Comboni Missionaries in South Sudan: Contribution to Nation Building, Challenges

Besides education, Comboni missionaries in South Sudan are also engaged in the health apostolate, such as Mapuordit hospital, which was set up by the congregation upon the request of the Local Ordinary of Rumbek Diocese.

Explaining how the hospital has grown over the years, the cleric told ACI Africa that the health facility started out as a clinic offering only outpatient services, and has today grown to a fully-fledged hospital offering a variety of medical services.

“From a small clinic, it has become a big hospital that is having one hundred and something (beds). It is no longer an outpatient hospital, but already a hospital where patients can be admitted, and be operated on,” Fr. Okot recounted.

The missionary congregation also runs medical centres in Tali and Wau, and at the same time trains health workers.

Comboni missionaries are also involved in direct evangelization work, the South Sudanese native testified.

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Even if “one might not see the result of the proclamation of the Word of God,” Fr. Okot said, “we have seen the result that the Word of God we preach has transformed the lives of many people.”

“It is interesting to hear somebody say that, now I am capable of forgiving,” Fr. Okot told ACI Africa.

Among the challenges that the missionaries encounter in their efforts to serve the people of South Sudan include insecurity, which, according to Fr. Okot, interrupts the provision of Church services in the affected areas such as Leer in the nation’s Upper Nile region and Kajo-Keji on the border with Uganda.

“Most of our missions are in the rural areas, and most of them were affected by the current situation of the country,” he said and added, “We have the community of Kajo-Keji. Since February 2017, they have been displaced and are all now in the refugee camp.” 

Recounting the challenges of missionary apostolate in the central part of the country within the diocese of Rumbek, he said, “The community of Mapuordit in Yirol is insecure too especially when they are going to Rumbek. It is a challenge, which does not allow us to move freely to different communities and preach the word of God. Sometimes we fear.”

The insecurity affecting some of the regions has led to instability in families, as they are separated, the South Sudanese cleric lamented and explained, “You get some children in one of the displaced camps and members of the family in another village. You find that there is no united family due to such instability.”

He added, “Sometimes people go without finishing the training or teaching (catechism classes) and leave before baptism or confirmation.”

“Another challenge is the culture itself. We are from 16 nationalities, and only 7 out of 44 individuals are South Sudanese; those from different countries do not know our culture,” the Provincial Superior revealed during the Saturday interview.

Amid the challenges, Fr. Okot expressed optimism saying, “One of the opportunities in pursuing our mission is the huge population of young people we have in our nation.”

“We have the possibility of making impact in the life of these young people who at the end will become the transformers of the society,” Comboni Fr. Okot said and concluded, “The young people are a resource that can be used for transforming the society.”

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