Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) has praised the Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary (MSBVM), whose members fled from a civil war in Sudan over three decades ago, and are now behind thriving pastoral and social programs in South Sudan and Uganda.
In his congratulatory message addressed to the Congregation’s Superior General, Mother Anthonieta Bakosoro, following the profession in Uganda of the six members of the congregation, Bishop Hiiboro acknowledged the Sisters’ active role in advancing the mission and vision of their institute.
“I am thankful to all my great Sisters of the institute, who are already engaged in various pastoral and social programs across Uganda and South Sudan,” the Bishop said in his message to the congregation that relocated to Uganda from Sudan in 1993.
Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY). Credit: Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Uganda
MSBVM was founded in Sudan in 1980, during the period between the end of the country’s first civil war in 1972 and the outbreak of the second in 1983. As the civil wars intensified, the growing threat to the Sisters’ safety forced them to flee to the Central African Republic in December 1990, where they spent three years at a refugee camp.
As foreigners in the French-speaking country, the Sisters faced challenges in settling and accessing education.
At the end of 1993 Bishop, Joseph Abangite Gasi who served as Local Ordinary of Tombura in Sudan at the time directed them to relocate to Uganda, recognizing the need for a stable center and the support of the Comboni Sisters to foster their growth and development. Bishop Gasi would later retire as Bishop of South Sudan’s Tombura-Yambio.
Credit: Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Uganda
Bishop Gasi was inspired to educate the Sisters as evangelizers and teachers, able to fulfill their mission of improving the lives of women and families. The Sisters trained for all levels of formal and informal education with children, adolescents, and women in Sudan, South Sudan, and beyond.
In his congratulatory message shared with ACI Africa on Monday, January 20, Bishop Hiiboro commended the leadership of Mother Anthonieta Bakosoro, expressing confidence in the direction the institute is taking under her guidance.
source: aciafrica.org
