A reflection of Fr Joseph G. Healey, MM as Archbishop James Odongo celebrates the Episcopal
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| Fr Joseph Healey |
Golden Jubilee on 21 February 2015 at Uganda Martyrs Cathedral, Tororo, Uganda. Fr Healey writes “I was privileged to be the first Social Communications Secretary of AMECEA from 1968-1974 based in Nairobi, Kenya. Later Bishop Vincent McCauley, CSC, the Secretary General of AMECEA, called me “one of AMECEA’s roving ambassadors.” I worked closely with Archbishop Odongo when he was chairman of AMECEA between 1973 and 1979
1. SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL (1962-65)
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| Archbishop James Odongo |
The then Bishop James Odongo was consecrated (now the word is “ordained”) a bishop on 16 February. 1965. Thus he went to the Fourth and Last Session of the Second Vatican Council that took place in the Vatican (Rome) from 14 September to 8 December 1965. Presently there are three living bishops in the AMECEA Region who officially participated in Vatican II – a significant historical milestone: Archbishop Odongo, Retired English Bishop Colin Davies, MHM, of Ngong Diocese, Kenya now living in England and Retired Tanzanian Bishop Gervas Placidus Nkalanga, OSB of Bukoba Diocese, Tanzania now living at Hanga Abbey, Tanzania.
The fourth and last session of the Second Vatican Council approved a total of eleven documents of the 16 official documents including the especially important:
® Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes)
® Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum)
® Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium)
® Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad Gentes)
® In a recent conversation Archbishop Odongo emphasized that all the bishops signed these documents in the spirit of collegiality and joint ownership. All their signatures are officially in the Vatican Archives. This also made the bishops like him responsible to implement the teaching of the documents when they returned to their home countries and dioceses.
2. AMECEA (1973-1979): Some significant events during his leadership
1973: The AMECEA Study Conference on “Planning for the Church in Eastern Africa in the 1980s” in Nairobi, Kenya in December, 1973 stated: “We have to insist on building church life and work on Basic Christian Communities in both rural and urban areas. Church life must be based on the communities in which everyday life and work take place: those basic and manageable social groups whose members can experience real inter-personal relationships and feel a sense of communal belonging, both in living and working.” This pastoral policy was in the context of the statement: “We are convinced that in these countries of Eastern Africa it is time for the Church to become truly local that is, self-ministering, self-propagating and self-supporting.”
1974-75: Under the direction of Bishop Vincent McCauley the new AMECEA Residence and Office Block was built on Gitanga Road in Nairobi.
1975: The one year AMECEA Accountancy Course was established in Nyegezi Social Training Institute (NSTI), now St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) in Mwanza, Tanzania.
1976: The Apostolate to the Nomads of AMECEA (ANA) was established.
The AMECEA Pastoral Institute (API/Gaba) moved from Gaba, Kampala, Uganda to Eldoret, Kenya due to political insecurity and continued to flourish.
At the AMECEA Study Conference on “Building Small Christian Communities” in Nairobi, Kenya in July, 1976 the key statement was: "Systematic formation of Small Christian Communities should be the key pastoral priority in the years to come in Eastern Africa.” This is the single most important statement made about SCCs. NOTE: There are now over 160,000 SCCs in Eastern Africa. Over the years the SCCs in the AMECEA Region have had a significant influence on the rest of Africa and around the world.
3. CONNECTIONS AND PERSONAL FRIENDSHIPS
a. “The Social Communications Connection.” We have always had a close knit
AMECEA Social Communications Family with many personal friendships. A good friend of Archbishop Odongo was Bishop Joseph Mukwaya. As “Father” Joseph Mukwaya he served in the Communications Department of the Uganda Catholic Secretariat in Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda. Later he succeeded me as the second Social Communications Secretary of AMECEA. Then he became the Secretary General of AMECEA. Later Bishop Mukwaya became the Auxiliary Bishop of Kampala Archdiocese and then Ordinary of Kiyanda-Mityana Diocese. A very good friend of Archbishop Odongo is Mary Nives Kizito who also served in the Communications Department of the Uganda Catholic Secretariat and now lectures in Communications at Daystar University in Nairobi. She remembers warmly being present at the archbishop’s episcopal ordination 50 years ago. When I worked at the AMECEA Office I would visit the Communications Training Centre of Tororo Diocese. There was good coordination and cooperation between the dioceses in Uganda. During their time on the AMECEA Executive Board both Archbishop Odongo and Archbishop Emmanuel Obbo, A.J. were Bishop Chairmen of the Communication Department of AMECEA. So the connections and the links are many.
b. “The Tororo Diocese Connection.”
Over the years I became good friends with priests of Tororo Diocese such as Father John Kauta and Father Joseph O’Doy. During my four years of teaching at the Maryknoll School of Theology in Maryknoll New York, USA I was the Advisor of many Ugandan priests, some who became bishops. Since I was initiated into the Buffalo Clan of Bishop Mukwaya and given the Luganda name Ssentamu (that means “cooking pot”) I was always invited to participate in Ugandan National Days.
As many know Tororo Diocese had a Development Office in the State of Connecticut, USA. Archbishop Odongo would occasionally come to the USA for what are called “Mission Appeals” -- preaching and fund raising in parishes on weekends. My home diocese is Baltimore Archdiocese in the state of Maryland. Once I visited St. Matthew Parish in Baltimore and the pastor said, “Oh, Bishop Odongo was here last month.” Small world indeed.
So let us continue to remember and to celebrate.
Rev. Joseph G. Healey, MM
Maryknoll Society
P.O. Box 43058
00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Telkom Orange Wireless: 057-2522977 (Kenya)
Blackberry: 973-216-4997 (USA)
Email: JGHealey@aol.com