Handover Ceremony for the Mission Superior of the SVD South Sudan Mission: Continuing the Mission in the Spirit of the Word of God
Lodonga, Uganda, 1 June 2026 – In an atmosphere of gratitude, fraternity and hope, the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) South Sudan Mission held the handover ceremony for the position of Mission Superior from Fr. Andrzej Marek Dzida, SVD to Fr. Clemensius Romy Suri Roja, SVD. The event took place at the SVD Formation Community in Lodonga, Yumbe District, Uganda, and was attended by confreres serving in the South Sudan Mission.
The handover ceremony took place as part of a Eucharistic celebration presided over by the outgoing Mission Superior, Fr. Andrzej Marek Dzida, SVD. The celebration was solemn and meaningful, reminding all participants that every form of leadership within the Church and religious life is part of God’s work, which continues from generation to generation.
On this occasion, the composition of the new Governing Council of the South Sudan Mission was also announced, as follows: Mission Superior: Fr. Clemensius Romy Suri Roja, SVD; Vice Mission Superior: Fr. Wojciech Pawlowski, SVD; Admonitor: Br. Bernard Odhiambo Onyango, SVD
The handover ceremony began with the reading of the letter of appointment from the General Council of the Society of the Divine Word in Rome. This was followed by special prayers in accordance with the tradition of the congregation, as an expression of surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to serve the Church through missionary work.
In his address, Fr. Andrzej Marek Dzida, SVD, expressed his deep gratitude to the Most Holy Trinity for its accompaniment throughout his two periods of service as Mission Superior. He acknowledged that the various achievements and developments in the mission work were inseparable from God’s grace, which worked through the cooperation and sacrifice of many people.
He also expressed his appreciation and thanks to all his confreres who had worked together in a spirit of brotherhood and missionary dedication. Concluding his address, Fr. Andrzej offered his congratulations and best wishes to the new Executive Council and reaffirmed his support for the continuation of the missionary work in the future.
Meanwhile, Fr. Clemensius Romy Suri Roja, SVD, as the new Mission Superior, expressed his gratitude and thanks for the trust placed in him by the Society of the Divine Word and his confreres. He recognised that the leadership role he had been entrusted with was not merely a position, but a calling to serve and build fraternity in a missionary spirit.
In his address, he said: “We should give thanks to the Holy Trinity, who continually guides and inspires our congregation, the Society of the Divine Word, so that to this day it continues to support our missionary work in South Sudan and Uganda mission. Thank you also to the donors who have faithfully supported our missionary work. I hope that my confreres will continue to work together, support one another, and pray for one another for the advancement of the mission entrusted to us.”
This handover ceremony serves as a reminder that the Church’s mission does not depend on any one individual, but is God’s own work, which continues through those He has called. A change in leadership is not the end of a ministry, but the continuation of the same missionary journey with renewed vigour.
As members of the Society of the Word of God, missionaries are called to continue to make present Christ, the Incarnate Word, through preaching, service, dialogue and the witness of their lives. In the context of the mission in South Sudan and Uganda, which is both challenging and full of hope, the new leadership is expected to further strengthen fraternity, deepen missionary spirituality, and foster the growth of evangelisation and vocation formation. May the Most Holy Trinity always bless and guide the new Council in carrying out its mission, so that the missionary work may bear ever greater fruit for the Church and society in both South Sudan and Uganda.
