Formation Ministry of Religious in Uganda (FoMRU)

Mile Stones

 

  1. The two Pioneer members (Sr. Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC and Sr. Sophia Asiimwe, MSMMC daring to share their “Dream” for the Association of the Religious in Uganda and going ahead at all costs to implement it.
  2. A survey done within fifteen (15) Institutes of Consecrated men and women to establish the reality on the ground (in communities)
  3. Establishing an ARU Formation Ministry office and identifying the staff to run it
  4. Producing and Launching a Formation Guidelines and Resource books, getting Institutes to buy them for their use in Formation of their members
  5. Inducting two thirds of ARU Branches members (out of 19 branches,12 have been inducted)
  6. Delivery of the Financial Sustainability training activity in 5 selected Religious Institutes [i.e. OLGC, LSOSF, MSMMC, DST, & IHMR]. The training workshops were successfully implemented and the participating Institutes were helped to develop policies on Governance, Human Resource, and Finance.
  7. Acquiring a 60% subsidy for those identified to train as Formators
  8. Training Sixty-Nine (69) Formators within four (4) years at the Uganda Spiritual Formation Center – Namugongo and four others trained at Loreto Formation Centre, Ireland (2) and at UISG-Italy (2).
  9. The construction of Formation Ministry office, a library for USFC and Spiritual Accompaniment rooms
  10. Purchase of modern Technology gadgets for improved study purposes
  11. Establishment of an E-Learning Platform for Online Lectures delivery
  12. Different Alumni of the USFC – Namugongo were brought together at two different occasions for them to share their experiences post Formation Training in view of learning from best practices of Formation as well as the challenges realized thus far.
  13. Annual Theological Week workshops were successfully conducted to help address the major concerns affecting Consecrated Life in the recent times. Topics such as Canonical Norms, Synod on Synodality, Charisms etc. were highlighted.

FoMRU 3

Mr. Moses Kasoma

Driver FoMRU and USFC

Sr. Agnes Lomongin – SHS

Assistant National Coordinator, FoMRU

Mr. Norman Mugisha

Financial Administrator, FoMRU

History

The history and the activities of the Formation Ministry of the Religious in Uganda (FoMRU) dates back to March 2015. Since then, various achievements have been registered notwithstanding the challenges met by the staff in carrying out the different activities and realization of future plans.

The ARU-Formation Ministry of the Religious in Uganda was an inspiration from the Holy Spirit, inviting members of Association of the Religious in Uganda (ARU) Conference of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to examine the quality of their lives as consecrated persons. 

The above reflection was in line with the call by the Church for Institutes of Consecrated Life to seriously re-examine their lives and the observation made by some members of ARU on the quality of Consecrated Life prompted them to ask themselves, what Consecrated life would look like in 30 years’ time if the invitation for re-examination of the quality of their lives is not heeded to and if nothing is done to address them in time. The ARU members feared that if the Consecrated Life continued to decline at the rate it was moving, it would lose its original purpose or aim, vision, mission and its prophetic nature of life.
Therefore, the Assembly of Major Superiors of the Religious Institutes in Uganda felt an urgent need to set up a programme to respond to the issues of formation and ongoing formation of her members. They hoped that this would bring about transformation by renewal of evangelical values to strengthen the consecrated persons to walk along the path of Jesus Christ by becoming conformed to him. The leaders also observed that Ongoing Formation, a lifelong process, is so crucial for the consecrated persons in Uganda with a conviction that the initial formation is just a starting point. When the consecrated persons engage in constant reflection and renewal of their lives, they retain their intimacy with Jesus Christ, a sign of commitment and fidelity to Him and adhere to their prophetic mission. They also paid attention to the call to read the signs of the times and become aware of the new trend manifestations with adequate understanding of their impact. 

Humble beginning of the Formation Ministry of the Religious in Uganda
Out of personal interest in renewal of the consecrated life through her observation and experience of what was occurring in the Institutes of the Consecrated Life regarding the quality of religious formation, Sister Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC shared with and presented the need to Stitching Porticus for financial assistance to enhance religious formation in Uganda. One of the people with similar interest she reached out for a combined effort in reflection about the need to address the formation situation in Uganda was Sister Sophia Asiimwe, MSMMC who was then in Nairobi at Tangaza doing a course in Spirituality, prior to being elected as the Superior General of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church. Sister Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC immediately started to engage others to address the situation of formation of the consecrated persons. Consequently, she approached the General Secretary, the then Sister Margaret Kubanze, LSOSF, concerning the matter of formation of the consecrated persons in Uganda.

Stitching Porticus Africa as an agent of the overall development of the African people, including the members of the Institutes of the Consecrated Life, became part of the effort to address the issue of the religious formation in Uganda. Sr. Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC and Sr. Sophia Asiimwe, MSMMC, met the two representatives of Stitching Porticus Africa by names Christine Bodewes, the Regional Director of Porticus and Sarah Rank, then the Grant Manager to discuss the issue of formation and thus drawing them in to take part in the effort related to existing quality of Formation. In March 2015, Porticus invited the two, Sr. Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC and Sr. Sophia Asiimwe, MSMMC, members of the Association of the Religious in Uganda, to think through formation issues and put their ideas and reflections in writing. These two Sisters spent time in prayer. After three days of prayer, they shared their reflections among themselves. They wrote down their reflections on paper to share them with Christine and Sarah in a brainstorming manner to produce a paper entitled “Brainstorming”.

In June 2015, the two Sisters on behalf of ARU and in partnership with Stitching Porticus spearheaded a survey on the Initial and On-going Formation of the consecrated persons of Institutes of Consecrated Life in Uganda; they sampled 15 Institutes (11 local and two international of Sisters, and two of Brothers). Sisters Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC, and Sophia Asiimwe, MSMMC, were joined by Irina Ivan selected by Porticus Africa to assist them to compile their findings after doing a survey. The survey in fact confirmed the prior concerns and observations voiced by their “Brainstorming” document and the previous heard voices of other members of ARU.

Launching a Survey
Sr. Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC, and Sr. Sophia Asiimwe, MSMMC, formulated a questionnaire which they used in their interview of members of each of the 15 Institutes of Consecrated Life in Uganda. In their survey, the two Sisters sought an understanding of the state of religious formation programmes in Institutes of Consecrated Life in Uganda. They found out that the Institutes have various explanations and practices in their programmes of formation. From this, the two Sisters got a hint of what an ideal formation would be despite the key societal impeding trends that are impacting the lives of the consecrated persons and their formation. Their findings enticed them to examine how formation houses were financed by the Institutes.
Establishment of the Office
On June 1st 2016, the ARU Executive formally appointed Sr Romina B. Nyemera, OLGC, as the Coordinator of Formation Ministry of the Religious in Uganda (FoMRU). ARU Secretariat, offered the Coordinator, a place to reside and work from at Uganda Spiritual Formation Centre Namugongo (USFC-N). In September 2016 ARU-FoMRU leadership identified a driver by name Moses Kasoma. Due to the overwhelming work in the office, in October 2016, the ARU Executive appointed Sister Liberata Mandhawun, MSMMC, as an assistant to the Coordinator. As the work of the office was becoming intense, the ARU-FoMRU recruited a Financial Administrator, Norman Mugisha, in June 2017. On 17th December 2017, the Coordinator, Sr. Romina Nyemera, was elected to the leadership of her Institute. The office of the Coordinator fell vacant. The following year in 2018, Sister Rita Namayanja, IHMR, and the late Sister Cecilia Nibyobyonka, OLGC, were identified by ARU Secretariat to fill this vacancy. Sr. Rita became the new Coordinator while Sr. Cecilia was appointed as second Assistant Coordinator. On 1st August, 2019, Sr. Mary Pauline Namuddu, LSOSF was appointed by ARU Executive to replace Sr. Rita Namayanja as a Coordinator after Sr. Rita Namayanja was elected on the Institute Leadership team.

Achievements

Activity 1: Formation of Sensitization Committee and Sensitization Activities for 50 groups of members in Institutes
Activity 2: Development of Formation Resource Book and Formation Guidelines and unpacking of the Formation Guidelines and Resource books
Activity 3: Annual Theological Weeks for Formators
Activity 4: Annual Gathering of USFC Alumni
Activity 5: Curricular Up-Date at (USFC-Namugongo)
Activity 6: Workshop on Charisms (Patrimony)

Activity 7: Financial Sustainability in Five Selected Institutes
Activity 8: Four Religious Sisters attended Formation Courses at Loreto Institute of Formation Ministry in Ireland for Training in Formation (2) and at UISG (2).
Activity 9: Construction of FoMRU offices, Spiritual Accompaniment Rooms and a Library
Activity 10: Sixty percent subsidy then and now fifty percent subsidy for Formators’ Course
Activity 11: E-Learning Management System at USFCN

Our Impact

  1. During the induction workshops, members expressed appreciation for the initiative of ARU to cater for their Spiritual well being as Consecrated persons by reminding them of pertinent matters in their lives.
  2. The Majority of ARU member Leaders at different levels have responded positively to the invitation to identify members of their Institutes to train as Formators. They have also made financial contribution to the training.
  3. There is noticeable change of attitude, now positive towards participating in the Formation ministry.
  4. The numbers of participants attending the Novices and Junior Professed Courses have increased tremendously.
  5. Diocesan priests from within and outside Uganda who have participated in the programmes have requested their Bishops to send more members.

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