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| Msgr. Pius Rutechura, Vice Chancellor CUEA |
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) hosted International Missionary Conference which focused on Evangelization in Africa with an aim of commemorating and redefining missionary identity, relevance and role in the world today.
The three-day conference which began on 19th and ended on 21stbrought together delegates, the majority of whom were religious men and women, from across the world.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of CUEA, Msgr. Pius Rutechura said that CUEA was privileged to host the event which he described as a significant and timely event.
“The choice of CUEA for this conference was not by chance but by design. CUEA has become of age a significant centre of missionary enlightenment and evangelization,” Msgr. Rutechura said adding that “The regional university has become an academic Areopagus where local clergy, missionaries, religious and the laity are being formed holistically within Catholic education tradition to become transformative agents of evangelization in the Church and society.”
He said, “It is my firm conviction and belief that this conference will serve the purpose of refocusing Vision 2030 especially in areas of bringing in values of integrity, patience, honesty, sacrifice, respect, tolerance in shaping destinies of people and nations.”
Msgr. Rutechura said that Missionary communities in collaboration with the academia can make great contributions in producing constructive ideas that can positively shape policies by injecting in divinely inspired policies that are in favour of promoting integral and holistic human, religious and intellectual formation.
Talks on beatification of Sr. Irene Stefani, a Consolata Missionary Sister, which is scheduled to happen on Saturday 23rd May in Nyeri Diocese dominated the conference as this is the first time Kenya will witness such an occasion.
Referring to the bold steps taken by Sister Irene, Msgr. Rutechura said that the very act of daring to redefine your missionary identity is plausible and worthy emulating. (Sr Irene contracted deadly plague during her mission work in Gikondi Nyeri and died of the disease on the 31st October, 1930.)
“Among the things that are hard if not rare in our times is giving up on being perfect and beginning to work towards becoming what we were meant to be,” Msgr. Rutechura said.
Among other key issues discussed at the conference included Mission from the perspective of the Universal Church, Fruits of Ad Gentes: Effects of Mission in forming the Local Church and the Future of Missions.
Also discussed during the conference was the role of Mass Media in Evangelization. Considering the fact that the Catholic Church champions some of the most important aspects of human life, issues of education, health, justice and governance were also discussed at the conference.
Source: Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News