About the Chaplaincy

In his Apostolic Constitution Ex Cord Ecclesiae of 1990 on Catholic Universities, Pope John Paul II reveals that the Catholic University is a daughter of the Church. And here is how: “Born from the heart of the Church, the Catholic University is part of the tradition which goes back to the very origin of the University as an institution and which has always been revealed as an incomparable center of creativity and the effulgence of knowledge for the good of humanity. By virtue of its vocation, the Universitas magistrorum et scholarium is dedicated to research, teaching and training of students, freely united around their masters in the same love of knowledge”. It shares this gaudium de veritate of Saint Augustin with all the other Universities, which means the joy of seeking the truth, of discovering it and of communicating it in all areas of knowledge. Its privileged task is “to unify existentially, in intellectual work, two kinds of realities that we too often tend to oppose as if they were antithetical, the search for truth and the certainty of knowing the source of truth”. These two dimensions, far from being opposed, they overlap with each other.

Indeed, the catholic chaplaincy of the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB) is called, as a Catholic University, to play an important role which is in keeping with the objective of its mission. It is a matter of guaranteeing in an institutional form a Christian presence within the university in order to face the major problems of society and culture. In this context, we let ourselves be instructed by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) which highlights the mission and the purpose of university pastoral ministry in clear terms: “Since its origins, the university has been one of the most significant expressions of the pastoral care of the Church. Indeed, its birth is linked to the development of the schools set up in the Middle Ages by bishops. Also, in its beginnings, it was a hotbed of culture and a means of evangelization. Thus the purpose of the university pastoral care is to make the presence of the Church visible in a university environment and to make the faith shine within it. It is called to support the faith of Catholic Christians engaged in these environments as students, lecturers, administrative staff and workers and to proclaim the Gospel to all those who, within the university, do not know Christ and who are willing to freely welcome Him. And, at the same time, it has the task of unifying faith, science and culture.

In this perspective, the pastoral activities organized by the chaplaincy are inspired not only by the pastoral orientations of CENCO, but also by the vision of Saint Albert the Great, patron of the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB) who merges human wisdom and divine faith.

Albert the Great

Albert the Great (1193-1280) was born at the end of the 12th century in Swabia. To continue his studies, he moved to Italy where he did medicine, natural sciences and liberal arts (grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, music, geometry, astronomy). In Bologna, he joined the Dominicans despite the disapproval from his family. From 1228 he studied theology and began to teach in Cologne. He continues this educational mission in Hildesheim, Fribourg-en-Brisgau, Regensburg, Strasbourg and Paris.

His constant concern was to adapt Aristotle’s thought to Christian thought. In fact, all of the Aristotelian texts reached the Christian West thanks in particular to Arab commentators such as Avicenna and Averroes and Jews such as Moses Maimonides. The great question which then arises in the thirteenth century is the compatibility of pagan and Christian wisdoms. “By his magnificent example, Saint Albert the Great warns us that between science and faith, between truth and good, between dogmas and holiness, there is no kind of opposition”. (Pius XI ln thesaurus sapientiale, December 16, 1931). Saint Albert the Great thus showed an unceasing curiosity of spirit and considerably enriched the natural sciences of his time. He was declared patron of all those who cultivate the natural sciences by Pope Pius XII in 1941. But Saint Albert the Great was not only a great scholar and contemplative. He was a committed man of his time: several times he was asked to arbitrate religious or political conflicts.

He died on November 15, 1280, seated among his brothers. He was beatified in 1622. In 1931, Pius XI proclaimed Saint Albert the Grand Doctor of the Universal Church. Albert the Great gives students the example of a curious intelligence to discover the world and passionate about wisdom. He manifests through his work the harmony of human knowledge, and through his life his sense of commitment to the service of truth and peace.

Activities Schedule

Weekly Schedule

Day Time Site Activity Observation
Monday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Tuesday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Wednesday 12:10pm One of the UCB sites Mass Mass followed by confessions
Thursday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Friday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Saturday 1:30pm-3pm

 

 UCB/Bugabo Catechesis of Christian Initiation
Saturday 3:30pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Marriage Catechesis
Sunday 11am UCB/Kalambo Mass Mass followed by confessions

Monthly Schedule 

Day Time Site Activity Observation
Monday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Tuesday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Wednesday 12:10pm One of the UCB sites Mass Mass followed by confessions
Thursday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Friday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Office Reception for chaplaincy matters
Saturday 1:30pm-3pm

 

 UCB/Bugabo Catechesis of Christian Initiation
Saturday 3:30pm-5:30pm UCB/Bugabo Marriage Catechesis
Sunday 11am UCB/Kalambo Mass Mass followed by confessions

We remind that students and staffs who have not yet finished their Christian initiation and who express a need, have the opportunity and the chance to receive ad hoc teachings. It is the same for those who come from other religions and who want to integrate the faith of the Catholic Church.

Other activities carried out during the academic year

-Recollections during the highlights of the liturgical year (Advent and Lent);

– Pilgrimage to the Marian shrine according to the choice of the students, taking into account the financial means within our reach;

– Apostolate to the needy or vulnerable in our society (disabled, sick, prisoners, poor targeted in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Bukavu and beyond). They benefit from the distribution of food and non-food collected by students. This apostolate takes place during Advent and Lent.

– Annual retreat in Amani: From Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday;

– Interuniversity mass on May 01;

– Interuniversity pilgrimage once a year.

 

Chaplain 

Abbé Fabien BISIMWA, Chaplain

+243 977 690 869 / 842 678 871

fabien.bisimwa@ucbukavu.ac.cd