“In Africa, you do not need to take a vow of voluntary poverty—because poverty is already the daily reality”: Life at the Uganda Catholic Worker

Michael Sekitoleko founded the Uganda Catholic Worker on February 14, 2011, with the help of two friends. In the years since then, the community has conducted Peace and Nonviolence training at hundreds of schools, provided temporary shelter (and the dignity of a loving community) to hundreds of unhoused Ugandans, helped to de-escalate conflicts, and intervened to protect the rights of villagers threatened with removal from their land.

The following is a transcript of Michael’s presentation to the National Catholic Worker gathering at the San Antonio Catholic Worker in early October 2025. It was auto-generated from the recording and reviewed by a human editor, who made minor edits for clarity. Cover photo: Michael Sekitoleko, Martha Hennessy, and Mark Colville.

michael Sekitoleko:

You can imagine how excited I am to be part of this gathering—my very first Catholic Worker gathering. My name is Michael, and I am from Uganda. For anyone who may not know, Uganda is in East Africa, next to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. I am a very proud full-time Catholic Worker. It gives me great joy to see Catholic Workers gathered for this national gathering and to be part of it. Thanks be to God.

As some of you may know, the Uganda Catholic Worker was the first Catholic Worker community established in Africa. We began on February 14, 2011—Valentine’s Day. As you can imagine, there is quite a gap between the United States and Uganda, and we very much want to be in contact with you, especially those who have been part of the Catholic Worker movement for a long time. There is so much we need to learn from you, and so much we hope to share.

When you look at how the Catholic Worker movement is organized, I would say it is almost fifty times harder to be a Catholic Worker in Africa, for many obvious reasons. Today I would like to share some of our experiences of being Catholic Workers in Uganda, and more broadly in Africa.

Why the Catholic Worker Movement is Needed in Africa

First of all, I want you to know that the African continent—taking Uganda as an example—needs the Catholic Worker movement more than ever. Every day we face new challenges and problems affecting our society, challenges that the ideals of the Catholic Worker movement are uniquely suited to address.

My friends in the U.S. will understand when I say: in Africa, you do not need to take a vow of voluntary poverty—because poverty is already the daily reality. When you look at the lives and experiences of our people, it becomes clear how much the Catholic Worker movement is needed here.

Our Plea to the Wider Movement

You may not have heard much about us, even though we have been around since 2011. Those who have heard of the Uganda Catholic Worker have likely heard only once or twice, with no ongoing communication. So this is my plea:

1. Please stay in contact with us—as much as possible.
2. Please consider mentoring us and building our capacity, offering any opportunities, big or small, that can help us: become a stronger Catholic Worker community, and build a model community in Africa that can inspire others.
3. We have the will and the spirit to serve—but we lack resources– if we had time to go deeper, you would see what we have endured since 2011—both the joys and the hardships. We need your prayers, your solidarity, and, yes, financial support.

The Challenges We Face

I have been arrested four times in Uganda while doing Catholic Worker work and going about my daily activities. Ugandan detention centers are very different from those in the United States. Without proper support or resources, you can be arrested and left to rot in jail, completely innocent.

In our country everything has a price: your freedom, the truth, and even your life. If you are not blessed with support to help you maneuver these realities, you cannot sustain a Catholic Worker community.

I have sent some materials that show what our experience was in the month of September. Our small community reaches out to the person with the greatest need. Every day, people invite us into situations requiring intervention: mental health crises, disabilities, domestic violence, families losing their land, and people being displaced. The extent of the challenges in our communities truly calls for the Catholic Worker movement.

Fellow Catholic Workers, as you can see, we have the will, but we lack the capacity and resources to do this work as it needs to be done. We ask for your solidarity, your mentorship, and your prayers as we continue building the Catholic Worker movement in Uganda and across Africa.