corona virus was meant to act as a test and a way for people to reunite with God. .

Oh! what an important innovation the internet and technology are!

BY NATURINDA IGNATIUS YEAR 2 (UGANDAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

5

Theme: Walking Together

AWARENESS TO SOCIAL STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19 and psychological stress in society among people. This is not only harmful to those who suffer from it but to everyone who has heard about it.

T

he world is currently faced with a pandemic of the corona virus, a new virus that spreads so fast especially in crowded places, and causes breathing problems. It is spread from person to person through sneezing, or coughing, human to human contact and contaminated surfaces.

As this pandemic continues to surge all over the world, it has brought a lot of social stigmas, discrimination,

The unfortunate vice of stigma is that it drives people to hide their Covid19 status, in a bid to avoid discrimination and seeking sinfully exorbitant medication. So, it is very important to avoid stigmatizing people and we can all do this. But the question is how?

Understanding that words matter a lot in people‟s ears. Be mindful of what to say and what not to say to people.

Talk about the new corona virus but don‟t attach location or ethnicity to the disease, talk about people who have, those who may have, and those who died of Covid19 but don‟t refer to the people with the disease as “cases” or “victims”.

Talk positively and emphasize the effectiveness of preventive measures such as hand washing, face masks, social distancing, vaccination, etc., but don‟t emphasize or dwell so much on the negative or frightening messages.

Use social media accounts to spread facts and solidarity. Speak and share meaningful information about the risk of Covid-19 but don‟t share rumors that are not confirmed or language that spreads rumours. This will help us all to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Lastly, let us always remember that we can do anything possible but the will of God supersedes.

Let us immerse ourselves in the help of God to intervene and deliver us from this dreaded pandemic.

BY RUJUMBA RONALD YEAR 2 (UGANDAN)

FORMATION COMMUNITY

W

hen we come together as a community, we come as a product of our childhood upbringing, hence we live together, complex as we are with overly high or low self-esteem.

Unless we understand where we are coming from and work on it, community life becomes quite difficult. Each one of us has a responsibility towards the building of one another‟s self-esteem by providing an atmosphere of love, warmth, and attention for the

6

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

benefit of the community‟s growth and development.

Since I joined the society of Mill Hill as a student, I feel at home.

The peaceful, welcoming, and encouraging presence of colleagues keeps me happy. Gratitude goes to all my formators, for being so supportive to us. May Almighty God bless you all.

BY RAPHAEL MICHAEL OTIENDE YEAR 1 (KENYAN)

Theme: Walking Together

BETRAYAL

T

rust is one of the key elements of any given relationship. When we are with the people we trust, we are free to say whatever great secrets we have been holding for the longest period. This is due to the great and conducive environment that we have whenever we are with them. These people always feel as if the whole universe is ours. This is everyone‟s joy and pleasure. Having someone to whom we can confine ourselves.

However, life is unique and comes with its forces. Everything tends to change in a blink of an eye and the trust turns to mistrust. This tends to be the most difficult moment in our lives that we even wish we never knew our „trustees‟ at all. This is the

moment when we feel the weight on our shoulders. This can also be the time when the night has the longest hours and morning seems to take ages to come. This is the time when tears fill our eyes and we are too blinded to see any good thing that others do to us.

It is very easy for us to forget some good things that „strangers‟ did to us than the slight negatives our people did to us. At times I tend to suppress the fact that the people I trusted the most betrayed me but this can rarely get off my mind. It becomes worse when your weakness is being used against you by the person you least expected.

It hurts most the youngest people when their elders betray them. This takes away their trust not only for the betrayer but also for the entire human race. Where can we get the ability to trust again if the ones we trusted are our „wonders‟?

It just dawned on me that the main aim of betrayal is simply to paint the image of someone to be worse than they are. In other words, betrayal aims at making someone very „little‟ and almost unnoticed.

Although betrayal brings more harm to a person and causes pain, it still gives us a chance to know people.

As a result, we can identify with

whom to tell what. At times we become too open to people to an extent we share what we hold most precious in our lives.

However, there are different and some people who only deserve to know your name and nothing more.

This is simply because they will aim at using your shortcomings to pull you down. This should not be any news to us when the people we trusted the most throw away our trust. He loved them, fed them, raised some back to life, healed them, and did many more miracles to them. All these had no impact on their decision. They acclaimed, “crucify him!

Crucify him!

Crucify him!” and rejoiced to see Him nailed to the cross.

It should be noted that betrayal and love have never moved hand in hand. Betrayal can only come from „friends‟ and „not friends.‟ Those who love us will do their best to ensure our happiness is catered for, no matter what. It is also a reality that being betrayed is part of human life and if one has never been betrayed, a greater one awaits.

BY JAVAN BROUZ YEAR 3 (KENYAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

7

Theme: Walking Together

DAILY LIFE IN THE FORMATION

timetables. These are: the PCJ timetable, the formation house time table, and the personal timetable, that underline all activities. We are called upon to stick within those three timetables for the smooth and efficient running of the community.

I

t is a palatial and noble scenery in nature. It looks dazzling and blooming atmosphere.

Indeed, it is a descent beyond description as the adage may accord it.

Finally, at long last, the eagerly awaited day and most yearnings for it dawned. To have the transition from Luanda to Jinja formation house for the first cycle. We arrived at the place safe and sound. That was coupled with a profound and warm welcoming and ushering in of the new members in the community by the seniors and continuing members.

The formation system in Jinja formation house is structured in such a way that its operation runs within the jurisdiction of three

8

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

These have to be adhered to by all members at all times. The day begins very early and chilly in the morning with the quest of reciting the divine office or morning prayers in the chapel, followed by the celebration of Mass. We have breakfast at around 7:20 a.m., then dash for lectures at the PCJ depending on the day. We always have a sumptuous meal at around 1:30 pm followed by minutes of rest before resuming with other community activities of the day until evening.

If a community is to survive, its members must be willing to pursue similar goals and be governed by similar values as was put forward by Karl Marx a sociologist. This is exhibited too by our theme of the formative year "Walking Together". We do things as a community. The schedule is programmed with the guidelines that help us to change

from one activity to the other.

The community focuses intensely on the four pillars of formation; that is human, spiritual, pastoral, and intellectual formation. There are also recollections and retreats for purposes of enhancing integral growth.

We have gardens that we attend to every Saturday meant to boost our food basket. Besides prayers and gardening, we have sports which is an essential element in our life as human persons. It is always crucial to be physically fit. This helps one to boost immunity as well as remain healthy.

After the hustle of the week, we have Wednesdays and the last Saturdays of the month for socials.

Socials refresh our minds making us feel relaxed, replenished by some drinks and snacks. The level of solidarity is good and inspiring. Thank you and many Blessings to you all.

BY GABRIEL MUKANDA YEAR 1 (KENYAN)

Theme: Walking Together

LEGION OF MARY @ 100

T

he Legion of Mary is an association of Catholics who, with the sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of all Graces have formed themselves into a Legion for service in the warfare which is perpetually waged by the Church against evil powers in the world (Handbook Chapter 01). The whole life of people, both individual and collectively, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness (GS – Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world No. 13)

Along with a group of Catholic women, Fr. Michael Toher, a priest of Dublin Archdiocese and Frank Duff formed the first branch of what was to become the first praesidium of the Legion of Mary on September 7, 1921, on the eve of the feast of Mary‟s Nativity. Frank Duff was born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 7, 1889. At the age of 24 he joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul where he was led to a deeper commitment to his Catholic faith and at the same time, he acquired a great sensitivity to the needs of the poor and underprivileged. From that date until his death, he guided the worldwide extension of the Legion with heroic dedication. He died on the evening of November 7, 1980, aged 91 years. His profound insights into the role of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Plan of Redemption, and the role of the lay faithful in the mission of the Church, are reflected in the way of life of Legionaries.

The Legionaries hope to render themselves worthy of their great heavenly Queen by their loyalty, their virtues, and their courage. The Legion of Mary is therefore, organ-

ized on the model of an army, but the army and the arms of Legionaries of Mary are not of this world (Handbook Chapter 01). The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active cooperation, under ecclesiastical guidance, in Mary‟s and the Church‟s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ her son (Handbook Chapter 02).

The theme for the 100 years celebration is Remember, Rejoice, Renew, and Recruit. From the theme, the two words of remembering and renewing bring the true picture of how we ought to live as Christians. In remembering we come to live a life full of gratitude, and in renewing we come to remain faithful to doing God‟s will in our lives of love and service to one another. Let us remember and renew our Christian way of living.

BY MEMBERS OF LEGION OF MARY

LEADERSHIP common goals in life.

I

would like to share with you the meaning of leadership in our daily life. A leader is a person who is chosen to lead, serve, inspire, motivate and guide a group of people to achieve their

A true leader is the one who serves the community and listens to the people he serves.

Leadership entails humility. A leader is not supposed to be feared, instead he is supposed to be respected because he is the head of the community. By the virtue of our humanity, all human beings are leaders.

A leader is not a master but is a servant and all of us are called to serve others. The hidden meaning and significance of a leader is to serve since the power of leadership which is entrusted to the leaders is

from the people with the intension of serving them better. For someone to be appointed a leader, it does not mean that he or she is intelligent or better than others, but it means that people see an element of humility in him or her. Therefore, for a leader to achieve his or her goals of serving others, he or she must be polite, humble, flexible, patient and faithful before the people he rules.

May God bless you all.

BY JULIUS SINYA YEAR 2 (UGANDAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

9

Theme: Walking Together

“LOOKISM”

unattractive?

R

ecently, I had a chance to dine with a small group of friends: two priests, a religious sister and two other seminarians. As is the custom, a conversation often accompanied the meal. This particular day the topic seemed inclined to physical appearance. How did it even start?

The younger priest had posted, “I am very black but at least am not ugly,” the sister joined in, “you see, all ladies are beautiful, it just has to lie in the hands of the beholder as for men, there are some ugly men.” “sr., what do you mean by an ugly man?”, the senior priest inquired. “a man with very black skin, big lips, big eyes, or bottomless,” she responded. “Then from your examples, there are many ugly ladies as well,” I shot in.

As I continue scribbling this article, I find a lot of questions popping continuously in my mind that I can‟t even write logically because I feel skipping such questions will be doing an injustice to my brain. What makes a person attractive? Who set the standards for one’s handsomeness, beautifulness, or ugliness? Who? Why should society often favour the attractive and condemn to discrimination those who seem to be physically

10

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Tietje and Cresap define lookism as an unequal opportunity prejudice in which attractive people receive a premium and unattractive receive a penalty. To match this definition, a traffic policeman is more likely to harass an unattractive lady for violating the road traffic rules than the attractive counterpart for the same crime. Also, a teacher will easily be tempted to offer extra help to either the beautiful or handsome student than the “ugly” counterpart. Of course, this sort of lookism discrimination is against professional ethics.

Then I went ahead and asked myself, “is it only physical appearance that defines beauty?

Can’t integrity, humility, honesty and love create beautiful persons?” In as much as we have other forms of discrimination such as racism, tribalism, and so on, lookism should never be under-looked at all costs, for it is pushing its head with all vigour, though often it has been made invisible by other forms of discrimination.

Back in high school, I had a friend who helped me come to terms with my black skin, he often confronted me about my skin color; how I would suck all the light from the room, how I am always shielded from the hot sunshine, however, I learned that he was doing this out of love for he would do it only in the presence of the two of us but out in public he would shower me with full necessary support. I was lucky; but now I think of the youngsters in high school who may not have anybody to retreat to in the face of such discrimination, especially in institutions where beauty and

handsomeness are associated with only celebrity figures.

Just when I had started working on my article, a friend of mine approached me and said, “Timo, my sisters think am gonna become brown coz of the weather here, but I see myself becoming darker than I already am. Am becoming blacker.”

“Are you in any way comfortable with your skin?” I asked, to which he replied “no.” When I look at my friend I see myself “blacker” than him. Just like my friend most people who see themselves as physically unattractive, view themselves through the eyes of the society in which they live, if only they could look at themselves from their perspective just like my other South Sudanese friend, Startz. Every morning Startz would come to me and ask, “Timo, do you know that I am very handsome?” Of course, I would give a generous yes and with my response he would stand in front of the class and call for everyone‟s attention and finally he would bellow out, “I am the most handsome gent in this class!” Now don‟t ask me whether Startz resembled Chris Brown or Lily Wine, all I know is that he had inner attractiveness that made him more handsome, he had confidence, humour, honesty, and integrity.

Dear readers let's join hands in working together towards creating a lovely, peaceful, kind and healthy society that is unified and celebrates the beauty of physical differences, starting with ourselves, families and social groupings among others.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

BY TIMOTHY ERETU YEAR 1(UGANDAN)

Theme: Walking Together

MISSION AND TABLE FELLOWSHIP

B

y nature, the church is missionary. As people who continue the mission of Jesus Christ, we come to a clear understanding that mission is to proclaim, to serve and to witness the reign of God. As Christians and believers, we get to know that mission is not only to save and help people but also to develop a kind of reciprocal relationship with people around us and even those who are far away. God created the world out of love, but because of human weakness, people got distanced from the love of God and one another.

Through His works of salvation, God sent His son Jesus Christ into the world to show us who we are

and how we are to live. Through the teachings of Jesus, we experience the love of God which embraces all people without discrimination. His main mission was to save us. Jesus worked to re-establish the right relationship with God through His exempl ar y l i f e, deat h, and resurrection. Jesus Himself was the mission from God and we as His followers, who believe and trust in Him, need to continue with the mission. We are called to imitate Him with His good and wonderful deeds. Through all His works, some of his contemporaries, as recorded in the bible, were very much impressed by what Jesus said and did. He had profound love and focus on both spiritual and physical needs of all the people. They asked Jesus: “Lord, where do you live?” With their inquiry, they wanted to say to Him: “Lord, we want to stay with you, we want to imitate you, what are we supposed to do?” Jesus answered them, “Come and witness.” Are we imitating Christ such that people can be attracted by our deeds and way of life?

becomes one image of the mission.

Around the Eucharistic table, we are all nourished as individuals and as a community by the word of God and through sharing the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Through this sharing, Jesus Christ comes and grows in the heart of each person.

When we are fully nourished and transformed, we can go out and reach out to those who are in greatest need and be witnesses of Christ. The vivid image of the table fellowship encompasses all the positive aspects of serving, proclaiming and witnessing the reign of God and love.

We can be prophets who listen, speak, challenge, and prophesy the Good News to the people whom we meet and interact with at a table fellowship.

BY EZEKIEL KHISA YEAR 3 (KENYAN)

The call to mission and salvation is for everyone, it is not restricted to certain people or geographical areas.

It is not just out there but also where we stay. The table fellowship

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

11

Theme: Walking Together

ONLINE STUDIES

O

nline learning is a fairly modern mode of being educated by the use of the Internet or social media. It is commonly referred to as “e-learning.” However, online learning is just one type of “distance learning” – the type of learning that takes place across distance and not in a physical classroom with the teacher as it has been a norm in our beloved continent Africa, alongside the outside world. I am so glad that I have got a chance with my fellow students to have this beautiful form of learning which was introduced as an alternative to physical classes as a measure set by the government to control the spread of Covid-19, the pandemic that struck the world and claimed lives of many people globally. I have been a great lover of physical class as it has been a culture since I was born, and as we all understand that digital life started in the western world before reaching our continent.

12

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Covid-19 came and all learning institutions were shut and so the government had to look for other options of studying and the only method that was accepted is online studying because it was in line with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set up by the Health sector in Uganda to curb the spread of Covid19. SOPs aim at achieving efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance, while reducing the spread of covid-19, and failure to comply with these regulations was a great offense.

At first, when I heard of Online education, it was a great shock because it was something new to me and I was wondering how possible that could be. I am happy that I was introduced to the system and now I‟m fully into it. I have come to appreciate online studies because I was enabled to learn something beyond the norm. Another thing that has made me fall in love with online classes is that before I used to travel some distance to school but now I can have classes within the community, without necessarily traveling to the institute and this helps me to have more time for my studies and other activities. After sharing with different people, both teachers and my colleagues, I have come to realize that they are also finding it a welcome change from strict timetables and long distances that existed for them to attend physical classes. Finally, online classes

have brought us to the new world known as the digital world, a world of technology and this is a great change in this modern world.

However, I have come to discover some loopholes in online studies that may make it not to be effective and these are: moving together at the same pace with other students is not easy and even lecturers cannot monitor learners as they do in physical classes and this may leave others behind. Also, distraction during class because there is no teacher to keep a class organized and this requires much concentration from the learners.

Furthermore, sometimes we face technical issues like internet failure that interrupts learning sessions where we have to wait for some time. Another issue is that having a time management system is perhaps the most difficult challenge for us learners to overcome because it depends entirely on self-motivation and as learners, we need to be serious about our education, learn how to manage time, and set our daily schedule. Additionally, online learning has taken away the opportunity to build social skills and is not granting us a chance to share as peers, a chance the physical classes granted us.

BY DANIEL OKELLO BWIRE YEAR 3 (KENYAN)

Theme: Walking Together

POWER & AUTHORITY

D

ear esteemed readers I am so much humbled to express my ideas in this Mill Hill formation house Jinja outreach magazine 2021 edition. As we meditate, contemplate, and reflect on power and authority in our societies. Leadership comes from God hence it is divine. By the fact that we are created in God's image, we qualify to be leaders.

Who is a leader for instance? A leader is anyone competent with the capacity and ability to lead people in a particular society. However, sometimes leadership has been mistakenly perceived as power and dominance over the others, thus, associated with bad and selfish i n t e n t i o n s w h i c h r es u l t i n overlooking of the subjects. It is not dominance that makes one a leader but rather the authority he uses prudently to fulfil his responsibility.

Philippians 2:1-11 expresses clearly the true leadership of Jesus who

became a humble, prudent and good authority. Jesus being as all men are, humbled himself, didn't equate himself with God taking the form of slaves even accepting death on the cross. As pastoral agents we should try our level best to imitate Jesus Christ while practicing our leadership skills by looking at it as service to people of God without expecting appreciation in return. In Luke 4:31-37, the evil spirits testified the authority of Jesus while saying, " l know who you are, the holy one of God!" This scripture text teaches us especially leaders and incoming future leaders, pastoral agents in different ministries that if you are legitimate, even the devil will respect your authority and the hand of the Almighty God will rest on you forever.

However, it's also important to note that some people use authority and positions to oppress the minority.

This is bad and immoral in fact.

Romans 8:35-39 reminds us of how to carry on with our power and authority with the solidarity of others. Verse 38 says, “what shall separate us from the love of God, peril, persecution” among others. To be a good leader in any particular community one ought to be respectful, prudent, loving, hardworking, educated, totally available, confident, good time manager, and self -sacrifi ce, following the example of Jesus Christ our Redeemer and by being

perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

I would like to pass on to you these reflection questions that have been running in my mind. You as an authority or a leader, take time to reflect on these questions to evaluate your leadership skills to the people around you.  How have you been using your position?  Do people find joy and happiness in your service or leadership?  Did you use it to humiliate, oppress or serve your people with love?  How do people evaluate you in your leadership?  Can they recognize you in their leadership after resignation?  Can you talk and your subjects follow what you say?

As we take our time to reflect on the mystery of power and authority, let us strive to use our authority to serve others with love in the struggle of “walking together” as our theme of this formation year suggests.

For God and My Country Amare et Servire.

Peace and Love

BY MUHEKI DONOZIO YEAR 1 (UGANDAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

13

Theme: Walking Together

FR. JOE KING AFUMABOH, MHM OPENING REMARKS Outreach Team: Thank you so much for accepting our invitation for the interview, we are very grateful.

Joe: Your welcome.

Outreach Team: How has work been so far?

Joe: So far so good, we thank God. EARLY LIFE AND VOCATION JOURNEY Outreach Team: Fr. would you like to share with us about your family, back in Cameroon.

Joe: I come from a family of eight, four boys and four girls. I am from a village called Fuanautui, Boyo division in the North West province of Cameroon, from the Arch Diocese of Bamenda. My mum is still alive, my dad past on four years ago. I am the fifth born. I am out here, 2 of my brothers are out in Europe. My sisters are married in Cameroon. I have one brother in Cameroon. So that‟s my family.

Outreach Team: Please share with us your vocations journey, it will surely be a source of inspiration to many.

Joe: My vocation story is quite a long one. I come from a very religious family, and that is how I was brought up.

My parents were very committed Christians, both catholic teachers. We prayed every morning, every midday, and every evening whenever we were together, and attended mass every single day. So, I feel the seed of my vocation was sowed right there from my family. My parish priest was a Kiltegan and before, they were the Mill Hills. They always inspired us, the way they dressed, Interacted and were close to people. That made me personally feel I wanted to be like the priests. Along the way, the inspiration grew. But when I finished high school, I felt like I didn‟t want again because firstly I had a brother who was a priest already, the first born, and the second born was in the seminary, so I felt like I didn‟t want to go to the seminary again, so I decided to teach. It was only when I began to teach that I felt empty, that something is lacking. I got in contact with the Mill Hill vocations director and he invited me for a meeting, and the rest is history, they say.

Outreach Team: What was your first experience like when you started in the Mill Hill Formation?

Joe: At first, I never really liked Mill Hill, because, in those days many Cameroonians that joined Mill Hill never made it. Most had left. Mill Hill had a very bad name in Cameroon. I had wanted to join the Kiltegans, the Claretians, the Conceptionists, but my 14

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

heart never really went out to them. So, I finally found myself in the Mill Hill formation house in Bamenda. I used to wonder how people live inside those gates, I could not understand, but when it came, I felt that either it was Mill Hill, or nowhere else. It was also a very good experience, because I came into the formation with a little bit of experience, of being independent, of teaching, I knew what I was letting go and I was happy where I was and it made a difference, I liked it.

Outreach Team: How would you describe a true Mill Hill man?

Joe: Well, I always introduce myself, I am Mill Hill, and a proud one at that, I love Mill Hill. It is a society of great people, great minds, great missionaries, legends, and people who have wherever they have passed, left history, but with humility, that is the biggest thing. And it goes right down to where Mill Hill has been, where they have set up the local church and have handed over, so sometimes when you say you are a Mill Hill man, wherever you go and people say, “This is a Mill Hill,” those who have had an experience of Mill Hill, accord you respect, not because of you, but because of your ancestors, showing that Mill Hill has made a great contribution in evangelizing different parts of the world. That‟s why I feel proud of about being a Mill Hill, and in addition, for me working and ministering as a Mill Hill man in different places, I really feel it is a privilege for me being a Mill Hill man, yah!

Outreach Team: Fr. What are some of your hobbies and also what are you passionate about in your life of service?

Joe: Ah! I like playing volley ball, watching football. I love singing, sometimes I like watching movies though these days I hardly watch, and I like making and hanging out with friends whenever I have the time. I love my music and that‟s why you find me with all sorts of instruments; the saxophone, the keyboard, the guitar. I am not an expert in any but I do it for fun, I play just the basics and I am happy about that.

Theme: Walking Together

MISSION LIFE Outreach Team: As the Society Representative of the Mill Hills in East Africa, how would you describe a holistic leader in this era of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Joe: Well, a leader in this time of the pandemic, is one who helps people to realize that the world has changed.

The pandemic and its effects have taught us to live differently within the pandemic, encouraging members, those he leads, to live according to their means, to establish new trends of working, whatever leader you may be, to get new ways of doing things, because the pandemic has affected everybody and has changed the way things are being done worldwide. So, every leader has to change tactics, the way of dealing with people, way of handling issues, being innovative, to move and read the signs of time, and see what works in this age and time during a pandemic and then guide your people towards that goal, so that at the end of the day, people are not put down by the effects of the pandemic but get solutions and a way out and a way of doing things differently within the pandemic, and to accept to live with that.

Outreach Team: Missionary life is coupled with many moments of change, describe a time when you dealt with change.

Joe: Of course, definitely, as a missionary, you’re on the move, first even as students, when joining, you are already on the move. Basic formation, I left basic formation, that was the first time I left my country, came into Uganda, and from Uganda, going to Kenya. You get used to one place and the comfort of the place for a while, then next you move. MEP you’re in a parish setting, 2 years you’re comfortable, you move into theology, finish being a student, you move into ministry. But the key areas of change for me have been moving to my first appointment, and then my transfer and now. I moved to my first appointment as a missionary on the day that my sister was getting married. That was a big shift, I should have officiated over that wedding! but I was on my way to mission. And then just as I was settling down in Karamoja, and having learnt the language and trying to put my feet on the ground, it was becoming very comfortable, I was asked to come down to Mbikko. It took me more than a year to settle in Mbikko. That’s what change does. Just like it took me many months to settle from Nairobi to Loyoro, that’s a big shift. Then now in Mbikko, you are taken into leadership, everybody keeps asking me, “when are you moving?’ you know! so you are caught up!

CONTEMPORARIES ISSUES Outreach Team: One of the recommendations of General Chapter, 2015, was to embrace the media as a new form of evangelization. Has there been any progress in that regard?

Joe: Officially, I would say, no, but individually, I would say people are making efforts, because when you look at the world today, it‟s driven by social media, many young people, and organizations, reach out to the rest of the world through social media, so should be our missionary work, and so should be our evangelization because that‟s where you find our young people. Because social media has been flooded with a lot of, I would say, rubbish, I don‟t want to call it rubbish, but the things that are worldly, immoral stuff, and things like that, we have to come in and give a different impression that social media is not just about talk on love, sex, business. We should also talk about God on social media. We have our Mill Hill website run by Fr. Fons Eppink. Many of our missionaries now put up their reflections on you tube, Facebook; you can see what Fr. Alex Kimbi and Fr. Thomas are doing, Fr. Glenn sometimes puts masses online, different members have embraced social media, and I feel the church needs to do more about that. But it‟s good to see that looking from the holy father, he tweets and people follow. Look at the different parishes opening Facebook pages and YouTube pages, so I feel people are trying, yes. Many people associate the social media with evil but we can change that mentality. Yah! and I think it‟s

changing because there is lot of good news on social media in as much as we have all the bad news and gossip, but in the midst of it people come across the word of God, reflections on the word of God, and that makes all the difference.

Outreach Team: What was your discussion about the online studies during your young member‟s meeting in Malindi recently?

Joe: We were concerned about the online formation of our present students. One will not do online formation throughout. In as much as we appreciate that people can do online studies, it does not replace integral formation, it does not replace our formation program, which is something we brought up during that meeting, and even as we talked of people embracing new ways of doing things, and evangelization. The only concern was online formation, because people miss out on integral formation.

Outreach Team: What do you say about training people for the digital world?

Joe: Yah, well that can still be done, it‟s up to the society to decide that we can have experts in social media or digital things. It‟s up to the society if the need arises.

They should be able to embrace.

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

15

Theme: Walking Together

Outreach Team: Where do you think the Catholic church in Uganda has failed in terms of digital evangelization?

Joe: I would not really say that the catholic church has failed, but they have not done enough, because I hear there was a catholic TV that was set up, where did it end, we are right here in Mbikko, but we do not see the catholic TV of Uganda. And so that‟s where there may be a bit of a failure; you have a good initiative, catholic radio and tv, where does it end, it ends in Kampala, I wonder how many people watch it. Even radio Maria, you hear it in parts. We are right here in Mbikko, we don‟t hear radio Maria, so with the situation we are in, I would have thought that the church would improve on their communication, on their outreach to all the Christians in Uganda but it does not seem to be the case. Worldwide, we watch EWTN, and listen to Vatican radio, how many people pay attention to that. So, I think somehow, somewhere, we are still limited as a church. You can look country to country. Capuchin TV in Kenya is very serious, it‟s doing very well. It tries to capture many church activities, at different times and have daily mass on TV and people can follow, so that‟s the way to go.

Outreach Team: Many people I have interacted with have fallen in love with your music, what inspired you to begin this noble initiative?

Joe: I come from a singing family, I have a brother who does it a little bit more professionally as a musician, though he still does it as a hobby, because he is a lecturer by profession. My sisters sing, my parents used

to sing, they were choir members for long time, so it is something I picked up from the family, and it has been my inspiration. Even My grandmother used to sing traditional songs, so that has been my inspiration. As a child I grew up singing. If I had someone to pick me up with my talent at a young age, maybe I would not have been a priest, I would have gone into music. I slept on that talent for a long time until a friend had to push me into doing music saying I needed to try and do something, and that I had a voice apart from preaching and saying mass, and I love it.

Outreach Team: Is there any new hit coming up for the music lovers?

Joe: Ah! I don‟t know, hopefully a video will come in.

My style of music is in such a way that there are some old songs from my background that we learnt when we were children and I do not want them to get lost. So, I try to modify them, to bring them into the lyrics and add some flesh on them, so that the new generation gets to know what our grandparents used to sing those days that is fading away. So hopefully something will come in Luganda, I mix everything, so hopefully something will come in.

Outreach Team: Have you also tried to tap into the radio stations like radio Maria?

Joe: Not really, that‟s one area I have not been keen to tap into, but hopefully as the songs grow as well as the listening, we shall promote it for the glory of God.

CONCLUDING REMARKS Outreach Team: Any parting shots for the outreach readers.

Joe: Thank you for keeping the tradition, at the Mill Hill Formation House in Jinja. Especially with the outreaches, it‟s always very informative and I can see the creativeness of our students at the formation house, I would say kudos and keep up the spirit of the outreach because indeed it reaches every other person out there and they get to know what we are up to, the type of students we are forming, and the interaction, it‟s also your interaction with the world, so I would say, keep it up.

Outreach Team: Thank you very much and we wish you many blessings as you continue to serve God‟s people.

Joe: Thank you very much Emmanuel and thank you for coming and for choosing me to have an interview with, I appreciate, its humbling, thank you very much, God bless you in your studies.

16

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Theme: Walking Together

B

SECRETS OF GROWTH GROUPS

uying a leaf from Dao de Jing writing, „„If you want to become full, let yourself be empty. If you want to be reborn, let yourself die. If you want to be given everything, give everything up.‟‟ The above quote really defines what the secrets of growth groups are. A growth group is where one empties him/herself by pouring out his/her joys and sorrows of his life thus becoming full again. Upon deep reflection, I see growth groups as the place where one is reborn again by letting him/herself vulnerable.

Vulnerability makes one humble enough and trustworthy to people who are sharing his/her story. The response of members hugs the vulnerable person with hugs of hope not to be angry at the situation but rather have the courage that things will change.

In our 1st cycle formation in Jinja, we are lucky to have growth groups every week on Tuesday. Making the

exercise more helpful, we are privileged to have facilitators who listen to our stories patiently and later on support us with hope and courage. This keeps us going throughout our discernment journey.

The lesson I have learned while living the seminary life is that life is a lot easier in theory than it is in practice. What I believe in is that heartbreak, pain, love, and acceptance all coexist as one, like a cycle. Emotions cannot be turned off like a switch, which is why all emotions; happiness or sadness, constantly coexist. Like everything else in life, we need to strike a balance, and I have discovered that these growth groups have played a big role in helping us balance ourselves in all formation pillars; human formation, spiritual formation, intellectual formation, and pastoral formation.

An individual should be able to use his/ her emotional intelligence in good faith because this is the root of the ability to understand, manage and handle emotions. This translates to the ability to understand, use and manage one‟s own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others while listening to their stories, overcome challenges and lastly defuse conflicts.

Regards,

BY OGINDI WYCLIFFE YEAR 1 (KENYAN)

THE ACADEMIC TREE

I

t bears tender fruits some of which are the sweetest on earth. Professors, doctors, philosophers are consuming them yet they are not satisfied, they keep yearning for more and try climbing higher for sweeter ones. The cost of climbing the academic tree is determination and hope. The bright and the dull all take the

opportunity yet their fate is already determined. It appears risky to wait under a lazy decision as the windfalls are always sour. Young kids are at the bottom waiting to set off, longing for the fruits of the academic tree. Some are halfway hoping to reach the desirable fruits; some have even tried a ladder but in vain.

There is no shortcut to the tender fruits. Those that have given up have decided to stone the fruits which, when they fall to the ground break into pieces.

Finally, the throwers might give up and die with the desire for the fruits. Some have fallen off realizing the tremendous height and the thorny trunk of the tree that lies on their way, yet others

don't sense it and are anxious to get to the top.

Fortunate ones have reached the top enjoying the fruits. But others are waiting at the bottom for the windfalls, (the plagiarists). It's rather exhausting to reach the tantalizing fruits on the tree.

However, we should not let loose the grip on the branches lest we fall back and forfeit the fruits.

BY DENIS KAZIBWE YEAR 2 (UGANDAN) Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

17

Theme: Walking Together

MIND TEASER IF A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z IS EQUAL TO 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Then, H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18 = 98%

K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

L+O+V+E 12+15+22+5 = 54%

L+U+C+K 12+21+3+11 = 47%

None of these make up 100%.Then what makes 100% is it money? No! M+O+N+E+Y 13+15+14+5+25 = 72%

Is it leadership? No! L+E+A+D+E+R+S+H+I+P 12+5+1+4+5+18+19+8+9+16 = 97%

Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our, “ATTITUDE”.

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100% Therefore friends it is our ATTITUDE toward life experiences, academics, community life, work and God that makes our life 100% successful.

BY MUHINDO EUSTACE YEAR 1 (UGANDAN)

18

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Theme: Walking Together

ST. JOSEPH, THE SILENT SERVANT OF GOD

A

s we come to the end of the year of St Joseph as stipulated by Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (With a Father‟s Heart), let us reflect on the role played by Joseph in his silence.

Joseph was an ordinary person but did ordinary things in extra ordinary ways.

When we hear the word „Silence‟ it doesn‟t indicate „dumbness‟. It could point to as a situation or state in which someone does not talk or answer questions about something.

In the Bible we encounter very few lines about St. Joseph. He is seen as a mystic who knows and experiences the meaning of life in depth without expressing it in words. The Bible authentically speaks about him as a righteous man. He acts according to the inner voice that is linked with the word of God. He proved that he was an obedient servant to the will of God. How did he resolve the first problem that he faced immediately after his betrothal? Any man can have normal doubt when his betrothed is found to be pregnant without him being responsible. The Scripture only says that as he was a righteous man and did not want to humiliate Mary before the public, so he decided to dismiss her quietly (Mt. 1,19). In the next moment he experiences the intervention of God in a dream, and he changed his mind. It was a kind of discovery. Something that never happened before. It seems like God had touched his heart. In the next moment he recognized it as the Word of God who spoke to his heart.

He realized his real vocation and he understood that a great mission is also to be fulfilled through him. This

is none other than a reaction of a mystic. Similar to what had happened in the life of Mary, Joseph started moving according to the Spirit of God. We don‟t find any heated argument about it. Without saying anything, Joseph accepts Mary and Jesus.

What was the influential factor that made Joseph to change his decision? In the silence of night, he had encountered the presence of God. It was just like a continuous flow of the spirit working in him. He was ready to open his heart to listen to the word of God. From where did the mercy, compassion and forgiveness embrace him?

Surely, it was from God himself. It was not his intelligence that made him to think the other way round. He became more attentive to the needs of Mary and Jesus in the womb. He had to take up the role as foster father. His alertness to the will of God made him more and more responsible as a father in the family.

He had to take decisions for Mary and the child Jesus. He had to reorder his whole life. What would others think about him? He never considered such a question. He understood it as a loyal service to God. He had been unveiling the mystery of living with Jesus and Mary day by day. He tasted the love of God in their presence. He enjoyed the inner happiness while serving Mary and Jesus.

Knowing that the child born from Mary is not of his blood he started pondering the meaning of adoption and considered Jesus as his own child. When Jesus was found in the temple, Mary said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this?

Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” (Lk 2,48). It shows that Joseph had already accepted Jesus as his own child. We again find how the child Jesus was protected following the words of God, taking Mary and Jesus to Egypt. He acts as an alert guardian and takes all possible measures to protect the family.

If we go through the above incidents of the life of St. Joseph, we understand that he became a servant in action following the Spirit of God. How did he achieve such positive energy to move about following the will of God? It is of course, from the close relationship that he nurtured with God in every moment. As we follow Jesus closely, it is necessary, then, to turn back to ourselves, reflect and diligently work towards perfecting our hearts so that praying unceasingly we may come to God. We know that it is possible only through maintaining the interior silence. In our modern world, to maintain silence is not an easy task.

The greater involvement of media in our life has made our daily meditation as something of an oasis.

Though we would like to have it, the worldly influence is tremendous. To listen to the will of God who speaks through the Word of God must be our daily routine. While reflecting on St. Joseph as the silent servant of God, we ought to look at the importance of silence in our day-today life.

The depth of interiority of St. Joseph made him seemingly solve the problems of life without much stress. To lead a complaint-less life in a community, we need an internal energy from the Spirit of God which we get only through prayer and meditation. The silence of St. Joseph was not something that he had kept inside and not spoken out. It is the result of contemplation and meditation only to do good for others and searching every occasion to sacrifice one‟s life for the common good.

In simplicity, let us reach out to one another with the “HEART” (Humble, Encounter, Availability, Responsive, and Tenderness) following the example of St Joseph.

BY TUMWINE TUMUSIIME EDGAR YEAR 3 (UGANDAN) Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

19

Theme: Walking Together

THE CHURCH AND POLITICS

I

n Luke 20:20-26, the teachers of the law and the scribes sent spies to watch Jesus closely hoping to trick him into either a theological or political fault. They asked him whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not. The Israelites suffering under Roman imperialism showed an appropriate form of authority and God‟s people should accept any kind of government, no matter how oppressive, they find themselves in.

Jesus did not uphold the right of government to oppress its people because he was brought before Pilate on charges of treason, which he never rebutted (Luke 23:1-2). If Jesus had answered the question negatively, he would have been openly calling for revolt against the ability of Rome to tax its people. In Jesus‟ answer to an earlier provocation, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and God what is God‟s,” he refuses to impeach Himself through the questions of those who want to trap him (Luke 20:25).

20

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Scripture presents various instances and ways for the people of God to relate with the governing authorities.

Jesus does not call his followers to open revolt although there are times when biblical faithfulness will demand civil disobedience to the ruling authorities (Acts 4:1-20).

Jesus does not call his followers to submit blindly to all governing authorities although there are times when biblical faithfulness necessitates compliance (Romans13:5-6).

In this case, scripture recognizes that faithfulness to God requires political engagement by the people, and this engagement is determined by a specific situation and biblical faithfulness.

The communal thoughts of The United Methodist Church assert: “We believe that the state should not attempt to control the church, nor should the church seek to dominate the state. Separation of church and state means no living union of the two, but it does permit collaboration”. “The church should frequently apply a solid ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs estimated to be objective and opposing policies and programs that are unmerited”.

However, the church has received critiques, mostly in Africa. Here, I would like to focus more on the church and politics of Uganda.

Many religious leaders who have strongly criticized the unjust ways of

some political figures have been eliminated through different sorts of manners and most of them have been poisoned by unknown people.

The church in Uganda has been in tears due to the loss of prominent religious leaders, for example, bishops and priests. During these last two years of covid-19, the church has undergone various trials and tribulations. It has been censored in a way that no religious leader is permitted to give any view concerning the righteousness of the people. When the lockdown was pronounced last year, March 2020, the church was one of the institutions that were locked down, schools and the transport sector.

Surprisingly, the government continued to conduct its duties: the parliament continued with its meetings and many ministries did the same in the name of trying to put measures on how to curb the spread of covid-19. This was a contradiction to what was suggested concerning the measures of covid-19 because no form of gathering was meant to be conducted especially during the early days of the coronavirus. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the church leaders who have stood firm in fighting and promoting peace of the citizens amidst all the persecutions and oppression.

BY KAYONGO PAUL YEAR 2 (UGANDAN)

Theme: Walking Together

THE HIDDEN WONDERS OF LOVE replied, “We don‟t go together at any home” The woman looked surprised and asked them, “what, why? “what‟s the issue now”. “My husband is home now so you can come in and have dinner with us”

O

ne thing I value within me is the virtue of “Love.” For with it, I find myself at much ease with whatever I do. For instance, my job of being the Dogman in the formation house is inspired by this small brief story of my venture, with an emphasis on “Love” One day, a young woman came out of her house…she saw three old men standing in front of her house…she didn‟t know them… but those three old men looked hungry. So, she asked them, “I‟m not able to recognize you, but you all look hungry” please come in “I‟ll provide you with something to eat,” they asked, “Is your husband home?”

The woman replied “No, he‟s not at home” The three old men refused to come in, “We can‟t come in” When her husband returned home, she told him everything…

The husband then asked her wife “Go invite them now” The wife went out and invited them…. They

One of the three men replied, “My name is wealth”, He then pointed his finger to other old men and said, “He is success”, and He is love, “now go inside your house and discuss with your husband… which one among us you want as a guest in your house”. The woman went inside and mentioned everything to her husband…. Her husband got excited, “wow… since they can‟t come in together… let us welcome wealth to our house” “He will make our house full of wealth” His wife argued, No, let us invite success” Their daughter was listening to them.

She interrupted their conversation with her advice and said, “why can‟t we invite Love”? “it‟ll be so much better if we call him in” “our little house will be full of love if he enters.”

surprised to see the other two, Success and Wealth following Love, “I only gave an invitation to Love, then why are you coming in?”

One old man among three replied, “if you had invited Success or Wealth as to your guest among us… the other two would not have come in and remained outside” “But you‟ve invited Love… and wherever he goes, we follow him…”

Dear beloved one, reading this article, which kind of persons in our lives do we offer hospitality to? Is it those with wealth? Those who have attained success? Or those we show the fullness of Love?

As we are approaching this season of x-mass, I argue that we do whatever needs to be done with love for with love in this world, there is also success and wealth accompanying it.

I wish you a fruitful x- mass season and stay blessed.

BY JULIAN CLAVER ORYEK YEAR 1 (UGANDAN)

The couple agreed and decided to go with their daughter‟s suggestion…

The woman went out to invite love as their guest… she asked them “which one among you is love?” I want Love to come in and give us a chance to offer our hospitality.”

Love moved forward and entered the house… The other two old men followed him… The woman was

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

21

Theme: Walking Together

Community Photo 2021

First Year Class

Second Year Class

Third Year Class

Charles’ Growth Group

John’s Growth Group 22

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Pune Theologians

Theme: Walking Together

CHIEF GUEST PHOTO AFTER INAUGURATION OF ST. JOSEPHS STATUE

COMMUNITY BIDDING FAREWELL TO CATECHIST JOSEPH KAYONGO LULE

FR. FRED BLESSING THE NEW STATUE OF ST.JOSPEH

COMMUNITY PHOTO AFTER INAUGURATION OF ST. JOSEPHS STATUE Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

23

Theme: Walking Together

SUPPORT STAFF

Mr. George Bursar

Madam Rose House Keeper

Mr. Mathias Grounds man

Madam Robinah House Keeper

Mr. Ronald, Kitchen Staff 24

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Mr. Roy Grounds man

Madam Florence Kitchen Staff

Theme: Walking Together

Fire Extinguisher Training

Independence Parade

Friday Manual Labour

End of month socials

Online Class Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

25

Theme: Walking Together

Growth Group Mass

Sunday Mass

After Jinja Diocesan Family Day Liturgy

Choir Practice

Table Fellowship

Making Liquid Soap 26

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

AFTER MYERS BRIGGS WORKSHOP

Theme: Walking Together

Gardening

Tree Planting

From the PCJ

Visiting Fr. Declan Martyrdom site Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

27

Theme: Walking Together

With youth of Panyangara Parish

Home Visitation in Loyoro-Karamoja

In action at the Basketball court 28

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Theme: Walking Together

Basketball Team

Football Team

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

29

Theme: Walking Together

WALKING TOGETHER

J

esus, according to the gospel of Mark 6:7, summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two, to bear witness to the gospel. In this, we realize that the joy of walking together is in the companionship and support for one another.

Walking together requires that we agree to do so. In the book of Amos 3:3, Prophet Amos asks a very important question to the people of Israel. He asks, “Do two journey together unless they have agreed?” this is very clear that walking together requires total commitment and acceptance in embarking on a mission.

I remember in January 2019, as I was preparing to travel to Kenya for my final semester of the basic formation, I agreed to travel together with Vicent Mugerwa, Peter Ginyiera, and Edgar Tumwine, with whom we boarded the same bus.

Upon arrival at the border, one of the immigration officials rudely interrupted our entry into Kenyan soil. He claimed that the yellow fever cards for Edgar and mine were forged. This struck my ears heavily as I was seeing myself making an unplanned expense. The only

30

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

solution the official gave us was to take another jab and thereafter receive an authentic yellow fever certificate. I began to tremble, for I did not have the sum of money being asked for. Angrily speaking, the official flashed us out of his office and told us to mobilize funds for the jab. Peter came to my rescue and made the payment for me.

I wonder what I would have done if I had traveled on my own. This is just a typical example of what walking together means and how far it can go to ensure continued support for each other. I thank our formators, who have kept the gospel of Christ alive, by always sending us, the students for our pastoral experiences in twos. This is not by mistake, but it is a way of ensuring that the joy of walking together surfaces all the time. We all have different experiences of how walking together has impacted our lives. It may not be physical movement, but also spiritual accompaniment with spiritual directors, the one-to-one sessions with the formators, the group assignments we have always had, and the peer evaluations in which we support each other emotionally.

When two people decide to get married, they are simply agreeing to walk together, for life, with the hope of harnessing its joys.

The context in which we apply the gospel of Christ, of walking together is diverse. It is just a matter of enacting it positively and genuinely for the Glory of God‟s name. May we all continue to walk together on our journey as Christians.

BY EMMANUEL EBULU YEAR 3 (UGANDAN)

Theme: Walking Together

THE SIX WEEKS PASTORAL AND CULTURE

O

n Saturday 22nd May 2021, my colleague Daniel Okello Bwire and I, set out for the journey to the new parish Busaana for six-weeks pastoral experience. I was very anxious and excited at the same time since it was our first time to have the six weeks pastoral encounter after the first one was interrupted by the Covid19 pandemic. This one came by chance and I could not take it for granted.

Another excitement came in that, we were the first students to be assigned for six weeks pastoral in the new parish, WHAT A PRIVILEGE!!!

I remember very well Fr. Kevin Barasa picking us from Kayunga town to the parish. The first people to meet in the parish compound were the two parish cooks, Lydiziah and Patricia. The first encounter with them is when they greeted us while kneeling, something which I had never experienced before in my life. I can attest that it was a warm welcome, keeping in mind I had already started to learn the beautiful culture of the Baganda. During the first days, we could meet people around who mainly spoke Luganda.

My colleague and I felt challenged because we could not manage to speak but we could only return a smile to show that we were together.

Since we had no options, we turned to the cooks in the parish to teach us some Luganda such that whenever we could meet people, we would be able to speak the language.

Sometimes I could laugh at myself because the few words that I had been taught would evaporate whenever I met some people. I could never lose morale because the people around me were very willing to help us with the pronunciations, which kept me going. They could feel happy seeing us struggling with the language and even laugh a bit but later on, they could help us to understand better. With that it kept me moving on.

Our pastoral came to a sad turn when president Museveni ordered that a lockdown in the country be effected immediately. That meant that churches, schools, and many other facilities were to be shut down for an unknown period. Our pastoral activities therefore would be limited, I could not imagine again the little chance for pastoral which we had gotten was going to end unceremoniously. To make matters worse, our rector Fr. Charles called us and requested us to withdraw from the pastoral as soon as possible within the three days we had been given to enable us to travel back home. That news hit me like a stray bullet. We had only finished a quarter of our stay in Busaana. At first, we were reluctant to the invitation of the rector to quit the pastoral.

Later on, he gave us two options, either to quit or to remain and that would mean there would be no going home since there would be no way out because of lack of transportation, we could therefore spend our holiday there. After brainstorming with my colleague what to do, we decided in solidarity to walk together by agreeing to remain, Amos 3:3 asks a pertinent question whether two move together unless they have agreed. That gave us relief since we could not afford to leave our placement prematurely like that, in our mind we knew even if we do not go home, we would be there at the end of the semester, unlike where we had been assigned, it would take quite some good time before meeting again.

Because of the limited movements, we had just to do the pastoral of being with people and doing some new skills like making rosaries and visiting all the 17 outstations.

The six weeks pastoral turned up to take 9 weeks. It was a pastoral of its own that God granted to us, we, therefore, took the initiative as Christians to carry on since the church itself is missionary by its very nature and we are all called to

proclaim, serve, and to witness the reign of God, His love and salvation.

The chief principle is always to remove our sandals and immerse ourselves in the culture of other people and be open to learning. That was the basic thing that I learned during my pastoral placement. I came to discover that pastoral work is not only to save and help people in itself but to develop a reciprocal relationship with others.

Being with people is also a form of table fellowship since all the cultures recognize the importance of sharing resources to maintain, strengthen and establish a good relationship.

That particular image of fellowship with people entails all aspects of serving, proclaiming, and witnessing to the reign of God which is love, salvation, and care.

Being in Busaana a new parish, helped me to understand more the importance of reaching out to the people especially those who were in greatest need. Jesus too reached out to all people and His inclusive lifestyle calls you and me to be inclusive. In encountering different people, I had to implant myself in the same way Christ did. My sincere thanks go to God for granting me His favor in pastoral, thanks to Fr. Charles for sending me to Busaana. Without forgetting my dear beloved Fr. Kevin Barasa for journeying with me while in pastoral. Be blessed forever. Thanks too to Fr. Fred the parish priest for keeping my colleague and me. I lack words to thank you. Special message to all the Christians in Busaana. Allow me to say this in a few Luganda words I learnt, „Muli bantu ba mugaso, mulina ekifo mu mutima gwange, nja kubajjukiranga buli kisera. Omukama abakuume bulijjo.

Sirina kya kubagamba naye, mwebale nnyo.‟ LONG LIVE!!

BY EZEKIEL KHISA YEAR 3 (KENYAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

31

Theme: Walking Together

THE STRONGEST WALL IS THE DISCIPLINE OF YOUR HEART

A

wall built using the best building materials is very strong. For it to stand firm on the ground against any natural calamities like floods, strong winds, and earthquakes; it requires a strong foundation. The discipline of the heart entails training oneself to practice good moral virtues such as obedience, Godliness, holiness, modesty, cleanliness, hard work, prayerfulness, purposefulness, tolerance, and prudence. These need to be cultivated in our hearts. Apart from being central to our human survival: pumping blood to all parts o f o u r b o d y, p s yc h o l o gi s t Dr. Narvaez stipulates that the 'heart' is where the emotional systems of social bonding, caring for others and playing are found. As Christians, people expect more from us in matters concerning good conduct. Proverbs 1:7, mentions that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A person who cultivates good morals and discipline

becomes spiritual, strengthening his relationship with their God. Most young people engage in delinquency. Some find pride in it when they are in groups or cliques.

They derive pleasure in not following the rules, being disorderly, and engaging in criminal/ illegal activities. This in the end does not yield any good fruit in their life, they end up becoming misguided elements with no value in their respective communities.

However, a person with good morals and discipline is a person of integrity, reliability and versatility in all situations of life.

How does a person develop good moral virtues? It is not sold in some store or supermarket that you need to spend money to get. It calls for a person‟s maturity to know that it is learned and thencultivated in our lives through the heart.

Ancient philosopher Aristotle suggested that a person can develop good moral virtues by practicing self -discipline, while good moral virtues can be corrupted by repeated self-indulgence. I, therefore, invite you to cherish self-discipline, to be good Christians and good citizens of our countries. Let us embrace and appreciate the discipline of the heart as our strongest wall.

BY IGNATIOUS N. OGEMA YEAR 3 (UGANDAN)

WHAT'S BECOME OF TODAY'S MUSIC?

B

ack in the days, songs used to be rich in meaning and with thought-provoking lyrics.

You would listen to a song; nod or perhaps stamp your feet to the tune 32

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

and you could imagine the brains behind the art. It's funny how nowadays songs that get massive airplay are those with a lot of hogwash! My goodness, today you listen to a song and you are like "what?!" Today, you do not need to simply be good at what you do to gain a following. All you need is to blow people away with some tripe.

Even if it is as silly as singing about "rats, saucepans, keys, motorcycles, goats, samosas...name it." It is all about putting together half-baked ideas and looking for irresistible beats and you would have the whole world retweeting or liking your song. As if that is not enough, these days plagiarism is the order of the day. Is it any wonder that you will

go and watch a bunch of wannabees jumping up and down, humming to a song; with all the manufactured pop groups that are prevalent in today's charts? But hey, that does not mean that there's no good music nowadays. Hell, no!! There's a lot of it. Someone should just understand the rationality of my argument. After all, your guess is as good as mine.

Aren't we tired of a lack of originality?

BY DENIS KAZIBWE YEAR 2 (UGANDAN)

Theme: Walking Together

THIRSTING FOR HIM

I

f a question is raised at random on who and where people would like to be, the largest number, if not all, will acclaim, “with Jesus in Heaven!” the reality is that, if the same question was asked concerning our deeds, the response from our deeds would be completely contrary for the answer would be, “with Satan in hell!” This indicates the level at which our hearts are distinct from our mouths.

Our positions in the community do not define where we belong but rather our deeds. In Luke 10: 25-37, the man who was brutally beaten up by the robbers on his way to Jericho was not helped by the „respected‟ people like the priests but rather by a completely unexpected person. If salvation was all about what our mouths say, then all of us would be perfect. We have so many bridges that our mouths have built, but in reality we have built so many walls.

One of the great people in the Catholic Church, St. John Chrysostom, once said, "If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find him in the chalice." This directly

connects to Archbishop Socrates Villega‟s explanation of who the beggars, the sick, and the less fortunate in society are. He finalizes that these people are our lords. As a result, I may not be wrong to conclude that these people are the perfect image of Jesus Himself in our world.

In Mathew 25:40, Jesus Himself tells us that whatever we do to the least of His brethren, we do it unto Him. This still shows that there is a great and perfect image of Jesus in these people. If whatever we do to the least ones we do to Jesus, then why can‟t it be that whatever they, the least ones, do to us, Jesus has done it?

There is no doubt that these people are like the doormats, minimized by many but playing a very significant role. Despite the difficulties that these people go through, they will remain to be a reflection and a mirror to the true image of Jesus who was rejected and despised. In other words, we can look at them as being „purificators‟ to our eternal happiness just as the doormats aid in the cleanliness of the inside of the house. Therefore, their roles in our

lives should never be taken for granted.

On many days of my life, I tend to feel thirsty for the Lord and wish that I may encounter Him to quench my thirst away. It is just of late that I have realized that He is always looking forward to quenching my thirst but I look for Him from places He least expects me. I had failed to realize that He is ever-present in the hospitals and most disguised places carrying the water that will quench my thirst once and for all.

I desire that we may always aim at having our thirsting for Him be quenched by the best channel possible, despite the situations around us. We may not be able to give the needed assistance but our great presence, when needed, matters the most. I can therefore confidently say, “If the least in the society do not quench your thirst, then the Bible and the Eucharist won‟t.” God bless you all.

BY JAVAN BROUZ YEAR 3 (KENYAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

33

Theme: Walking Together

WHAT INSIGHTFUL AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCES I HAD!

O

n a cold Saturday morning of 22nd May 2021,with a colleague, we set off from the formation house, Jinja, and headed to St. Joseph the Worker, Panyangara parish. The parish is found in Kotido district and diocese, and it is where I had my six weeks pastoral experience. I felt very happy when I finally arrived and settled in this place. While in Panyangara, I had an abundance of experiences which included knowing about people‟s ways of life, struggling to learn the local language, learning a new philosophy and increase in my level of gratitude.

Having remembered Bacon and Hobbes‟ assertions that knowledge should be built upon observation,

34

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

and Locke who emphasizes experience as the main source of knowledge (Stumpf, 1994), my senses of hearing and sight were well set so as to make good use of them during my stay. Through the use of such empiricists‟ insights, I learnt that the onus of doing daily activities lay on women. These are responsible for rearing children, fetching water, building houses, fetching firewood and cultivation of land. The men on the other hand, herd animals like cattle, sheep and goats. Most people stay in homesteads made up of different houses which are usually surrounded by strong fences of sticks. I was immensely impressed by the creative and artistic way their simple huts and fences were designed and built.

It was additionally exciting to hear and learn about a new branch of philosophy. While traversing the different places, I often came across tender-aged boys who fondly and devotedly took very good care of large herds of animals like goats, sheep and cattle. However, one of the questions that kept on popping in my mind was how the boys could ably and easily differentiate each others‟ animals in case they got mixed up. It was not until I was informed that they ably did so because t he y mast e r ed t he „Philosophy of Animals.‟ I was

further enlightened that as students of philosophy struggle to acquaint themselves with common branches of Philosophy like Metaphysics, Cosmology, Epistemology and Theodicy, for them, they go to the grazing fields for mastery and specialization. This therefore, enables them to be close to their animals, lovingly carry the young ones and finally know what belongs to who. Besides all this reminding me of the need to be passionate about what I do, it also enabled me to understand what Pope Francis means as he exhorts pastors to have the smell of their sheep.

The most important of all lessons was the fact that I learnt to be more grateful in life. Through the numerous visits and interactions, I severally witnessed a great deal of people who were in dire need.

Surprisingly, many afforded to freely smile despite the struggles and sufferings in their life. It was from such experiences that I felt it more fitting to always be appreciative of the little that God has blessed me with, other than focusing more on what I lack. I thus, ardently pray that God gives me the grace so that the spirit of gratitude may forever be part of me.

VICENT MUGERWA YEAR 3 (UGANDAN)

Theme: Walking Together

WHEN THE LONG-AWAITED DAY FINALLY REACHES!

D

ifferent people often look forward to different things; for us as a community, Mondays are always eagerly awaited days. This is because we anticipate participating in some invigorating activity which is not any other but community sports.

It is on this day that one of the games like football, basketball or volleyball is chosen and participated in by almost every person in the community, as either a player or a supporter. The choice of the game to be played on a specific day depends on the guidance from the house sports captain. How thrilling it becomes when we hear that the formators will be part of the chosen game!

One of the reasons why we usually look forward to that day is the hope that we shall communally boost our physical buckets. Later, this not only ensures physical fitness but also lays a firm foundation for us to have healthy bodies and minds due to the freshness brought about. All this in turn makes it possible for us to abl y

concentrate on our academics since the mental engines would have been cooled a bit after being heated up by the philosophies of people like Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Hegel, and many others. With the neutralization that results, a firm foundati on to work and concentrate on assignments is fostered. It is from this that we may notice the fact that the human development pillar fosters intellectual growth, and this, rightly affirms psychologist Lev Vygotsky‟s view that play is important as it allows people to stretch themselves cognitively.

How eagerly waiting we can be as we wait for the sports captain to communicate! It is through his communication that we know the creativity he comes up with which would make our play very interesting. I think the enthusiasm that exists as we wait for the sports captain‟s communication can be compared to that of members waiting for the six weeks pastoral placement list to see who would go where. It all starts with the choice of the game to be played, how it is to be played, and the teams to play against each other. Who would want to miss hearing that the two gr o w t h / p a s t o r a l / o n e - t o - o n e groups are versing each other?

How about members who sleep upstairs versing those on the ground floor of the hostel? All this creativity often causes a lot of excitement and people prepare to give their best.

Besides such fun creativities, they

also promote the spirit of teamwork which would be so much required in the future.

Monday finally avails us with opportunities to apply people like psychologist Albert Bandura‟s theories. As a man who advocates for imitation, some of the brothers can try out and apply the skills that they watch and might have gained from international football matches played over the weekend. In that way, Monday presents itself as the most opportune day for us to exhibit and apply such acquired and assimilated schemas. For those who might have watched some NBA, they are also free to exhibit their skills on the basketball court just in case we played basketball.

Could it be due to this that some brothers shine on such a day since their dribbling skills would have immensely improved?

By the end of such a day, all four pillars of formation; spiritual, intellectual, human and pastoral would have been very well taken care of. This is because one begins the day with prayer and the Eucharist, engages in academics during the day, goes for sports in the late afternoon, and finally closes it with both community and personal prayer. As a result, all these in the end lead to our betterment.

BY VICENT MUGERWA YEAR 3 (UGANDAN)

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

35

Theme: Walking Together

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE UGANDA MARTYR'S CRUCIFIX?

T

his Crucifix belonged to one of the Ugandan Martyrs, and was worn by him while being burnt alive for the faith. He was a lad of about sixteen years of age, a Catechumen. The night previous to his martyrdom, he told a companion of his, Denis, he wished him to go, when the persecution was over, to the place of Martyrdom, and he would find the Crucifix in the ashes.

Denis recovered the Crucifix and cherished it as a relic of his martyred friend. The Martyr suffered under Kabaka Mtesa, by being burned, together with several others, on Bulmgugwe Island, in what is called Murchison Gulf, on the North shore of Lake Victoria Nyanza, close to the old port of Munyongo about seven miles 36

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

distant from Mengo, the capital of Uganda.

The Crucifix was given to one of the Mill Hill Missionaries working in Uganda in 1906, by the owner, Denis Sembugwe. The said Denis was one of the early Christians, and as soon as the Mill Hill Fathers started work at Nsambya, he attached himself to that mission in the capacity as a Catechist. As such he laboured strenuously, and during the fearful ravages of the sleeping sickness, stuck most valiantly to his post. Through his own personal endeavour and energetic zeal, he was the means used by Almighty God to bring salvation to numerous souls, himself Baptizing in articulo mortis well over one hundred sleeping sickness patients.

Knowing full well that he himself

would eventually fall a victim to this fell malady, he refused to leave his post, and bravely worked till the disease attacked him. God wished specially to sanctify his faithful servant, Denis. Only after eighteen months of suffering did he receive his reward. He died in the odour of sanctity at the sleeping sickness camp of St. Mary's Rubaga in 1908.

This crucifix was brought from Uganda, and presented to St. Peter's College, Liverpool, by Rev. John Wall in June, 1915.

FROM MILL HILL MISSIONARIES’ ARCHIVES

Theme: Walking Together

HISTORY OF THE FUTURE OF MILL HILL

W

hat the future might be, if any, for St Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill, was in the minds of delegates at the society renewal chapter of 1970. The chapter itself was the outcome of decisions made for the whole Church at the Second Vatican Council in the early nineteen sixties." An optimistic plan for the future began to emerge in 1987 when it was suggested by Mill Hill that the Uganda Mission should have a new structure, becoming one region under a single superior. Until that time each diocese had its own representative and the approximately fifty Mill Hill Missionaries resided in four different dioceses. In November of that year Christopher Fox was elected as the society representative for Uganda. It was significant in that it was also part of a move to accept local candidates into the society.

Mill Hill had not done so in the past.

It supported training of local clergy, accepting, as a result, declining influence, and even an end to the Mill Hill Society. In order to make such a shift, a central authority was needed for negotiations with other societies about implementation of a plan of recruitment of candidates from former Mill Hill mission areas.

Some of the goals that followed from the election of Fox were to acquire a headquarters for Mill Hill in Uganda; to build up a unity among missionaries who hardly knew each other, working as they did in separate areas; to prepare for a local candidate‟s programme that seemed likely to be adopted at the 1988 chapter in Mill Hill, and to look into the possibility of establishing a Mill Hill headquarters in Kampala. "With the decision of the 1988 Chapter to go ahead with the programme of accepting candidates from mission areas, Jinja was chosen as the centre for Africa

for the first cycle of studies." A Mill Hill headquarters in Uganda, with accommodation for visitors, was established at Jinja in 1989. It was moved to Kampala in March 1999.

In contrast to the Amin years, when many missionaries were expelled, in 1989 and 1990 the society representative, was able to obtain Life Resident Permits for twenty-seven Mill Hill Missionaries.

According to Fox this was "a tribute to their outstanding contribution to the development of Uganda." In February 1994 Fox wrote in a letter to all members and associates in Uganda to thank them for their support for the six years of his tenure as society representative. He announced the official opening and blessing of a formation house in Jinja to be attended by the superior general on 21st March. A place was rented at first but then a "beautiful building" was built for the centre.

Mill Hill asked that a parish be taken near to Jinja where African Mill Hill students could have pastoral experience "under supervision and also to establish more permanent roots in Uganda." Archbishop Wamala invited Mill Hill to Mbikko, which was cut-off from Nyenga Parish, in 1991. "It looks," he wrote in 1994, "as if our Society has a bright future in Uganda especially as within a few short years we will have the ordination of the first Ugandan Mill Hill men."

Fox concluded his farewell letter with a special tribute to Leo Bouma, who was guest master at the Jinja House. The brother "came here at my invitation towards the end of '89. His skills were badly needed in the early days in getting the house in order...." Christopher Fox described the background of those critical years for Mill Hill in Africa during an interview at Courtfield in April 1998. The big question for the society in 1987 was, in his opinion,

"do we wind up our work and leave?" It was a crucial point.

Members in Kenya decided to have one region and those in Uganda followed. Since he was society representative for the whole of Uganda, he needed a headquarters.

There were three possibilities; Tororo, Jinja or Kampala. There was also the question of candidates for the society from the mission.

Where would they be trained?

The headquarters was at Tororo for one year and then Jinja was chosen.

Also, Jinja was selected for the training of candidates. Fox had written to Cardinal Nsubuga about a place in Kampala. The cardinal replied that Mill Hill would be most welcome." He thought that it was incredible that after almost one hundred years of the apostolate in Uganda the Mill Hill Missionaries "have not one house in Kampala.

You have truly worked for the Kingdom of God alone." In March 1999 the Mill Hill house was transferred to Kampala.

The White Fathers, Holy Cross, Apostles of Jesus and Mill Hill joined together to start a philosophy training centre. One of their first tasks was to choose a site: Kampala, Tororo or Jinja. Fox pushed for Jinja. Joseph Willigers gave twenty-five acres for the centre, free of charge. In 1989 they began in rented quarters. After they began other orders came to the diocese and the bishop "gave one hundred per cent support." It was to be a combined effort and open to all students from Africa. There was to be an academic centre with each community having a house of formation. The first rector of the Queen of the Apostles Philosophicum at Jinja was a Comboni Missionary.

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

37

Theme: Walking Together

He was followed by Cornelius Kuipers, Mill Hill Missionary.

Christopher Fox was chairman of the board of governors which consisted of the superiors of the participating congregations.

The first two Mill Hill students were from Zaire and Kenya. Fokko Ros was in charge of formation for a short time until Hans van Schaik, assisted by Brian Thorp, took over in September 1989. John Sweeney was the contact person for vocations.

Pierre Spanjers became rector in January 1992. He was assisted by Christopher Fox and Jos Boerkamp as clerk of works. Brian Thorpe oversaw the building of the society's house of formation which was opened in March 1994. Pierre Spanjers was succeeded by Brendan Jordan in May 1998. Philip O'Halloran became vocation director in August 1993 and he was succeeded by Michael Corcoran in August 1998.

With the entry of African students, it meant that Mill Hill was going to

remain in the country. The students also needed a place where they could do pastoral work. At the f uner al of Henr y Bone i n December 1990 it was suggested that Mill Hill take care of a mission across the river looked after by Nyenga Parish. The archbishop, according to Fox, was delighted, since Mill Hill had been withdrawing from the country and the archdiocese but now seemed to be coming back. Half of the area of Nyenga Parish was given to open Mbikko in 1991. Who was to be parish priest? The name of Leonard Wiedemayr was suggested but he was working at that time in Tororo, Fox went to see "Bishop Odongo and he agreed to release Wiedemayr."

Bernard Phelan and Leonard Wiedemayr were both on the society council. Wiedemayr was appointed to Mbikko. Wiedemayr was a deeply committed missionary who was also a competent builder and experienced in parish development. He was assisted in his work by a number of other missionaries; Donal Harney,

Dermot Byrne, Eamon Dunne and Mary Spencer. From November 1998 the first Congolese member, Stanislaus Bondoko, was on his staff. At Mbikko there were "twenty thousand people and virtually nothing else." By 1998 there were "two permanent big churches, three primary schools, a big secondary school, a social centre, and a convent for sisters."

And so, the society went from debates about "winding down" in 1987, to decisions to have one region and accept African candidates for membership. The change in direction required that Mill Hill have a permanent base, a headquarters, and a centre of formation. The 1988 chapter at Mill Hill was asked to say yes or no to African candidates. On 15th August 1998 the first Ugandan, Andrew Mukulu, was ordained a Mill Hill Missionary.

EXTRACTED FROM MISSION TO THE UPPER NILE

BY ROBERT O’NEIL, MHM

ANGELUS in between the sounds.

T

he Angelus is a Latin word that means angel and it exemplifies a set of prayers said by devotees to commemorate the incarnation.

The Angelus is recited at 600hrs, 1200hrs, and 1800hrs, respectively.

Its recital precedes the ringing of the ‘Angelus bell’ which is to call people to prayer. It is rung thrice at each of those hours to make a total of nine times in a day with a pause 38

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

The angelus is however not recited on Good Friday as well as Holy Saturday and is replaced with the Regina Coeli during the Eastertide. The custom of this Marian devotion dates way back to the eleventh century when three Hail Marys were recited in the evening in monasteries and convents. In his apostolic letter, Marialis Cultus of February 1974, Pope Paul VI said, “In recalling the incarnation of the son of God, the faithful Catholics pray that they may be led through His passion and cross to the glory of His resurrection and the Angellus is an important reminder to them of this Pascal mystery. ” In reciting the angelus in the morn-

ing, the devotees remember the resurrection of Christ that happened at dawn, while its recital at noon brings to the attention of the devotees His suffering and the evening reminds them of the annunciation.

As a result, the devotee gets to meditate and therefore honor the coming, suffering, and resurrection of Jesus Christ daily by reciting the Angelus thrice a day. Since the time of Pope John XIII who spoke of the angelus as „a summary of the Christian epic‟, every Sunday at noon, the whole world gets to listen and watch the pope in what is known as the Angelus Address after which the Holy Father leads this devotional prayer and gives a blessing.

BY BWIRE VICTOR MASANYU YEAR 1 (UGANDAN)

Theme: Walking Together

LEARNING FROM ENDINGS

W

e know the meaning of ending. The Mass ends, movie ends, the job ends, the trip ends and also the meal ends. There are two types of endings. The first ending is the terminal ending. The terminal ending ends all possibilities like when a doctor certifies that someone is dead. It is irreversible. There is also the seconding type called pascal ending.

Pascal ending means something or somebody ends but there is a new life that is born from the ending. It is like getting married, becoming a priest or nun where you die to singlehood but you are born anew in marriage or priesthood or religious sister. It is like being a missionary, leaving a country going to another where in the former, one leaves something behind but there is new life waiting for him/her outside.

Endings are very important because there are some lessons we learn in

life by the point of view of endings.

When we look at things in the perspective of endings, we tend to be better persons. When we remember the endings, we tend to return to the basics and actually the basics are best things for us.

Endings give us the right perspective and the way of looking at things.

Endings lead us to new beginnings.

There are no new things on earth unless the temporary things come to an end. When the end comes, then we turn a page and allow the Lord to open for us more pages of life then we come to understand that the book of life has no last page. We will keep on turning the pages again and again unless we accept the mysteries of the lessons of endings.

Endings open new beginnings in life. We need to thank God that there are endings. Just imagine if there were no endings, when you are in pain and suffering, wouldn't you

wish it ends? Endings are gifts of mercy, because if God is not merciful with us, we will suffer endlessly. If God is not merciful, all of us would be in endless pain and suffering.

Endings can be a gift of God‟s mercy. When the needles are not disturbing us or nurses waking us up anymore, no tubes to use while eating, no bitter medicine, then sickness ends. Isn‟t that grace?

Endings are blessings indeed for those who suffer.

Endings are new beginnings for those who are blessed, those who allow the Lord to accompany them.

When ends come we hold on to the important things and the less important ere left behind. Lord you are the beginning, we praise you.

Lord you are the end, we glorify you.

PAUL KATO Year 1 Online Theology Student

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

39

Theme: Walking Together

BRIEF WORD FROM OUR THIRD YEAR FINALISTS

Am very grateful to all the people who have supported me in life. God bless you all abundantly

Javan Brouz Parish: Mary Immaculate Kisoko Diocese: Bungoma Diocese Kenya

Its been a great moment here in Jinja for self discovery. I am grateful to all who have been part of the Journey

Paul Magero Parish: St. Maria Gorreti, Kibuku Parish Diocese: Tororo Arch-Diocese Uganda

I am grateful to God for the joyful moments I have had in this home and for the friends.

Peter Ginyiera Parish: Mbikko Parish Diocese: Lugazi Diocese Uganda 40

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Theme: Walking Together

I am very appreciative to God for all His blessings, and to all who have supported me.

Vicent Mugerwa Parish: Blessed Sacrament Parish Kimanya Diocese: Masaka Diocese Uganda

I give thanks for God’s providence, care and love for all his creatures

Bwire Daniel Okello Parish: St. Mary Parish Buhuyi Diocese: Bungoma Diocese Kenya

I thank God for all His benefits to me.

What can I offer Him?

Ezekiel Khisa Parish: St. Peters Kaplamai Parish Diocese: Kitale Diocese Kenya

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

41

Theme: Walking Together

My Sincere gratitude to all our benefactors and formators for the love and care. May God bless you all.

Emmanuel Ebulu Parish: St. Paul Parish Mukono Diocese: Lugazi Diocese Uganda

Am grateful to God for the gift of life and good health, and to my friends; Lets keep walking together

Ignatious N. Ogema Parish: Uganda Martyrs Cathedral Nyangole Parish Diocese: Tororo Arch-Diocese Uganda

I am very grateful to God and all those who have been there for me to this day. Blessings

Edgar T. Tumwine Parish: St. Luke Parish Kashorero Diocese: Mbarara Arch-Diocese Uganda 42

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

Theme: Walking Together

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

43

Theme: Walking Together

If undelivered please return to: Mill Hill Formation House Jinja, P.O. Box 2130, Jinja, Uganda.

44

Mill Hill Formation House, Jinja

PRINTED MATTER

BY AIRMAIL