Nairobi, Kenya – The Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) has officially convoked its 20th Plenary Assembly, which will take place from 4–10 September 2027 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, under the theme: “Formation: Strengthening the Identity of Consecrated Life for Mission in ACWECA Region and Beyond.”
The theme was prayerfully discerned during a gathering of ACWECA Board members and General Secretaries from the member countries, held in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting provided an opportunity for the leaders of consecrated women religious in the region to listen to one another, reflect on the realities affecting religious life today, and seek together the guidance of the Holy Spirit in identifying a theme that responds to the needs and aspirations of consecrated women in Eastern and Central Africa.
The gathering brought together representatives from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. Among those present were Sr. Grace Kyomugisha, President of ACWECA; Sr. Auxilia Hokororo of Tanzania, Vice President and Chairperson of the National Conference of Religious Women; and Sr. Bridgita Samba Mwawasi, SSJ, Secretary General of the ACWECA Secretariat and some Superiors General.
Formation and Identity at the Heart of Mission
Reflecting on the process that led to the choice of the theme, Sr. Grace Kyomugisha, in her statement, explained that it emerged from a journey of collective listening, prayer, reflection and discernment.
She identified ongoing formation and the safeguarding of the identity of consecrated life as among the pressing concerns facing religious life in the contemporary world.
While acknowledging the many changes taking place within the Church and society, she emphasized that the charisms of individual religious institutes remain a precious gift to the Church and an essential contribution to her mission.
According to the statement, identity and mission cannot be separated, because the mission of consecrated women flows from who they are and from their relationship with Christ.
This identity, she explained, is not merely an external expression of religious life but an interior reality rooted deeply in Christ and progressively lived through a faithful response to God's call.
It is expressed through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, which consecrated women are called to embrace generously and witness to with joy and fidelity.
In this sense, formation is not limited to initial preparation for religious life. Rather, it is a lifelong journey of conversion, growth in holiness, deeper communion with Christ and renewed openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
The President noted that the changing circumstances of the contemporary mission environment require consecrated women to continually deepen their understanding of their vocation and to safeguard the distinctive identity entrusted to them by God and the Church.
“Safeguarding identity is basically for mission,” Sr. Grace said, stressing that authentic formation should enable consecrated women to remain firmly rooted in their vocation while responding creatively and faithfully to the pastoral and social needs of the Church and society.
Consecrated Life in a Changing World
The discernment process also acknowledged the profound changes taking place in society, particularly through rapid technological development and the growing influence of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence.
These developments are transforming the ways people communicate, learn, work and relate with one another. They also present new opportunities and challenges for consecrated life and apostolic mission.
Against this backdrop, the forthcoming Plenary Assembly will provide an important space for reflection on how consecrated women can remain faithful to their vocation while engaging wisely and responsibly with the realities of the modern world.
The call to formation therefore embraces the whole person: spiritual, human, intellectual, pastoral and communal.
It is a call to deeper communion with Christ and to a more authentic witness to the Gospel in the midst of a rapidly changing world.
A Regional Journey of Prayer and Discernment
The choice of the theme was not simply the result of an administrative process but the fruit of a shared spiritual journey undertaken by ACWECA leadership and representatives of the national conferences.
Participants sought to listen attentively to one another and, above all, to discern together what the Holy Spirit may be inviting consecrated women in Eastern and Central Africa to embrace at this particular moment in the life of the Church.
The gathering was sustained by prayer and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The participants recognized that their deliberations and decisions needed to remain firmly rooted in prayer, communion and openness to God's will.
Sr. Grace expressed her gratitude to the sisters, Board members, General Secretaries and Superiors for their generous participation, openness and contribution to the discernment process.
The meeting was also enriched by the spiritual accompaniment of Fr. John Baptist, who journeyed with the participants throughout the gathering.
His ministry of prayer, celebration of the Eucharist and spiritual accompaniment helped create an atmosphere conducive to reflection, communion and discernment.
The new theme also builds upon the previous ACWECA theme, “Transformative, Holistic Formation for Authentic Living,” demonstrating a continuing regional commitment to formation, renewal and the deepening of consecrated life.
Preparing for the 20th Plenary Assembly
With the theme now officially announced, ACWECA is calling upon the Chairpersons and General Secretaries of the National Associations to communicate the message to their respective conferences and begin preparations for the 2027 Plenary Assembly.
The gathering in Dar es Salaam will bring together consecrated women religious from across the ACWECA region for prayer, reflection, formation, discernment, fraternity and renewed commitment to mission.
The Plenary Assembly will also offer an opportunity for the sisters to celebrate the richness of the various charisms present within the region, strengthen communion among religious women, share experiences and challenges, and seek together new ways of witnessing to the Gospel.
Sr. Grace called upon the national associations and the wider people of God to accompany the journey towards the Plenary Assembly through prayer and intentional preparation.
She described the forthcoming assembly as an important moment for consecrated life in the region and encouraged all involved to approach it with faith, openness and a spirit of ecclesial communion.
A Journey Towards Renewal and Mission
As ACWECA journeys towards September 2027, the theme invites consecrated women to renew their commitment to ongoing formation, deepen their identity in Christ, cherish the charisms of their respective institutes and respond generously to the mission entrusted to them by the Church.
The journey towards the 20th Plenary Assembly is therefore not simply a preparation for an event. It is an invitation to renewal: a call to return continually to Christ, who is the source and centre of every vocation to consecrated life, and to allow that relationship with Him to bear abundant fruit in service of the Church and humanity.
Through faithful formation and authentic living of the evangelical counsels, consecrated women are called to become ever more credible witnesses of the Gospel, signs of God's love and instruments of communion, healing and hope in the communities and societies they serve.
Entrusting the journey to God's providence, Sr. Grace concluded with a prayerful blessing:
As the Church in Eastern and Central Africa continues its journey of faith, ACWECA places its forthcoming Plenary Assembly under the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in the hands of the Holy Spirit, trusting that the Lord who calls also accompanies, forms and sends His people for mission.
May the 20th ACWECA Plenary Assembly become a grace-filled moment of renewal, communion and missionary commitment, so that consecrated women throughout the region may continue to shine as faithful witnesses to Christ and generous servants of God's people.