Newly Elected President of Catholic Nuns in Eastern, Central Africa Association Urges Synergy, “deepening” of Charisms

Lilongwe, 23 August, 2024 / 10:45 PM

The newly elected president of the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) has, in her acceptance speech, called for synergy among members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) in the region.

Speaking at the closing of the double celebration of ACWECA’s 19th Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee in Malawi’s Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Sr. Grace Kyomugisha, the Ugandan-born member of the Congregation of Our Lady of Good Counsel also called for the “deepening” of the Charisms of the ICLSAL of the 10-nation association.

“I urge you, let us grow, walk, and work together by deepening the charisms of our congregations. Let us keep the candle burning,” Sr. Kyomugisha said on Friday, August 23, a day after the ACWECA delegates, who met at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe, elected her.

Sr. Grace Kyomugisha. Credit: Association of Religious in Uganda

The regional association of Catholic Nuns in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, with those in Zimbabwe as associate members was inspired by the 1973 Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).

ACWECA’s pioneer members, then known as “AMECEA Sisters”, held their first conference in Nairobi in 1974. The inaugural conference, which brought together delegates from Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia took place under the theme, “The Role of the Religious Women in Evangelization.”

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

The regional association changed its name from “AMECEA Sisters” to Sisters of East Africa Study Conference (SEASC) in 1976 and to the present-day Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) in 2002.

ACWECA organized the August 18-24 Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee celebration in partnership with the Association of Women Religious Institutes of Malawi (AWRIM), the host Conference, under the theme, “Transformative holistic formation for authentic living towards deeper evangelization in the ACWECA region and beyond.”

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

Sr. Kyomugisha, the newly elected President, succeeds Sr. Rosalia Sakayombo, who has been ACWECA President for the last three years; she was elected during the 18th Plenary Assembly of ACWECA in August 2021 after it was postponed amid COVID-19 restrictions.

In her farewell address on August 23, Sr. Sakayombo expressed gratitude for the support she received during her tenure and called upon Catholic Nuns in the region to support the newly elected ACWECA leadership.

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

Earlier, in her opening remarks on August 19, the first full day of the ACWECA double celebration, the Zambian-born Superior General of the Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit (RSHS) described ACWECA’s 19th Plenary Assembly theme as “timely”.

“This theme calls us to reflect on the importance of transformative formation, to our Religious Life in a world faced with so many changes and challenges that are impacting negatively on our Religious vocations,” Sr. Sakayombo, the outgoing ACWECA President, said.

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

She also described the topic of formation of Catholic Sisters, both initial and ongoing, as central in the Plenary Assembly that concluded on August 23.

As a symbol of her new role, Sr. Kyomugisha was presented with a Bible and the association's constitution on August 23.

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

Delegates of the 19th Plenary Assembly of ACWECA also elected Sr. Auxilia Hokororo as the Vice President, taking over from Malawian-born Sr. Agnes Jonas.

Earlier, the leadership of AMECEA recognized with appreciation the role of Catholic Nuns in the faith formation of the Laity in Eastern and Central Africa.

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

In his speech on August 19, the Secretary General of AMECEA, Fr. Anthony Makunde, described the mission of Catholic Nuns in the region as “transformative” and that engaging in “transformative formation is indeed to wake up the world.”

“The Sisters’ role in the formation of the faithful can never be replaced by any other group. You are the main tools of holistic formation,” the Nairobi-based member of the Clergy of Tanzanian’s Catholic Archdiocese of Mbeya said at CIVO Stadium (Maula Cathedral) in Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe.

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Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

Also speaking at the same venue on August 19, the leadership of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) congratulated Catholic Nuns in the 10-nation association for the double celebration of the 19th Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee.

“This milestone marks a significant achievement in the history of ACWECA and we rejoice with you on this momentous occasion,” the General Secretary of ECM, Fr. Valeriano Mtseka said.

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

On their part, members of the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COMSAM) described the ACWECA Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee as “a moment of constant and true witness to a Consecrated life anchored in Christ.”

Credit: Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA)

“This testimony shines through the multiple activities of your Union and the fruits which spread, not only to your different congregations and their apostolate but also to the entire sub-region and ultimately to the entire continent,” the President of COMSAM, Sr. Marie Diouf, said on August 19.

The Senegalese Superior General of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart acknowledged the diversity of the ACWECA membership in terms of nationality and culture.