Final Vows of Frs. Benedict Ebogu, SJ & Stephen Eyeowa, SJ.
“For Jesuits, the final incorporation with final vows into the Body of the Society of Jesus is the Feast par excellence, not ordination. Let us pray for Fathers Ebogu and Eyeowa. Our Jesuit Higher Institution remains deeply united with these HUC Lecturers who give
themselves wholeheartedly to the mission of HUC. Let us support them in the best way we can,” Rev. Dr. Marcel Uwineza, SJ
Appointments and Promotions:
The Chair of the Board of Trustees of Hekima University College (HUC), Very. Rev. Jose Minaku, SJ, has appointed Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Foro, SJ, as a member of the Governing Council of Hekima University College (HUC) Rev. Dr. Elias Opongo, SJ, has been promoted to the position of Associate Professor. He is now Rev. Professor Elias Opongo, SJ. The HUC principal has appointed Sr. Gladys Ndege, SE, as the HUC Associate Coordinator for Safeguarding. Her appointment comes after consultation and at the
recommendation of the Board of Trustees. She will work closely with Fr. Francis Aziza, SJ, who is the Coordinator. Fr. Francis Aziza, SJ, MA, MPhil, has been officially appointed HUC Chief Librarian by the Chair of the HUC Council. The Hekima Family takes this opportunity to congratulate him and will continue to support him in this mission, which he undertakes with dedication and vision. His official position is now Chief Librarian. He is also the Coordinator for Safeguarding.
Sharing in Joy and Sorrow: Tribute to a Father
Hekima Jesuit Community and Hekima University College have a tradition of coming together every Wednesday to celebrate Mass. This is usually an opportunity for students, faculty, and collaborators to refresh and nourish themselves spiritually away
from classrooms and busy workstations. It is also a time when students, faculty, and non-teaching staff get to interact freely, a time many look forward to every week. Rev. Dr. Elisee Rutagambwa, SJ, the main celebrant on Wednesday, September 18, in his Homily, talked about being called to a life of excellence in Love. Before the service began, Fr. Rutagambwa welcomed Deacon Nahum Osman, SJ, an immediate alumnus of Hekima Jesuit School of Theology, to share about the recent loss of his beloved father. Nahum gave a moving tribute to his father. He spoke fondly of a man he treasured and admired in many ways. He remembered how his father tried as much as he could to teach all his children the Christian faith. It was not the Catholic faith but the general
Christian faith in a complex society and culture, Sudan. Nahum expressed his admiration for his late father, particularly his father’s faith, which he attributes to helping him reconcile different faiths and ideologies in a complex world. Nahum expressed that
this was not radicalism but simply an expression of what he received from his father.
“For me, there’s no treasure that a child could obtain from their parents other than the gift of faith, and from that, I always say, hongera sana dad!” Nahum comes from an interfaith family: His parents were Pentecostal, one of his brothers is a Muslim, he is a Roman Catholic, and the rest are Pentecostals. The circumstances of his father’s death were very complex. He underwent two
surgeries, recovered a bit, and recuperated at home. Then, in September, he received news that he had been taken ill again. Owing to the current situation of civil war in Sudan, still ongoing, essential services, including health, have been hampered. In addition, there are currently no good health facilities. As such, Nahum’s father could not be admitted to any hospital and was only receiving minimal health care at local clinics as well as home-based care. Sadly, he passed on.
Due to Sudan’s unfortunate current situation, traveling there is next to impossible. Nahum could, therefore, not attend his father’s burial. His father was buried within two hours after he died because of the unstable situation in the country, where not even a
mortuary to preserve bodies is currently operational. Because of this, two of his brothers and other relatives in Sudan were also not able to attend the burial. Even though the Middle Eastern culture of the Arabs, widely adopted by Sudanese, Eritreans, and Ethiopians, is to bury their dead within 24 hours, the speed of his father’s burial was exceptional. Nahum is grateful to everyone who has journeyed and continues to journey with him and his family. He asked for continued prayers for his family, especially his mother, who nursed his father, for the death had taken a great toll on her.
Geoffrey Obatsa, Administrative Assistant – Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa (JHIA)