Vatican Global Jubilee Conference Inspiring Catholic Nuns in Africa to “share stories, bring hope, do more”: Testimonies

In lauding Catholic Sisters, who made presentations at the conference, the Ghanaian-born member of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church (SMMC) said that from the testimonies, “we have been empowered to share our stories.”

Realized under the theme, “Weaving communion through communication”, the conference brought together women Religious involved in media and communication as professionals and practitioners across the globe “to share their experiences and approaches for communicating hope in the contemporary media environment.”

The organizers of the “invitation only event” recognized the fact that women Religious “around the world are undertaking transformative deeds, from grassroots initiatives to global advocacy, tirelessly working to uplift and improve the lives of people they serve.”

“Their efforts have a profound and far-reaching impact on individuals and communities in every sphere of life. These stories hold immense power to inspire change, ignite creativity, and awaken hope – they simply need to be told,” the organizers of the two-day conference that concluded on January 23 stated.

The conference sought “to inspire, explore, and enhance the communication efforts of Religious Sisters, ensuring that the mighty deeds of God—carried out through and with these sisters—shine brightly and fan a flame of hope in today’s world.”

Among the speakers at the conference, who are involved in apostolates in Africa included Sr. Dominic Dipio, the Ugandan-born member of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (MSMMC), who is a full professor of literature and film and a former Chair of the Department of Literature at Makerere University in her native country; the Kenyan-born members of the Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPPS), Sr. MũMbi Kĩgũtha, currently ministering in Silver Spring, MD as the president of Friends in Solidarity, a Catholic nonprofit supporting capacity building in South Sudan.

Others were Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SHS), who has facilitated the provision of education and refuge to thousands of girls abducted from and abandoned by their families through her “Saint Monica’s Girls Tailoring Center” in Uganda’s Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu; and Sr. Paola Moggi of the Comboni Missionary Sisters (CMS), a native of Italy, who has returned to South Sudan to facilitate the setting up of an Institute of Communication and Media at the Catholic University of South Sudan (CUSS).

In the January 23 interview, Sr. Lucy said that the conference that the Dicastery for Communication organized inspired “us to do more, to share our stories and encourage one another.”

“Together, in communion, in participation, and with hope, especially this Jubilee Year of Hope, we should continue to spread the goodness of Christ to all that we minister to in the world,” Sr. Lucy told ACI Africa, alluding to the link between the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, and the multi-year Synod on Synodality that was concluded on 27 October 2024 with a 52-page final Document, having been realized under the theme, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”.

The Ghanaian gynecologist and beneficiary of the Hilton Foundation-sponsored initiative to build the capacity of Catholic Nuns to have them set up communication networks of women Religious in various African countries said meeting other women Religious involved in Church communication from across the globe was “very enriching.”

She implored for a collaborative approach and synergy to the communication mission of the Church, and added, “Let us all unite and work together for Christ.”

Also speaking to ACI Africa at the Vatican, Sr. Mary Ann Egbujor said that the conference had given her confidence to engage the contemporary means of communication in spreading the Gospel as a woman Religious.

“My takeaway is that as a Religious, I can be unstoppable; I can contribute, I can commit in spreading the Gospel through this area of communication,” Sr. Mary Ann said.

(Story continues below)

The Nigerian member of the Daughters of Divine Love (DDL), who lectures at Deutsche Welle Academy in the postgraduate media and digital literacy program realized in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Bonn in Germany said she feels encouraged to engage digital media “to bring good news to people, to be the voice of the voiceless without relenting.”

Fostering the values of “communion and communication together, we can bring hope to people out there who are expecting us as religious to represent them in the society,” she emphasized.

Sr. Mary Ann cautioned against downplaying the significance of traditional media, saying, “Today, with this evolution of the media technology, especially the social media, and then the online technology, AI (Artificial Intelligence) … people think that traditional media do not have relevance. But it is not true.”

The world has many people, who rely on reading and listening to radio as their information sources, she said, and expressed her awareness of the fact that “traditional media is facing a lot of challenges.”

The Nigerian Catholic Nun advocated for blending traditional and digital media in the evangelization mission, adding that the two-day conference at the Vatican had highlighted the “opportunity for the traditional media to think outside the box, to incorporate also the online version in their system so that they reach the people, so that they don't remain redundant or irrelevant.”

In her presentation at the Global jubilee conference with Religious Sisters, Sr. Paola Moggi shared about traditional media in general and the Catholic Radio Network (CRN) that the members of the Comboni Missionaries spearheaded in Sudan and South Sudan in collaboration with the two-nation Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Italian-born member of the Comboni Missionary Sisters (CMS), who is facilitating the setting up of an Institute of Communication and Media at the Catholic University of South Sudan (CUSS) highlighted the challenges of the Catholic radio initiative in the world’s newest nation, including gaps in professionalism, competence, technical expertise, and a weak support system on emergencies.

In South Sudan as in many part of Africa, radio remains the main source of information, Sr. Paola emphasized, citing a 2024 radio initiative in the East-Central African nation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).