Contact Details
Claretian Missionaries
Kiyunga Catholic Parish
Kiyunga, P.O. Box 994
Jinja, UGANDA
Tel.: +256 (0) 77421970; 7751 201; 43243 026

Mission:                     Pastoral Ministry
                                   Catechetical Training
                                   Healing Ministry

Inception and Development
In1995 Provincial Superior, Fr. George Kallampally visited Jinja diocese of Uganada and explored the possibilities of Claretian missions there. On 26 October 1995 two missionaries, Frs. Sebastian Mampallikunnel and Mathew Mundackal reached Uganda. Kiyunga is the first Claretian mission in Uganda.

Later a plot of land was purchased from St Peter’s Seminary, and a study house by name Claretian Seminary was built in it and it was inaugurated by Very Rev. Fr. Antonio Leghisa, the then Superior General and blessed by His Grace P Arokiaswamy, the Archbishop of Bangalore on 29 February 1976.

Pastoral Ministry
When the missionaries became proficient in the local language, Rt. Rev. Jospeh Willigers, the bishop of Jinja entrusted Our Lady of Assumption parish, Kiyunja to them in 2003. The parish which is located around 60 kms away from the diocesan headquarters, forms on eof the 21 parishes of Jinja diocese. It is located among rural and poor people but hasa catholic population close to 30,000. It is very vast with 10 centers (out-stationa), which are further divided into 41 sub centers and each sub centre has at least four basic christian communities.

Catechetical Trainging Center
St Gozaga Training Centre is the only Centre in the diocese of Jinja for the training of lay evangelizers like catechists and other Christian leaders. It was started in the year 1973 by a Mill Hill Missionary, late Fr. Peter Kok. The Centre was entrusted to the care of the Claretians in 1997.

At present, the Centre has regular programme for catechists. Every year, a three-month catechetical course known as Mugiggi is conducted for the aspiring catechists. The catechists are trained in catechesis which they are expected to teach the catechumens in their village communities. Those who do well in this basic course are selected for an up-grading course for six months. Those who finish the up-grading course are appointed as full time catechists in their respective village Churches. The Centre also does follow-up programme for the trained catechists. For their better efficiency, the Centre has distributed bicycles to the catechists who were graduated from this Centre.

St Claret’s Holistic Healing Centre
St Claret’s Holistic Healing Centre, Kiyunga, with the motto of evangelization through healing, is a brainchild of Fr. Mathew Mundackal. The Centre had a humble beginning in 1998 and began functioning in the premises of St Gonzaga Training Centre. Within a span of six years, the Centre has equipped itself as an alternative therapy centre. Its fame has spread all over the land even to the extent of patients coming to the centre from the neighbouring countries.

The Centre makes use of various treatment models such as reflexo-therapy, magnetic therapy, acupressure, mud and water therapy, body massaging and a variety of herbal medicines for various sicknesses. Fr. Mathew has quipped himself with the know-how of over a dozen of alternative treatment models to treat the patients. Most of the patients coming to the centre are abandoned cases by the hospitals. They approach the centre as the last resort. Fr. Mathew’s treatment is so unique that it is cheap, effective and without any side effects. The clinic has a capacity of 10 beds.

Besides treatment for patients, Fr. Mathew has conducted residential courses and seminars on Reflexology and alternative medicines to people from all over Uganda. There were also orientation programme conducted for high school children in various schools.

2. Claretian Missionaries (Novitiate), Jinja

Contact Details:
Claretian Missionaries
Plot No. 10
Nalufenya Road
P.O. Box 1746
Jinja, Uganda, East Africa
Tel.: (+256) 43 120275
         (+256) 71 864335
E-mail: claretuga@utlonline.co.ug

Statistics

Year of Foundation: 1999

Mission:                     Novitiate Formation for East Africa

Inception and Development
This is the second community of the Claretians in Uganda. The Novitiate House is located just a few meters away from the origins of the biblical river, the Nile and by the side of the Kampala–Nairobi International Highway. Claretians purchased this house from the Mill Hill Missionaries. Novices from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania undergo the one year of novitiate formation here. Late Fr. Aloysius Chickendu from the Province of Nigeria was the first Novice Master and Fr. Peter D’ Souza from the Province of Bangalore served as the first superior of the Novitiate House.

Novitiate Formation
After having had more or less six years of lived experience in the formation houses involved mainly in the academic pursuits, the one-year of novitiate gives a foundational experience for the consecrated life in the congregation. It enables the novices to have a better experiential knowledge of the call of God to consecrated life and to have a more personal experience of the Claretian way of life and its evangelizing spirit.