MEETING IN UGANDA BETWEEN POLA AND THE GENERALATE
The Generalate, or the General Administration of the Congregation, is always in close collaboration with its different Provinces and Regions. In the case of our province, the Province of Our Lady of the Assumption (POLA), there is the ongoing collaboration over the refoundation and later accompaniment of SSS Uganda since 1994. At first, on the side of POLA, it was only to be part of the international community formed to re-establish the SSS Uganda under the supervision of the General Team. Then it was deemed practical that POLA would handle the formation aspect while the Generalate would take care of the finance. Further still, POLA was asked to assume the direct supervision of SSS Uganda by making it a part of the Philippine Province with the Generalate continuing to finance the formation of the growing number of seminarians (including those who are sent abroad) and the community. However, the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the document that is the basis of this collaboration, was not reviewed for the past nine (9) years.
Recognizing the need to revisit such document, the 7th POLA Provincial Chapter (October 20-25, 2014) mandated the present Council to review the MOA between POLA and the General Council for the responsibility over the SSS Ugandan foundation, in order to facilitate the administration, formation, self-sufficiency, lifestyle and apostolate so as to guide it to becoming a Region eventually. Moreover, the present General Superior, during his first term, promised the newly formed Council (after the 7th POLA Chapter) of a review of the contract between POLA and the General Administration on the Uganda implantation. The General Council also indicated it was high time to review the MOA after the visit of Fr. Philip Benzy Romician (General Treasurer) to the Uganda community in November 2017.
Seeing the point of the above recommendations, there came an agreement to meet, although both parties are busy fulfilling their respective duties – the Generalate going around attending the different Provincial and Regional Chapters in the Congregation and POLA preparing for its 8th Ordinary Provincial Chapter in October this year.
The meeting was in Uganda so that the Ugandan religious would be present and be able to participate. Instead of the original two-day meeting, it was extended for another day, taking place from June 25-27.
The report on this special meeting will later be made available to the POLA religious so that they will have a better understanding of the possible points for agreement between POLA and the Generalate over the accompaniment of SSS Uganda.
REFLECTION: SPECIAL MEETING IN UGANDA
A three-day meeting was held in Uganda to discuss and draw up propositions for the review of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Generalate and the Province of Our Lady of the Assumption (POLA) on Uganda. The meeting was attended by Fr. Joseph Matitu, SSS (Provincial), Fr. Martin Tine, SSS (Vicar General), Fr. Benzy, SSS (General Treasurer), Fr. Ferdinand Tomo, SSS (Local Superior), Fr. Joseph Matovu, SSS (Parish Priest), Fr. George Ssali, SSS (Director of Formation) and Fr. Martin Ochola, SSS. Fr. Victor Zinkuratire, SSS, who was not able to attend the meetings, was constantly updated, and his thoughts were also solicited and included in the discussion. Despite the busy schedule, there was occasion to meet the Bishop, His Lordship John Baptist Kaggwa and the Parish Executive. The General Team was also able to visit Eymard Formation House in Jinja.
Guided by God’s Word as well as our Rule of Life, the meeting was characterized by openness and moments of profundity on the past, present and future of the SSS presence in Uganda. During the celebrations of the Eucharist and the prayer, the members recognized and expressed their appreciation to our Triune God for the Graces and Mercy in guiding the Ugandan implantation to what it is today since it came to be under POLA.
In looking back at the past there was gratitude for the commendable work that POLA has done and for which the fruits are visible today in the shape of Ugandan religious. Mention was made combined with gratitude of all the Philippine missionaries to Uganda, notably Fr. Willy Vallar. The valuable guidance of all previous provincials and their respective councils was equally appreciated. To the greater confreres of the province, Uganda says thanks for the prayers and the spiritual, financial and moral support.
Without the General Council not much would have been achieved, and so the meeting registered appreciation for its consistency and dedication in financing the formation and the different life activities of the Uganda community.
Our Ugandan confreres past and present were also commended for all the work and ministry undertaken in keeping alight and alive the SSS mission in the two houses of Masaka and Jinja.
As to the present situation of the Uganda Community, the meeting looked at the reality faced by the Generalate, POLA and SSS Uganda from the social, economic and pastoral contexts. The meeting was able to come up with proposals for the future in the light of the resolutions of the 35th General Chapter.
The proposals, in essence, constitute a process that Uganda will undergo to be “weaned from the breasts of its mother.” POLA and the G
eneralate are once again asked to aid in the process, as it has now become clear to the Ugandan members that it is an inevitable but desirable choice to be made.
The future holds a lot of promise, and the meeting sessions saw a consensus on what should constitute a renewed memorandum of agreement to be decided upon by the higher authorities. There was an air of optimism and a sense of rededication in all the members to see Uganda take a new direction under the aegis of Almighty God using the General Council and POLA as the instruments to journey with the young Ugandan religious towards a more robust SSS presence in Uganda.
Fr. Martin Ochola, sss
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Province of Our Lady of the Assumption is happy to announce the coming Perpetual Profession to Religious Life of
Br. Noman Anwar Nasser, sss
and the Ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons of
Br. Tonny Akena, sss
Br. John Muyingo, sss &
Br. Noman Anwar Nasser, sss
on Saturday, 14th of July 2018. The Eucharistic Celebration will be presided by
Most Rev. Sofronio Bancud, SSS, D.D. (Bishop of Cabanatuan)
MY LIFE HAS BEEN LIKE A MANGOSTEEN Br. John Muyingo, SSS
Like the mystical rock, a place, a moment of Fr. Eymard’s discovery of his Eucharistic Spirituality which spreads its branches from the spirituality of penance to that of love, from the sacrifice of the cross to the sacrifice at the altar, my formation has also had some evolutions: some moments of drought, trials and moments of joy and love as well.
Moment of Crosses: trials, tears, sufferings, refusals, frustrations, rejections; in other words, I would prefer calling it the Good Friday of my life in formation. But there are these sayings that go, “you don’t get something for nothing” and “there is no rose without a thorn.” Here Jesus would say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple … must take up their cross … (Mt 6:24). He demonstrated this empirically during his public ministry and in the celebration of the Eucharist when he took bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples. He went on to say, “…[N]o servant is greater than his master” (Jn 13:16); “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it {Mt 10:39); “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first (Jn 15:18). Jesus was preparing his disciples with these biblical passages, and these same words have served like an oasis during my spiritual drought, during my pilgrimage through the desert. These words are where I have been throwing my net whenever the basket would be empty. I consider them as my spiritual coffee, and I would accompany them with spiritual bread which is Fr. Eymard’s life – a life which reflects the whole Paschal mystery of Jesus, a life experiencing both Suffering Christ and Risen Christ. So Fr. Eymard’s biography has been an inspiring and encouraging part of me. For instance, his refusal to discontinue his formation, the death of his family members, poverty, his fragile health, hindrances to his project – all these realities of our founder have been like a spring where I have been getting my spiritual empowerment.
I will be unworthy should I forget the other major pillars of Fr. Eymard which really pushed me to keep on moving even when my back is to the wall or I’m like a vehicle that ran out of fuel. These are about his teaching on Love, where he says that by faith we become Jesus’ disciples, but love makes us his Apostle; also his teaching that a true devotion should be tested.
These words of Fr. Eymard have been like a shock absorber on a car, because sometimes I would feel a need to be lifted up in order to continue my journey. But whenever such a need would arise, I would try to meditate on these words of the man of God. So, for this reason, I consider Fr. Eymard to be my formator and spiritual director for life.
In brief, this is the first part of my sharing. I have not intended to unveil how seriously and frequently I experienced big crosses in my formation, not because I am sure that others might have experienced bigger crosses than mine, and there is no Easter without experiencing Good Friday first. This metaphor can help to call for metanoia and give room for transformation to take place, room to enable me to purify my impure motives, room for healing and transforming sin into grace, as well as providing occasion to experience the Suffering Christ, which is a common call for all Christians. The most important aspect to draw from this hard moment is realization that it’s just a preparation in order to share the joy of Jesus’ resurrection. I believe that all happened to prepare me to something greater, to something that my eyes couldn’t see, that my ears couldn’t hear nor my mind could perceive- this thing I now call the Love and Grace of God. This I can explain well in the next part which I prefer to call Grace: the inner part of a mangosteen.
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
As I earlier said, the first part of my sharing is just a move to the most admirable part, to the moment of gratitude: grace and joy. The first part is like the outer part of the mangosteen that is bitter but covers a sweet part of this fruit. One cannot reach this sweet part without going through the bitter part. When the inner part is tasted, the bitterness is washed away in one’s mouth. That is how my life has been; that is how important this moment of gratitude, grace, hope and joy is in my life. However much the inner part of the mangosteen fruit is sweet, it still contains some bitter elements in it ‒ the seeds. Therefore, I believe that crosses have not ended; many are still awaiting. But in all these I should still rejoice for the grace that I am now able to see them contrarily and interpret them spiritually unlike before. In this way, I call it enlightenment of my experience like that of Job in Scripture.
I remain so grateful to Lord God Almighty because during my stay in the Philippines, I have been able to make a big spiritual step of growth, been able to digest the past and to welcome it with gratitude, be able to testify to God’s love and grace, and to listen again to the Holy Spirit and be able to decide in search for the will of God.
I am so grateful to all those who have supported me in all dimensions, in particular, POLA and my formators. May Almighty God reward them and shower on them his blessings abundantly. There are also my spiritual directors of whom Saint Peter Julian Eymard holds a special position and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
I thank the Lord God Almighty for this grace-filled moment which has given sense to my history, to my first formation and to my first commitments like first vows, renewals of perpetual vows and my one-year experience of perpetual profession. I firmly testify to the Bible verse that says, a year in the Lord is better than a thousand years elsewhere. At this moment my joy is like that of St. Peter Julian when he found the response to the hungers of humanity in the Eucharist. This moment has enabled me to find a response for all the questions I have been asking in the past. To my young brothers I would surely affirm that in our constant prayer we will be strong. God’s ways are not human ways. God prepares for those he calls, so be ready to share in the Suffering Christ in order to rejoice on Easter. Depend more on faith than reasoning, because our reasoning cannot understand the intelligence of God.
I conclude by inviting you all to join hands with me and give thanks to God for his great love, patience and the gift of Eucharistic Vocation he has entrusted to me, his unfaithful servant; to give thanks for his mercy through which he has granted me a chance to be at his service despite my sinfulness; like Fr. Eymard and St. Paul, to be able to respond to the needy, the poor and neglected people.
Almighty God, let your grace in me be like a sun that never sets. Increase in me the virtue of humility and compassion. Let me be an instrument of love and hope amidst my brothers and sisters, that I may always keep my lamp lit and glorify your holy name now and forever. Amen.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Fr. Victor Zinkuratire, SSS
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
of Priestly Ordination
August 15, 2018
After completing his philosophical studies at Kategondo Seminary (Masaka, Uganda) in 1962, Fr. Victor Zinkuratire, SSS, entered the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Province of Saint Ann, USA. His novitiate was in England from 1963 to 1965. On January 10, 1965, he professed his evangelical vows after which he proceeded with his theological studies in Cleveland, USA and in Rome. He was ordained on August 15, 1968. From 1969-72 he was sent for his further studies of Scriptures at the Biblicum.
After finishing his studies at the Biblicum, the young SSS-Ugandan priest Fr. Victor, returned to Masaka at the beginning of 1973. In that same year, he was appointed as the first African Local Superior in Uganda. His love for Scriptures led him to teach at the Kategondo seminary.
On the closing down of the Uganda community in 1974, during the dictatorship of Idi Amin, Fr. Victor did his doctorate in Scriptures at Cambridge University in England.
In 1988, Fr. Victor started teaching at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi. He found that teaching Bible all those years has been an enriching experience. He was the General Editor of the Old Testament of the ‘African Bible’.
Currently, Fr. Victor is staying in the Masaka House and is quite sick.
Fr. Victor was born on March 20, 1939 and is now 79 years old.