Bishop Hiiboro’s Reflection on What Next following the Synod Implementation Workshop

I would like to thank God for the successful completion of the induction for the implementation plan for our first diocesan synod. During the workshop, we launched the promulgated diocesan first synod in October 2020 and the document is now ready to be used across the diocese.

We therefore felt it necessary to do a workshop in order to inform ourselves, to study and to analyses the document in order to see how we can be able to implement it. The workshop, which we have just concluded forms the ground work and the benchmark for the implementation of the first diocesan synod resolutions and recommendations.

The workshop was facilitated by our long time pastoral consultant from the diocese of Arua in Uganda Fr. Akuilino Achiru. He has been with us through the synod from the beginning until this moment when he came for the induction workshop, which has been attended by the clergy, the religious and the lay people as well as all the synod delegates.

Much of the work during the workshop seemed like a revision as we were able to inform ourselves of what exactly needs to be done and how are we supposed to go about it. Although this was a tough study, it involved looking at the needs and how to assess them and map up places and how to respond to the identified needs on the ground and to envision the impact of the synod.

This synod is going to take us about five years to fully implement it and now that we have finished the workshop and all of us are back to our operational bases, we have got to see to it that we are able to implement this synod properly.

Definitely it needs a structure and thank God because during the workshop we were able to come up with some commissions. These included the Diocesan Pastoral Council, Diocesan Pastoral Commission and we are going to form Diocesan Vocation Commission, Diocesan Ongoing Formation for Priests and the Religious Commission, Diocesan Financial Council, Diocesan Lay Apostolate Council and the Diocesan Catholic Education Commission. These will be in addition to the structures we already have at the diocese, which includes the executive and the social arm of the diocese. So the workshop as a matter of fact really opened the way for us on how to proceed from here.

I therefore thank God that we have done this workshop and from here we will be able to proceed without much difficulties posed by ignorance because we already have some kind of a road map.

I thank all those who have been supporting us morally and financially, the Propaganda Fides, as well as the office of the nuncio through Msgr. Mark Kadima, the Charge de Affairs for the Republic of South Sudan. I also thank all our media collaborators and my colleagues.

So now that we are on the implementation of our diocesan synod, we highlighted a number of issues that the diocese is carrying on this year. One of them is the brick laying activity and the commencement of constructions, renovations and repairs across our diocese for our churches, most of which have been destroyed during the war and conflict in South Sudan. Many of them are dilapidated and are in bad shape while some are completely not there.

We therefore decided to dedicate the year of construction so that we can rebuild our churches as well as the priests residential houses. Our diocese has no Cathedral and we now have to work on it as a priority. We have to get our hands dirty in order to improve our situation and to really render all the gifts God has given us. Taking of Priest houses, many of them are in bad shape and the priests are like, oh, who is going to build for us; so we have to start doing what we can.

In addition to building, renovations, constructions and reconstructions, the project of coffee and tree planting continues. We are planning for more nurseries so that we can be able to expand our project of tree planting next year.

These are in addition to our program for peace building conversations in our communities which are meant to enhance peaceful coexistence among ourselves. Thank you God bless

Barani Edwardo Hiiboro Kussala,

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio