The Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference has opened a capacity-building training for its staff, Church institutions and partners, focusing on leadership, institutional strengthening, accountability and resource mobilization.
The training brings together staff of the Conference and representatives from Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese of Juba, including the Catholic University of South Sudan, St. Paul’s National Major Seminary, St. Mary’s College, the Catholic Diocese of Juba, BGRRS and other Church partners.
Opening the training, Rev. Fr. Dr. Martin Ochaya Lino, General Secretary of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference, thanked the participants, facilitators from CORAT Africa, clergy, religious and partners for attending the programme.
Fr. Ochaya said the training is particularly important following the launch of the Conference’s three-year strategic plan, which identifies capacity and institutional strengthening as its first priority.
“The strategic plan is not simply a document that we develop, print and place on the shelf,” Fr. Ochaya said, emphasizing the need to translate the plan into practical action.
He encouraged participants to share their experiences, challenges and lessons learned, stressing that the success of the training should be measured by how it changes the way institutions work.
“A training is successful when it changes the way we work,” he said.
Fr. Ochaya also called on CORAT Africa facilitators to provide practical knowledge and tools that can respond to the realities facing Church institutions in Sudan and South Sudan, including conflict, limited resources and financial challenges.
He described institutional strengthening as a continuous process requiring commitment, learning, reflection and a willingness to improve existing systems.
Training opens on World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
The training also opened on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, observed on September 1. Fr. Ochaya reflected on the 2026 theme, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4), linking the theme of peace and environmental protection to the realities of conflict in Sudan and South Sudan.
A call to turn strategic plans into action
He urged participants to strengthen their leadership and resource-management skills and return to their institutions better prepared to serve the Church and the people.
The capacity-building training is expected to strengthen the institutional and professional capacity of Church personnel and support the effective implementation of the Conference’s strategic plan.