New Rector Named at St. Kizito House of Formation

Fr. Eugene Hampande Mwanza, PSS, was named Rector of St. Kizito House of Formation, March 2023, and took up residence in May 2023 while still teaching at St. Dominic’s Major Seminary. He follows Fr. Cornelius Hankomoone, PSS, as rector. Fr. Cornelius has initiated a special Sulpician ongoing formation project in a new parish, St. Cecilia, in the Bbondo in Monze Diocese.

The Society of St. Sulpice runs the house of formation on behalf of Gaborone Diocese in Botswana. While doing formation at St. Kizito seminarians go to study philosophy at St. Bonaventure University College for the Franciscans. The university attracts many candidates from different religious orders and has an international character as there several foreign students studying there.

Fr. Eugene readily accepted the challenge to serve as rector at St. Kizito. Though rector, he continues to teach, adjunct, Church History and Patrology at St. Dominic.

He describes the St. Kizito community as wonderful one comprising four seminarians (three Tswana and one South African) and Fr. Victor Simutonga, PSS, in residence studying at St. Bonaventure’s. The intake will grow to seven next academic year.

The annex expansion at St. Kizito’s by Archbishop Nubuasah, of Gaborone, while Fr. Hankomoone was rector, has provided more accommodations for students and formators. There are, however, some major challenges in the main house

including managing the high electricity bills, maintenance of the buildings, and upgrading the kitchen, and air conditioning the common rooms (TV and study rooms). Fr. Eugene hopes to set up the office for the Rector with a new computer. These initiatives and other needs are part of the rector’s conversations with Archbishop Nubuasah, as St. Kizito is owned by the Diocese of Gaborone in Botswana. Fr. Mwanza has a good working relationship with both the former rector and the archbishop as well as with Fr. Daniel Moore, PSS, Provincial.

Victor C. Shikaputo, PSS
Regional Superior