SOUTH AFRICA: Uganda’s Gift of Faith to South Africa: Msgr. Joseph Kizito
Rt. Rev. Joseph Kizito, Bishop Elect Aliwal Image Courtesy
When Pope Paul VI visited Uganda in 1969, he came not only as the first Roman Catholic Pontiff to visit Africa but also as a prophet. In the words “Africans be missionaries to yourselves and beyond” in Kampala 1969, he confirmed that Africa was the new land where the Catholic faith would grow in numbers and in quality. Africa was not to be known anymore as land of misery but a place for saints, missionaries and committed Catholics. From that time until today, Africa has changed the trend from being a recipient of missionaries to a continent that is sending missionary to other places.
Most missionary and Religious congregations have turned to Africa to recruit candidates and the response has been gratifying. In fact, not only missionary congregations have fallen into fortune but also the African Church has dared to send and receive Fidei Donum seminarians and priests to bridge the gap in Dioceses where priests are lacking.
It is in this category of Fidei Donum that the golden gift of Msgr. Joseph Kizito, the Bishop Elect of Aliwal Catholic Diocese in South Africa, can be placed.
Who is Msgr. Joseph Kizito?
Msgr. Joseph Kizito is a Ugandan born on the 2nd July 1967 in Rubaga-Wakaliga Kampala. His father is late Charles Nsubuga Kinanina of Masaka Kingo while his mother is Mrs. Babirye Christine Kayaga Nsubuga of Kyengera Nabaziza Kampala. Msgr. Joseph Kizito was born in a family of ten children five boys and five girls, him being the sixth child.
He did his Primary Education in Rubaga Christian Brothers School and in Achilet Banakaloli Brothers Primary School in Tororo where he completed Primary Seven. After Primary education he joined Lubiri Secondary School where he became a very active altar boy. Since he was a day scholar, Joseph Kizito became a very active Youth Leader in his Small Christian Community in St. Antony Sub-Parish, Wakalinga. From this Small Christian Community, he started reflecting about his vocation to priesthood.
The Road less travelled
After a year of volunteering to clean Rubaga Cathedral which was his home Parish Church and vending in second-hand cloths in St. Balikuddembe market Owino Nakivubo, he joined the Order of the Servants of Mary in Kisonga Mukono, now Lugazi Diocese, and one year later he was sent to St. Augustine Major Seminary Roma in Lesotho where he obtained a degree in Philosophy.
In 1992 after seeing the dare need of Catholic Clergy in South Africa, Joseph Kizito joined the Diocese of Aliwal and took up a teaching post at Maclomes High School while being prepared for Theology studies. From 1993 -1996, he was sent to St. John Vianney Seminary Pretoria where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree granted by Urbaniana University in Rome. On the 14th December 1996 Bishop Emeritus Frederick Lobinger ordained him to Diaconate at St Teresa Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Aliwal. The following year on 27th September 1997, he was ordained a Catholic Priest for the Diocese of Aliwal North.
The Newly Ordained Joseph Kizito
As a young priest, he was assigned to St Francis Catholic Church under the supervision of Fr. Jabu Khumalo as the Assistant Parish Priest. During this time, he was assigned the responsibility of starting and strengthening Small Christian Communities with clear pastoral focus of cultivating the spirit of prayer together with the people of God.
On 1st January 1998 until the beginning of 2003, Fr Joseph Kizito was appointed to Mhlanga Parish where he faced the challenge of being the first black Priest to work in a white founded and managed parish. During this time, he felt the need of knowing more about the Missions and decided to pursue postgraduate studies in Missiology with the University of South Africa (UNISA) where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Missiology and another in Theology. He is still pursuing a PhD in Missiology with emphasis on youth sexuality, behavior change and the impact of HIV/ AIDS.
From 2003 he was transferred to Sterkspruit Pastoral Region as a moderator and Priest in Charge, up to 2013. In 2008, the now Bishop Emeritus of Aliwal North, Bishop Michael Wustenberg appointed him to be his Vicar General on the 8th April 2009, which was Holy Thursday; Bishop Michael Wustenberg announced officially that the Holy Father Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, had conferred on Rev. Fr. Joseph Kizito and Rev Fr. Franz Aertker the title of Honorary Prelate which is the same as Msgr. In 2013 Msgr. Joseph Kizito as Vicar General was assigned to take Pastoral care for the entire Region of Aliwal North and Parish Priest of Aliwal North Cathedral Parish, with seven extra Parishes that were without a resident Priest.
Msgr. Joseph Kizito has been working tirelessly like this until now when he was appointed as the New Bishop of Aliwal North Diocese, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The Bishop Elect of Aliwal Dioceses continues to minister in these extra seven parish churches which are so far apart from each with the furthest being located 120 km from the main parish. The Bishop elect is preparing himself to lead the Archdiocese which has fifteen main Parishes most of the vacant and hundreds of outstation churches that are far apart from each other. One of the challenges facing the diocese is the lack of vocations to Priesthood and Religious Life.
The Joy of Being An African missionary in Africa
It is celebrations all over the country as our own Ugandan-born priest takes charge of a South African Diocese. Because of the example set by the Uganda Martyrs, most Ugandan Catholics know that there is ‘no joy without pain’. The more one surrenders to Jesus, the more Jesus is ready to entrust him with exceptional assignments.
Monsignor Kizito takes over Aliwal North Diocese that has been vacant since the resignation of Bishop Michael Wüstenberg in 2017. Among those most happy with the appointment is his mother, Christine Babirye Nsubuga who continues to peep at the portrait of Mgrs. Joseph Kizito saying God has ‘chosen my son and raised him from grass to grace and immediately recites a prayer dedicating her son to Mother Mary with tears rolling down her eyes.
The mother of the Bishop Elect testifies that the news of the appointment is the best thing to ever happen in her lifetime. The other happy person is Ritah Nankya Nsubuga, a sister to the bishop-elect who remembers how Mgrs. Joseph Kizito had a rough but dedicated life from which God has chosen to elevate him.
To study in day schools, clean churches free of charge and vend second-hand cloth in St Balikuddembe market and then become a Bishop is but a miracle God is sharing with Uganda, South Africa, and now the whole World. One of Mgrs. Joseph’s friends, Rev Fr. Joseph Nkeera, the Kampala Archdiocesan Communication Secretary admires the critical eye of the Holy See which has perceived the greatness in the man who has assertively chosen to serve in the spiritually troubled country of South Africa.
Rev. Fr. Nkeera, one of Mgrs. Joseph Kizito’s close friends says that during the several visits to South Africa, he has seen the impact of the appointed Bishop through the different moves to adopt the social culture and the several initiatives he has championed to support the youth, homeless children and other underprivileged people. To him and most Ugandans, the appointment is a challenge, encouragement, and a reward to missionary priests who come from African countries and decide to go and evangelize in more under privileged foreign land.
The Diocese of Aliwal North
The Diocese of Aliwal began in 1923 as an ecclesiastical territory entrusted to the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. It was formerly known as the Gariep Prefecture. In 1936 the Prefecture was raised to the status of Vicariate and became known as the Aliwal Vicariate.
It was erected as a diocese in 1951, but in 1953 the Western portion of the Diocese was detached and became the prefecture of De Aar. The Diocese of Aliwal covers an Area of approximately 31 200 sq. km.; with a total population of 510 000 inhabitants of whom 16, 174 are baptized Catholics. The Diocese of Aliwal now comprises municipalities of Inkwanca, Gariep, Kopanong-Xhariep, Maletswai, Senqu and Ukhahlamba. The whole diocese has which is supposed to have fifteen Parishes, only two Parishes are active, there are still categorized as missions which makes centers of evangelization to be only five served while the other ten are now vacant because of lack of Priests.
The whole Diocese including the newly elected and the Emeritus add up to only 12 priests. As Mgrs. Joseph Kizito is preparing for his episcopal consecration, he appeals to all priests and seminarians here in AMECEA and SECAM that “The harvest is great and the workers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest” Luke 10:2. We thank God for the vocation of Msgr. Joseph Kizito and his tireless commitment in ministering to the people of God in South Africa, especially in the Aliwal North Diocese.
We congratulate ourselves as a Catholic and Church in AMECEA Region and Africa at large the for this new shepherd especially as SECAM still celebrates her fifty years as one family Church of God on this Continent and the surrounding Islands. May the Mother of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Uganda Martyrs through their blood and Blessed Benedict Daswa intercede for Mgrs. Joseph Kizito. God bless Africa.
By Rev. Fr. Paulino Mondo
