Shared by Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska, Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa on mission in Adjumani, West Nile
This year marks a special moment: we close the Jubilee celebrating 125 years since the arrival of the White Sisters in Uganda, and at the same time commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, their founder.
It is a time to look back with gratitude and forward with renewed zeal—inspired by Lavigerie’s call to his missionaries to “be initiators” as they brought the Gospel to sub-Saharan Africa.
The Diary of the Sisters brings us to that historic moment of arrival:
On Wednesday, October 18, 1899, around 1 p.m., we climbed the Rubaga Hill. The people were lined up in orderly fashion before the cathedral. When the Apostolic Vicar appeared, everyone showed great joy by cries and clapping, and they did the same when the sisters appeared behind him. Then the whole crowd, thousands of persons, pressed forward to the church behind the missionaries. The choir was richly draped in cloth and greenery, the altar brilliant with lights. The hymn of thanksgiving, the Magnificat, was sung.
Bishop Streicher thanked the assembly for their prayers, which contributed to a safe journey. … Later a brother led us to a little hut, near the Oratory of Our Lady, in the midst of the banana plantation. It was not in very good condition, but worse yet was the lack of light. It’s only temporary, a month will soon pass. All that afternoon visitors came along to congratulate us: ‘Mukulike lugendo!’ — and when we asked if they were happy to have their bishop back, some women replied: ‘We are happy because he came with you!’”[1]
This first encounter paints a vivid picture of welcome, joy, and humble beginnings. What began in a simple hut has borne fruits that today nourish an entire nation.
When Cardinal Lavigerie sent the first missionaries to Uganda, his heart burned with love for Africa. He dreamed of bringing the light of Jesus Christ to this continent, not through domination, but through service, respect, and deep inculturation. He believed passionately that the lasting work of evangelization would be done by Africans themselves. To his missionaries, he gave a clear and challenging mandate:
You are initiators; the lasting work will be done by the Africans themselves!”. Plant seeds of faith, train local leaders, and then step back so the people themselves could continue God’s work.
The White Sisters embraced this call. In Uganda, we served far and wide—beginning humble works that have grown into enduring institutions. Rubaga Hospital began under a tree; Kisubi Hospital followed, serving countless patients. We opened schools like St. Theresa Primary in Kisubi, another St Teresa Primary in Bwanda – Masaka, Trinity College Nabbingo, and founded teacher training colleges in Nkozi and Virika and many others. In every mission, we prepared leaders, handed over, and moved on to new frontiers, always trusting in the power of God at work in the local Church.
As initiators, we were called not only to support the growth of the local Church, but also to accompany young congregations in their first steps. It was our privilege to serve as the first formators of two Ugandan institutes: the Daughters of Mary (Bannabikira) and the Daughters of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus (Banyatereza). Today it is our joy to witness their flourishing—growing in number, deepening in faith, and carrying the Good News to their own people with zeal and dedication.
Today, we are the fruit of their courage and faith. Their legacy lives on—not only in us, the Sisters, but in every Christian in Uganda who continues the mission in families, parishes, schools, and communities. And as they once began new works, so we too are called to begin again. In the north of Uganda, we opened a new mission among South Sudanese refugees and their host communities. In Bunamwaya, Kampala, we have initiated a batic, tie-and-dye livelihood project for women. In many places, we are sowing seeds whose harvest will be reaped by future generations.
We give thanks for our ancestors in faith—those who brought us the Good News and those who nurtured it in Ugandan soil. And we hear again the voice of Lavigerie urging us:
Be initiators!
In the face of new challenges and new opportunities, let us continue to take the first step, trusting that God will bring the growth. May our lives, like theirs, shine with the joy of the Gospel and inspire others to do the same.
[1] “The beginning and first years in Uganda” Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, 2016, p.14
