Apostles of Jesus for the New Evangelization

28 Pages·2010·1.1 MB·English

by  Avitus Kazi Siriwa

Summer-Fall 2010
Apostles of Jesus for the New Evangelization
“
It is impossible for us not to proclaim what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20)
Zeal, Urgency and Collaboration
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God causes the growth” (1 Cor 3:6)
A postles
CONTENTS
APOSTLES SUMMER-FALL 2010

Editorial …………………………………………………………………. 4

Mission Statement ……………………………………………………….. 5

Partnership in Mission: “A Revolution of Love” …………………………6

The Incredible Trip……………………………………………………….. 7
Robert and Jane Klugiewicz

Allentown couple visits the Apostles of Jesus in East Africa…………….10
Staff Writer

President Yoweri Museveni Makes a Donation to Church ………………13
Mitume Busara

Generous Pittsburgh Priest Honored ……………………………………..15
Mitume Busara

The Shining Stars we Meet ……………………………………………….17
Rev. Francis Njau, AJ

Witness from Sudan to South Africa ……………………………………..19
Rev. John Mary Mooka, AJ

Associate Friends of the Apostles of Jesus (AFAJ)……………………….23
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Managing Editor: Rev. John Mary Mooka Kamweri, AJ

Associate Editors: Rev. Frederick Otieno, AJ
Rev. Godfred Ocun, AJ
Rev. William D. Oruko, AJ
Rev. Paul O. Gaggawala, AJ
Rev. Peter Mushi, AJ

Staff Writers: Mitume Busara

Photo Manager; Rev. Deogratias Rwegasira, AJ

Lay out & graphic design: Rev. Avitus Kazi Siriwa, AJ

Published by the Apostles of Jesus Mission Promotion Office
Apostles 2
Editorial

“T
ry to get here before winter
(2 Timothy 4:21).” This
scriptural verse is sandwiched be-
tween names of St. Paul’s collabo-
rators in the mission. Mention is
made of Prisca, Aquila, family of
Onesiphorus, Erastus, Trophimus,
Eubulus, Pudens, Linus Claudia,
and others unnamed (2 Timothy 4:
19-20). The verses underline the
zeal, urgency and the collaboration
that characterized St. Paul’s mis-
sion to the world. This message
sets the theme for our Summer-Fall
issue.
Like Lau Tzu said, “A jour-
ney of a thousand years begins with
a single step.” We the Apostles of
Jesus are thankful to God for help-
ing us take a few baby steps to-
wards advancing the redemptive
work of the Lord Jesus Christ to the
people of Africa and the world.
This mission is impossible without
the collaboration of the many lov-
ing and generous people dedicated to supporting our God given
cause. Your prayers and sacrifices continually make us better
agents of evangelization.
We dedicate this issue to you dear friends of the Apostles
of Jesus, our partners in ministry. If you did not hold our hand,
we would not have made the first and the second step. But let us
remember that all the glory is to God. For St. Paul said “I planted,
Apollos watered, but God causes the growth (1Cor 3: 6).”
Apostles 3
Mission Statement
T he Apostles of Jesus is a Missionary Or-
der founded by two Italian Comboni Mis-
sionaries in Moroto-Uganda on August 22,
1968 for the express purpose of the New
Evangelization of Africa and the world.

The Apostles of Jesus commit themselves com-
pletely to the service of the Spiritual-
Pastoral and social wellbeing of all people
with preference to the poor, in the spirit
of Christ who came to serve and not to be
served (Matt 20:28).

Our Mission is the very Mission of Jesus to
his Apostles to continue Christ’s holistic
ministry; so that all may have life and
have it in all its fullness (Jn 10:10).
Thus, building a new civilization of love,
justice, peace and life.

In this context, we opt for first evangeli-
zation and for Pastoral animation of all
people, because God wants all to be saved
and come to the knowledge of the truth.

We invite all to Mission partnership with
the Apostles of Jesus because the mandate to
evangelize is entrusted to all the followers
of Christ, the first missionary of the Fa-
ther.

Through the intercession of Mary Our Mother
and of the first Apostles of Jesus, we zeal-
ously strive to proclaim the Gospel of Sal-
vation to all, starting from East Africa to
the ends of the earth (Ad Gentes
Apostles 4
PARTNERSHIP IN MISSION: “A REVOLUTION OF LOVE”

Pope Pius XII in his discourse to the new Cardinals on Febru-
ary 20th,1946 said: “....the lay faithful, find themselves at front lines of
the Church’s life...for them the Church is the animating principle for
human society.”
In his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Christifideles
Laici,” 1988, Pope John Paul II emphasized that through baptism the
lay faithful are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetic
and kingly office of the Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI has called upon the lay faithful to be wit-
nesses of Christ in the concrete reality and substance of their lives in all
of their activities and surroundings. He pointed out that what is needed
is a real “revolution of love”. (emphasis added, cf. Origins, July 1, 2010
vol. 40 no. 8, p.124)
Then H. Richard McCord Jr. in his lecture on “Priests and Laity
in the one Priesthood of Christ” pointed out that: “The priesthood of the
faithful and the priesthood of the ordained are ordered to each other.
They share in the one priesthood of Christ because they serve the one
mission which Christ accomplishes through his Church.” (Cf. Origins,
July 1, 2010 vol.40, no.8, p.119). This teaching is spelled out in the
Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium).
These quotations for our reflection and many more address di-
rectly and present succinctly an ecclesiology of communion and co-
responsibility for the evangelizing mission of the Church. Every Chris-
tian is a missionary by virtue of his or her Baptism. The Church is mis-
sionary by its very nature, and so are her members.
The Apostles of Jesus inspired by this ecclesiology, and their
charism have created opportunities for the lay faithful to effectuate their
mission obligation. The Association of the Friends of the Apostles of
Jesus (AFAJ) provides practical ways and means to get involved di-
rectly in the mission activity of the Church.
In January 2010, I visited the missions in Kenya, Tanzania and
Uganda with some friends from Pennsylvania; and as they relate their
experiences in this magazine, the rewards are simply stunning. In order
to fulfill Christ’s mandate to all his followers, namely, to go out to the
whole world and proclaim the good news (Mt. 28:19), all we need is a
heart. It requires a “Revolution of love.” With love all is possible.

Rev. Paul O. Gaggawala, A.J

Apostles 5
The Incredible Trip to Africa
Robert and Jane Klugiewicz
T
hroughout life one never at the Mission Office in
knows what God has in Northampton, Pennsylvania
store for you. This has been about 80 miles from our home
the story of our married life. located on the outskirts of the
In April of 2009, quite by state capital.
accident we met Fr. Paul Gag- We were initially awed with
gawala, Regional Superior of the fact that missionaries
the Apostles of Jesus at a headquartered in Africa are
Knights of Columbus event. serving the dioceses of the
Other than hearing that he was United States that are encoun-
a missionary serving in the tering shortages of priests.
United States, we knew little Secondly, that the Order is 41
about the Apostles of Jesus. years old and founded in our
Eager to learn about the Order, lifetime by missionary priests
Fr. Paul invited us to visit him from Italy. We learnt that its
Apostles 6
seminaries are expanding and ceived the necessary inocula-
that Africa is rich in its voca- tions for travel. Soon the
tions to priesthood and reli- months went by quickly and
gious life. What a blessing to weeks turned into days, we
Africa and the rest of the were boarding our flight from
world. Newark to Amsterdam and on
As our conversation contin- to Nairobi, Kenya.
ued with Fr. Paul, he popped We shall never forget the
the question; “I am going to hospitality of the Apostle of
East Africa early next year, Jesus. We were overwhelmed
would you like to join me?” by hugs of joy. It felt like our
We both recently returned from family was waiting for us after
a mission trip to the Dominican being away for a long time. We
Republic with the Missionary found a special friend in the
Sisters of the Sacred Heart, but Superior General of the Apos-
a trip to East Africa was some- tles of Jesus Fr. Speratus Ka-
thing out of the ordinary. manzi, AJ. His awareness of
Overwhelmed with the pros- the Americans, having lived in
pect of going to Fr. Paul’s na- the United States, about 60
tive country, we kept wonder- miles from our home, helped
ing whether this is what we us to feel very comfortable in
were supposed to do. Was this his presence. We further learnt
part of God’s plan for our re- that he was a member of the
tirement? It apparently was Knights of Columbus, and had
God’s will as after a great deal joined the organization during
of prayers, things were falling his assignment as a missionary
into place and soon preparing to the United States. We appre-
for the trip was underway. ciate the hospitality extended
We waited for the appropri- to us by the Superior General
ate time to tell our children and during our stay at Mazzoldi
grandchildren of our decision house in Nairobi.
to go on a mission trip to Af- During our stay in Nairobi,
rica. To say the least they were Kenya, we toured the major
surprised with our decision. seminary at Langata and spent
Yet, we kept asking ourselves, time with the seminarians that
“Why us?” We kept praying, were returning for their second
asking for guidance as we semester of the school year.
filled our visa papers and re- We were left with that feeling
Apostles 7
of gratitude as we joined the the friends of the Apostles of
seminarians for the opening Jesus is very vital to advancing
mass for the semester. Perhaps this cause. These seminarians
some of these young men we may serve you and me as
prayed with will one day be priests in the future.
missionaries in the United That is not all about our
States, serving in parishes, or trip. Our next destination was
colleges and hospitals as chap- Uganda. On visiting the Shrine
lains. It is an awesome experi- of the Uganda Martyrs and
ence. I and Jane hearing the
continue to ask story of
Children are given special
ourselves, why their mar-
consideration in the mission
us? tyrdom we
of the Apostles of Jesus
One more spe- came to an
cial thing we en- understand-
countered at the ing of the
major seminary was the expan- strength of Catholicism in that
sion of the buildings to accom- country. The courage of those,
modate the increasing voca- now saint, to publicly defend
tions promoted from minor their faith certainly has a pro-
seminaries. The support from found influence on the Ugan-
Apostles 8
dan Catholics as well as those of us who have had the opportunity
to visit the Shrine. You leave the Shrine with a single question,
“How strong is my faith, and am I ready to defend it?”
Children are given special consideration in the mission of the
Apostles of Jesus. We experienced this as we visited Lima Farm,
an Apostles of Jesus community in a rural area of Uganda. This
community that houses orphaned children also has a medical
clinic, chapel, and now a school (under construction) for children
of this rural area. When we are asked the direction to Lima Farm,
we say, “Drive about 50 miles on a high way from Kampala, and
make a left turn and drive into the bush.”
Our first impression was of excitement to see all of these
young children dressed in their maroon and yellow school uni-
forms greeting us. One could not have received a greater welcome
than what we received from the children of Lima. We were
moved in learning that Judy, their teacher started a school for
these children under a tree. The thirst and respect for education
was very evident as we toured the three-classroom school under
construction. We are as anxious as the children and the teachers
to have the new school opened.
What dedication by the Apostles of Jesus! The realities of life
were very apparent as we visited the clinic and saw a man from
the nearby village being treated for Malaria. “If this clinic was not
here, I would be dead.” Here we truly witnessed the work of the
Apostles of Jesus. To view the work of the Apostles of Jesus at
Lima farm in the past six years is truly a Herculean event.
Our story of the visit to East Africa with the Apostles of Jesus
is more about what we witnessed. Every day, it became clearer
that we were set to tell our friends and neighbors the story of
work of these “men of the cloth” the Apostles of Jesus. We espe-
cially thank Fr. Paul Gaggawala AJ, the Superior General Fr.
Speratus Kamanzi AJ, Fr. Sivester Arinaitwe Rwomukubwe AJ,
Fr. Valentine Katsigazi AJ, Fr. Ponsiano Kiyimba AJ, and Fr.
Anacletus Mugabe AJ, for making our mission trip to East Africa
an experience that allowed us to witness the faith of the people of
East Africa and the work of the Apostles of Jesus missionaries.
Apostles 9
Allentown Couple Visit
the Apostles of Jesus in East Africa
Staff Writer
C
armen and Mary ioners provided the first home
Ann Genevese of away from home for the Afri-
Allentown in Penn- can missionaries. Since then
sylvania first met Fr. Fr. Potts has continued to assist
Anacletus Mugabe AJ in 2007 the Apostles of Jesus and has
through Fr. Robert Potts, Pas- introduced them to every friend
tor of St. Ursula’s Church in of his.
Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania. It was simply natural that the
Fr. Potts has been a friend of motherly instincts quickly
the Apostles of Jesus for years kicked in when Fr. Mugabe
since he first welcomed two told Mary Ann about the or-
priest students to his former phaned children he takes care
place of assignment in Shenan- of at Lima Farm in Nakaseeta,
doah, Allentown diocese, in Uganda. With full support
United States. By opening the from her husband, Mary Ann
doors, Fr. Potts and the parish- has since put no breaks on the
Apostles 10