A Century of Faith and Service
In the lush plains of Magwi County, Holy Family Catholic Parish has reached its centenary, marking one hundred years of worship, schooling and community solidarity that began in 1926 and will culminate in a grand celebration on 11 January 2026.
Pioneering missionaries Rev. Fr. Cereda and Rev. Fr. Cardani trekked from Kitgum, Uganda, settling first on the chilly heights of Lerwa before relocating to Palotaka with Chief Rwot Aburi’s consent, where they laid bricks, planted faith and endured malaria and loneliness.
Education and Agriculture Empowered Generations
From the 1930s, teacher-training colleges, catechist schools and gender-inclusive primary classes transformed the mission into an academic hub that produced priests, sisters, civil servants and activists who now influence Eastern Equatoria and the wider South Sudanese polity.
Under Bishop Paride Taban, experimental farms, an Agricultural Training College and food-for-work schemes earned Palotaka the moniker ‘breadbasket of Equatoria’, intertwining scripture with self-reliance and teaching families to plough ox-drawn fields even as conflict loomed.
War-time Sanctuary and Unbroken Spirit
Civil war swept repeatedly through Palotaka, yet the parish gates remained open to displaced villagers, the Red Army, SPLA fighters and Sudanese soldiers alike, providing meals, lessons and sanctuary beneath bullet-scarred walls.
That willingness to shelter both victims and combatants forged a paradoxical legacy: a community brutalised by violence yet determined to answer hatred with mercy, guided by priests, Comboni Sisters, catechists and volunteers who often risked their lives.
Present Challenges Across Magwi County
Today the parish supervises twenty chapels but its central church is cracked, schools lack roofs, and priests’ residences crumble; many pupils learn outdoors, mirroring the broader hardship still felt across Magwi after decades of upheaval and displacement.
Nonetheless, choirs rehearse, catechists travel dusty tracks and congregants sing beneath leaking tin, embodying an unbroken spirit that sees deficiency as a challenge, not a defeat.
Invitation to Renew Ahead of 2026 Jubilee
Organisers of the 11 January 2026 jubilee therefore appeal to alumni, diaspora Acholi, development partners and friends of South Sudan to fund reconstruction of the church, classrooms, convent and archives, and to revive agricultural projects for youth livelihoods.
Their message is clear: the first century rested on sacrifice; the next must rest on collective commitment, ensuring Palotaka remains a beacon of faith, learning and peace for another hundred years.