AMECEA to Augment Composition at Regional Level in Quest For Missing Synodal Synergy Links.

Elizabeth Asasha

The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) has embarked on a transformative exercise that seeks to reconstitute the composition of the Association to ensure the representation of all church groups at the regional and continental levels.

According to the executives at the regional level, which is currently constituted by AMECEA bishops board members and representatives of the Association of Consecrated Women in Central and Eastern Africa (ACWECA), the move is aimed at harnessing synergy and pastoral solidarity to amplify the voice of the African Church in the Synod for Synodality, a journey of discernment rooted in the Holy Spirit convoked by Pope Francis on October 10, 2021.

On Thursday, October 19 presser, AMECEA chairman, Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde underscored the need to recognize and engage all the groups within the Church in synodal communion, participation and mission beyond the small Christian communities, parish, and diocese levels.

“The church desires to recognize her different members that are the priests, the Religious men and women, and the laity” Stated the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Solwezi in Zambia.

The prelate commended the active participation of the various groups, emphasizing the significance of acknowledging the role men and women play in the church while extending recognition to the youth disclosing plans to engage them actively at diocesan, conference, regional, and continental levels, to secure their vital participation in the Church’s mission.

He stated, “The men, women, and youths are already there in the church, and they are doing their work, pastoral solidarity, but we want them to do more, the recognition of them at this regional level.”

The prelate disclosed plans to establish an association for religious men who are priests and brothers, followed by a focus on diocesan priests to create a platform for open dialogue and collaboration at the conference, regional, and continental levels.

“In this composition, we also see the enhancement of the church and its pastoral solidarity, building this synergy with the bishops at AMECEA level.” added the prelate shortly after the second annual executive meeting held at the Roussel House, Donum Dei in Nairobi’s suburbia, Karen.

The religious leaders’ decision to hold annual meetings was hatched and ratified in their inaugural meeting held in October 2022 paving the way for the initiatory resolutions to revitalize and recognize key groups within the Church.

The meeting identified missing links and synergy in the Church’s structure, particularly in the involvement of the laity particularly men and the youth. On this, Bishop Kasonde who is the Chancellor of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa noted that, “By creating associations and organizations at different levels, from local to regional, AMECEA aims to fill these gaps and create a synergy that strengthens the pastoral mission of the Church.” He continued, “This includes the revitalization of lay organizations such as the Couples for Christ, contributing to the pastoral solidarity and ongoing formation of the faithful.”

Sister Rosalia Sakayombo, the president of the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA), threw light on the ongoing collaboration with the bishops of AMECEA in the synodal call, committed to bringing together bishops, consecrated women, clergy both diocesan and religious order priests, and the community of laity to strengthen pastoral solidarity and facilitate collaborative evangelization.

The Zambia-based religious Sister of the Holy Spirit who is also the current superior general of the congregation noted, “When the synodal journey started, we were trying to find the different ways in which we can collaborate with our brothers, the bishops of AMECEA to find better ways of evangelizing to our people, especially with a call to mission, participation, and collaboration and that is why we are here.”

ACWECA Secretary General, Sr. Bridgita Samba Mawasi (SSJ), belonging to the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa reiterated the significance of this collaboration emphasizing that “The church is the body of Christ, the people of God in this region so that collaboration between the different teams within the church is very important for us to be able to evangelize in this region.”

Sr Samba expressed satisfaction with the deliberations and the entire trajectory of the two-yearly executive board meetings.

“We are set for further reanimation of the sisters, the laity, and the clergy for them to become better collaborators in this mission, and as our bishop puts it, Africa is like a sleeping giant, but the people really are the resources for the church and so we have high hopes that great things will come out of our efforts.”

The collaborative effort between AMECEA and ACWECA aims to create a stronger, more unified Church in Eastern Africa with an ignited effort to revitalize lay associations, such as the Couples for Christ, and engage the youth actively at various levels, to fully live the commitment to strengthening pastoral solidarity and ongoing formation within the universal Catholic Church.

Sr. Sakayombo, an education and agriculture enthusiast who teaches agricultural science, biology, and religion, correlated the collaborative evangelization embedded in the Synod on Synodality journey with ACWECA’s 2024 plenary assembly central theme.

The theme, “Transformative Holistic Formation for Authentic Living Towards Deeper Evangelization in the ACWECA Region and Beyond,” underscores the commitment to ongoing formation and deeper evangelization.

“We chose this theme because we all felt that when we have listened to the signs of our times at the moment, there is an invitation that will be rooted in our formation” explained the president of ACWECA, comprising of more than 30000 sisters from the East and Central Africa, “Formation at the different levels of our religious life is very important because, with good and grounded formation, we strengthen our identity that springs from our charism and in so doing, the people become attracted to who we are, and we become better evangelizers to our people.”

The Plenary Assembly, earmarked to be a two-tier celebration as ACWECA marks 50 years since its inception, will be held in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, from the 18th to the 24th of August, 2024.

Sr. Sakayombo further divulged that, “one of the key objectives of the convening was to amplify our African voice as an African church, what are we saying to the synodal journey?” Adding that the good representation of the two regional bodies at the final phase of Synod on Synodality held at the Vatican in Rome stamped the efforts to amplify the African voice.

On the evening of Saturday, Oct 28, 2023, Pope Francis led delegates to a culmination of the month-long 2023 Synod on Synodality final phase at the Vatican City of Rome with members approving an ambitious document, “A Synodal Church in Mission,” the 42-page summary report, calling for greater “co-responsibility” among all believers in the evangelizing mission of the Church, and proposing concrete reforms to achieve it.

The document reads in part, “Synodality can be understood as the walk of Christians with Christ and toward the kingdom, together with all humanity; mission-oriented, it involves coming together in assembly at the different ecclesial levels of life, listening to one another, dialogue, communal discernment, consensus-building as an expression of Christ’s making himself present alive in the Spirit, and decision-making in differentiated co-responsibility.”

This synodal call resonates across the ten countries constituting AMECEA (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) with Djibouti and Somalia as affiliate members, brings together bishops, consecrated women, clergy, and laity to strengthen pastoral solidarity and collaborative evangelization.

The Catholic Church in Eastern Africa is on a path of collaborative evangelization. By recognizing the contributions of various groups, fostering ongoing formation, and engaging in open dialogue, AMECEA envisions a Church that embodies the synodal call for communion, participation, and mission. The commitment to unity and collaboration promises a vibrant and impactful future for the Catholic Church in Eastern Africa.