Fr. Constatine Rupiny.
On Tuesday, November 26, 2024; the Christians of Nebbi Catholic diocese were overjoyed after the appointment of their new bishop, Rev Fr. Constatine Rupiny. It was indeed a moment of jubilation for the people of God in this diocese.
The announcement from the Vatican came after Nebbi had spent a number of months without a shepherd of its own. In the seminary where the new bishop-elect was working as a rector, the staff and seminarians were overjoyed and of course congratulated their own whom the Holy Father had found worthy to be elevated to one of the highest-ranking offices in the Catholic Church.
As seminarians kept on looking for their own to congratulate him upon being appointed a bishop, the simple and humble servant of God was already in the seminary chapel praying and probably reflecting on the kind of service he was destined to offer to the people of Nebbi.
The humility of the newly appointed shepherd of Nebbi diocese is indeed indescribable. As a student who had sat for two consecutive years in his classes, I can testify to the fact that Nebbi has received a shepherd after the heart of Jesus Christ (Jer. 3:15). Intelligent and gifted in different ways as he was, Fr. Rupiny did not undermine or disregard any person he came across around the seminary corners. He has respect for everyone, including those individuals whom the world recognizes as nothing.
Truly, in his day-to-day dealings with people, the aspect of humility is revealed in the very conduct of this humble servant. I can say, the pope has made a good choice for all the categories of people, not only those of Nebbi Catholic diocese but also those of the whole universal church.
Immediately after the announcement was made by the Vatican, he was asked to give a comment on the new appointment that he had just received.
In humility and calmness, he responded; “I felt unworthy to be appointed a bishop and still I feel unworthy, but I believe with the help of Jesus Christ and with the help of the Christian communities, it will be possible! Humanly speaking, it is difficult because it is not a human thing.
I am a mere human being and yet the vocation comes from Christ himself. I believe the martyrs intercede for me and this kind of thing gives me the st rength and conviction to push on while knowing that I am unworthy to be a bishop.”
In his very words, we are made to recognize in him a simple man who is ready to serve, and not to be served; a servant who recognizes that his only source of strength is God alone.
While the Catholic church considers several things before finding a man worthy of being a bishop, there are some principles which Fr Rupiny had exhibited in his lifestyle that might have gotten him to the place he finds himself in.
Such principles are not in any way connected to ‘greatness’ as the world might wish to describe them. Rather, these are the principles which the world sometimes ignores since they seem to make man decrease instead of being exalted. Such principles are those which are closely related to keeping modest.
Indeed, the virtues of humility and simplicity can easily be recognized in his lifestyle due to his modest nature. Around three weeks before his appointment was announced, one of the seminarians, during the rector’s conference, which takes place every Thursday evening, had this to say to him: “Father, you are a moving saint.”
On the same day, another Seminarian said, “You are truly a father to us, and we request you to give us a retreat next year.”
The responses he made to these two seminarians were of the same nature. And to the audience that had attended the conference, such responses were interesting and indeed surprising.
The responses were simply non-verbal, and they were manifested to the audience by the mere nodding of the simple man’s head. In other words, instead of deciding to exalt himself on account of the praises he had just received from the two seminarians, he simply gave way to silence to overtake the whole atmosphere.
At that moment, he preached the virtue of humility without taking time to stand at the pulpit. It is worth noting that it is not only at this moment that Fr Rupiny had preached humility in his simple actions.
As a priest, he had always exhibited the virtue of humility in his dealings with people. Nebbi has indeed received a shepherd after the heart of Jesus Christ.
alexkanyemera@gmail.com
The writer is a former student of the bishop-elect
Source: The Observer
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