UGANDA, Jean de Dieu Ntisumbwa •
The Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement in Uganda, at Nakivale parish, Diocese of Mbarara, welcomed new members in a beautiful celebration on Sunday, July 16. The parish is part of the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, one of the biggest in Africa. Schoenstatt began here a couple of years ago when Jean de Dieu Ntisumbwa, a Schoenstatt member from Burundi, arrived here as refugee. —
Most refugees in the settlement are Congolese although the population is heterogeneous with many cultures and groups from different nationalities: Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea… The settlement is divided into seventy-nine villages with an average of 800 to 1,000 people per village.
Last Sunday, the growing Schoenstatt Movement there, celebrated the function ceremony for welcoming sixteen new bodying students and four women into the movement.
The scarfs as sign of belonging and commitment
During the mass they have worn the scarfs with the Schoenstatt logo. These scarfs, originally created for the blessing of the Schoenstatt Shrine in Rome (Belmonte) in 2004, are very dear to many members of the Movement until today. In Uganda, with just one Pilgrim Mother and only a handful of medals, they have become the symbol of the Covenant of Love.
We thank our Mother thrice admirable of Schoenstatt for this celebration. The Schoenstatt members at this Secondary School and their Department Teacher, Samuel, set up a choir that accompanied the celebration. As they do not have a keyboard, they borrowed one from the parish.
I plan to initiate the Schoenstatt mission in another Parish now that these students received their scarfs.
Seems the MTA is removing the obstacles that prevent the growth of the apostolate. Thanks in advance for the generosity of those who offered to send more Pilgrim Mother pictures to us. We are committed to carry her and her Son wherever they want to go.
Schoenstatt Uganda, Nakivale
