African Catholic Voices

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Prof Philomena Mwaura is a leading Catholic theologian in Africa today and a member of the commission that drafted the continental synthesis in the ongoing synodal process. In this conversation, she shares her dream for a synodal church in Africa, the steps for including women in the mainstream of leadership in the church, and the challenges that lay people, especially women face in the African Catholic Church.

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Four Steps for Healing our Families: Lessons from the prodigal Son: Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent

I remember a CDC teacher who was preparing kids for First Holy Communion who asked the kids to tell her who suffered most in the story of the Prodigal Son. One little child said, “it was the fatted calf that suffered most because they killed him for the feast.” Beyond this joke lies a truth that we all know, everyone suffers when a family is fighting over money, ego, inheritance, and rights, or any other issue for that matter. Everyone suffers when there is a breakdown of family relations; when a family member is stonewalling and refusing to communicate or decides to walk away; all are in pain where there is a family breakdown no matter how people may pretend that they have moved on. In this homily, Fr Stan Chu Ilo proposes four steps found in the story of the Prodigal Son for restoring broken family relations.

First, learn to say sorry and admit your mistake in the family. The prodigal son made a terrible mistake, he realized his mistake, he did not blame anybody but himself. He did not say, ‘my father made me walk away.’ Or “I have a terrible elder brother that drove me crazy.” He simply admitted his mistake when he said: “Dad, I have sinned against heaven and against you. Please forgive me.” He chose the right words that conveyed his true sentiments and it had the desired effects. Arguments never resolve family disputes; family disputes should never have losers and winners; all are losers when family life breaks down. But we all can heal when we say ‘sorry’ and admit our mistakes. Saying ‘sorry’ is the best therapy in the family.

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Sr. Jane Wakahiu LSOSF takes us on the journey of her life. Her deep faith and its call to service nurtured by her parents at a tender age, led to her fiat to a life as a Little Sister of St Francis. Since then, she has continued to serve in a number of different and increasingly demanding roles that she has executed with great finesse and grace.
Her ministerial experiences have given her an advantageous insight into the lives of African Catholic Sisters, and she shares the wisdom and knowledge she has gleaned with this encounters.

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Co-hosts, Sr Chantal and Fr Stan discuss the importance of silence during this important moment of synod on synodality. They discuss the reasons why Pope Francis invited the delegates not to talk to the press about the ongoing discussions. They speak about some of the concerns of Africa and address the challenges facing educators in some parts of Africa, and the need for strengthening Catholic education in Africa and deepening the Catholic intellectual traditions in Africa.

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Ugandan Fr Ruffino Ezama is a Comboni missionary father and Provincial for North America. In this engaging podcast, this outstanding humanitarian, theologian, and Church leader, shares his first person narrative of the joy, challenges, and opportunities of being an African missionary to fellow Africans, and to Europeans and North Americans. He addresses the important question of how African missionaries to fellow Africans can become self-sustaining by promoting a new approach to mission in Africa that is less dependent on the West.