“As long as I live, I will give back what I have been given.”
– Fr. Tuli
On Sunday 6 July, we said goodbye to ‘our’ Fr Tuli with much gratitude and emotion. Coincidentally, that day was also his birthday.
In 2018, Fr. Tuli, a Salesian of Don Bosco, came to study at KU Leuven, where he completed his Ph.D. in theology and religious studies with a dissertation entitled ‘Supporting Women in the IDP Camps of South Sudan: A Diaconal, Pastoral and Theological Perspective on Grief, Post-Traumatic Stress, Community and Empowerment’. He has been a member of the Sint-Kwinten community team since 2021 and has had several pastoral ministries in the community and the broader Pastoral zone of Leuven aan de Dijle.
At the request of his superior general in Rome, Fr. Tuli will return to South Sudan, where, besides being in charge of a refugee camp, he will also be the pastor of a parish and the superior of the local Salesian community.
During the well-attended Eucharist in Sint-Kwinten’s Church, Fr. Tuli emphasized that every baptized Christian is called to evangelise, to bear witness to his or her faith mainly through acts of love and mercy but also through words of encouragement and compassion in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
The International Choir of Sint-Kwinten gave an extra dimension to this celebration. At the end of the celebration, Mark thanked Fr. Tuli for his faithful dedication to the Sint Kwinten community and the Church in Leuven. Fr Tuli in turn thanked everyone for their trust and good cooperation all these years.
After the celebration there was a chance to say goodbye to Fr Tuli over a snack and drink in the Sint-Kwintenshuis.
Thanks for everything, Fr Tuli! We assure you of our continued support and prayers! God bless you!
