On Thursday 29th November, 2012, the Apostolic Nuncio to Sierra Leone, Most Reverend George ANTONYSAMY, communicated to the Bishops and the Dioceses of Sierra Leone that the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples has confirmed the date of the Episcopal Ordination of Msgr. Henry ARUNA, Bishop-elect of Makeni, for Saturday 5th January 2013 in Freetown.

The Consecrating Prelate will be the Most. Reverend Protase RUGAMBWA, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies. He will be accompanied by Msgr. Hyacinthe Dione from the same Congregation.

The Bishops and People of God in the Dioceses of Sierra Leone welcome this news with great joy keeping in mind that the Episcopal ordination will be primarily spiritual and pastoral. It will also serve as a watershed in the history of the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone. We rejoice that the Sierra Leonean Church has come of age; as all its four Dioceses will now have Sierra Leonean Bishops as Shepherds of the People of God.

Bishop-elect Msgr. Henry Aruna will be the fifth Sierra Leonean Bishop and the first Sierra Leonean Bishop of the Diocese of Makeni.

The Secretariat of the Inter Territorial Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Sierra Leone and The Gambia wishes to invite all our brothers and sisters, especially Bishops, Priests, Religious and the Lay Faithful to the Episcopal ordination.

Please come and relish this moment of grace with the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone.

We thank Almighty GOD for the gift of Msgr. Henry ARUNA.

We thank the Holy Father, Pope BENEDICT XVI for appointing Msgr. Henry ARUNA.