Sr. Justine Naluggya, IHMR
Every vocation begins with a whisper, a gentle stirring of the heart! Mine was awakened by the radiant witness of faith-filled women and the quiet encouragement of my family.
As a little girl at Our Lady of Sorrows, Kitovu Cathedral Parish, I was captivated by the joyful reparative presence of the Ggogonya Sisters. These consecrated women, known locally as Aba Sister Abaddaabirizi abe Ggogonya, served with grace and devotion at the diocesan curia, teaching catechism with patience, singing in the choir with passion, and walking hand-in-hand with young people. Their very lives were a living gospel at the parish. At that tender age, my grandmother’s unwavering faith became a steady beacon. Between her quiet strength and the sisters’ vibrant witness, the spark of my vocation was kindled.
I longed to be a Ggogonya sister, to dedicate my life to pastoral ministry, to walk with young people in joy and zeal, to serve with love. This burning fire grew into a seed of pastoral passion, blossoming into a golden treasure: the gift of consecration, though unworthy, I was chosen! God called me to join the salvific journey of making me worthy and every moment of my life is a learning experience of the treasures of heaven and mystery God’s saving grace.
Today, I am profoundly grateful that God called me, not only to belong to the Ggogonya Sisters, but to be his witness by living a life of listening, teaching, accompanying, and contributing to building God’s Kingdom on earth. The spirit born in my childhood experiences has shaped my entire journey as a religious sister, a pastoral minister, and even a scholar. It inspired my doctoral research entitled: Cooperation and Coordination of the Apostolate among Feminine Religious Institutes and the Particular Church: Praxis in Kampala Archdiocese. At its core lies in one strong conviction of my heart and teaching of the Synodal Church: the Church flourishes when we walk together in communion, participation, and mission.
Synodality, a Lifestyle, not a new Program in the Church
Life experience and my synodal engagements in ministry have taught me that being synodal is to cultivate a lifestyle of encounter of otherness, humility, and simplicity at work and shared responsibility in the mission.
Synodality reshapes how we live with others, embrace diversities, openness to newness, appreciate other’s contributions in discernment and decision-making processes etc. It asks us to slow down, make space for voices on the margins, and trust the Spirit moving through the whole People of God. When Pope Francis called the Church to be synodal, he was not asking for a new ecclesial campaign, he was calling us back to our Christian identity a people of God who walk together in communion, participation, and mission. At its heart lies what we call Conversation in the Spirit: a way of listening deeply, discerning together, and moving forward united in the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating a workshop with the leaders of the Laity from the parishes of the Kampala Archdiocese. It was a joy to share with these men and women who carry immense responsibility in our parishes and together explore how Synodality has shaped our leadership and integrated in the daily pastoral life of the different categories of people of God, at all levels including the family encounters.
Together, we practiced listening before leading, discerning rather than debating, and building consensus rooted in prayer. We reflected on the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13–35), where the Risen Christ walked with two confused disciples, listened to their struggles, experienced the rekindling of their hope, and saw them returning to their community with renewed mission. What moved me most was watching the leaders discover that Synodality is not about structures or titles, but about creating space for every voice, especially those often unheard; the young, the poor, and the marginalized. In those moments, I felt that the workshop was not just training; it was Church lived in action.
As I reflect on how Synodality continues to transform my life day by day, year by year, I am convinced: we are called to be a Church that listens, learns, leads, and walks together. This is the only way to be Church in the sacred path of listening, discernment, and shared transformation. And just as the Ggogonya Sisters once walked with me in my tender years, I embark on a daily to journey and walk with others, praying that my presence contributes to the light in their path, one step at a time, on this pilgrim journey of faith.
I pray that you too who is reading my story, the synodal spirit will transform your life, becoming part of something deeper trusting that the whole is greater that the part. May you join the sacred journey of communion, participation, and mission- Way of being and walking together, not only as Church, but with all the ecological citizens.
