Originally from Minnesota, Fr. Dain Scherber, LC, has studied and served in the United States, Ireland, Italy, and now the Ivory Coast, the first official Regnum Christi locality in Africa. This past December, he spent time in Uganda, where he had the opportunity to witness the heartwarming and generous faith of the Ugandan Church, and to continue to discern the Regnum Christi mission in Africa.

On December 9, Archbishop Raphael p’Mony Wokorach of the archdiocese of Gulu opened the 2025 National Youth Conference in Uganda. This week-long event gathered thousands of young Catholics from across the 19 dioceses of Uganda for a transformative experience of faith, unity, reflection, and celebration.

The National Youth Conference is an annual event that began in 1993, initiated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Uganda. The conference includes opportunities for prayer, formation, cultural activities, and discussion on living out the faith in daily life. The hope is that participants will return to their dioceses with a renewed commitment to live out their faith in practical ways, serving their communities and being witnesses of hope in their homes, schools, and workplaces.

Through collaboration and friendships built with the youth chaplains in both northern Rwanda and southern Uganda, Fr. Dain was invited to accompany the Kabale diocesan group to the National Youth Conference in Uganda. He traveled to the capital, then undertook a day-long journey to Kabale, where he joined two buses of young people for a two-day pilgrimage to the conference in Gulu. During this time of travel, Fr. Dain had the opportunity to connect with priests, seminarians, and young people, and to witness their genuine friendship and love for one another.

During the conference, Fr. Dain was moved by the beauty of the Ugandan liturgy and the strong Eucharistic and Marian devotion among the youth. Each day, a different Ugandan archdiocese organized the liturgy, including the readings, choir pieces, liturgical dances, and offertory processions. Adoration was available throughout the entire conference, and the freedom and sincerity with which the youth approached the Lord were especially poignant for Fr. Dain. “It was so beautiful to see so many young people in silence and simplicity, sitting, kneeling, or lying prostrate before Jesus. It was the same with their devotion to our Blessed Mother—the spontaneity and simplicity with which they looked to her moved my heart.”

During his time in Uganda, Fr. Dain was also able to visit the principal pilgrimage sites of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, where he prayed that the blood of these 22 Ugandan martyrs might be a seed for Regnum Christi on the African continent.

Fr. Dain made the most of his time in Uganda, sharing the Regnum Christi charism with the young people that he met, as well as priests, bishops, and laypeople. From his discussions with bishops and other clergy, it became clear to Fr. Dain that one of the most important ways that Regnum Christi can support the Church in Africa is through formative programs for priests, particularly through the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum and the Sacerdos Institute in Rome.

Certainly, God’s providence was at work throughout Fr. Dain’s entire time in Uganda. At one point, Fr. Dain found himself stranded at the conference, alone, with no phone service and no way to return to his accommodations. Since none of the conference drivers were available, one of the diocesan youth leaders, whom Fr. Dain had never met, offered to pay for a motorcycle taxi (boda boda, as it is locally known) to take him back to his accommodations. She later contacted Fr. Dain to find out more about Regnum Christi, and immediately fell in love with the charism. Today, she and her husband are participating in weekly formation sessions to learn more, with the hopes of becoming RC members. In another providential meeting, Fr. Dain met with a man interested in starting an initiative that would form professionals to serve the local Church, and he has already spoken with his bishop, who has officially blessed his desire to bring the RC charism to his diocese.

Experiences like these are nothing new to Fr. Dain. In his work with clergy and lay people, principally in the Ivory Coast, but also in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has witnessed a great thirst for the charism of Regnum Christi and what it has to offer.

Currently, Regnum Christi in Africa is organized as a delegation of the RC General Directive College, based in the Ivory Coast, with satellites in countries such as Nigeria and Rwanda. Through the RC presence in Rwanda, initiatives have been growing now in Uganda and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 2018, Fr. Dain has been serving the Regnum Christi family in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast, which is a full RC locality with a local director and Regnum Christi members of all ages. There are several apostolates run out of the Ivory Coast, such as ECYD, Pilgrim Queen of the Family, and a couple’s accompaniment apostolate. RC Ivory Coast also supports the local parishes and the national seminary.

The most significant way to support the RC family in Africa is through prayer, that Regnum Christi will continue to grow in Africa and serve the Church there more fully through its charism. Prayers are also requested for vocations to Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ across Africa—currently, there are a few young men going through vocational discernment, and efforts are being made to provide them with international RC experiences, such as the International Formators’ Course and vocational retreats held in Rome. Additionally, a development project is underway to construct an RC spirituality center in Abidjan, which will support institutional growth throughout western Africa. Those interested in supporting young men in discernment or contributing to the development project may donate through the international Legionary of Christ donation website, specifying the purpose of the donation. All donations are tax-deductible.