By THE INDEPENDENT UG
Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |
All Catholic Bishops in Uganda are set to begin a week-long retreat tomorrow, focusing on various issues, including prayers for the church and the country.
The news of the retreat was disclosed by Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere of Kampala and Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa of Kiyinda Mityana Diocese, who also serves as the head of the Uganda Catholic Episcopal Conference (UCEC).
These two senior prelates announced the retreat during the celebrations marking one hundred forty-five years since the arrival (February 17th, 1879) of the first Catholic Missionaries, Fr. Lourdel (aka Mapeera) and Bro. Amans at Kiguungu – Entebbe. Thousands of faithfuls trekked to commemorate the “Mapeera Day.”
The event also marked the beginning of celebrations to commemorate sixty years since the canonization (October 18th, 1964) of the Uganda Martyrs. Buyege Parish from Entebbe deanery led in the liturgy to mark the day.
During the function, Bishop Ssemogerere, the main celebrant, urged Christians not to expect to find the bishops in their offices starting Monday, as they will be at the retreat. He, along with Bishop Zziwa, asked Christians to pray for their leaders during the retreat, as they reciprocate the same.
Retired Papal Nuncio Bishop Augustine Kasujja, who attended the event, made remarks about the relics of saints Charles Lwanga and Matia Mulumba, brought in two small boxes.
In his main sermon, Bp. Ssemogerere conveyed warm greetings from Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, who, at 97 years, is in good health, praying for them and the Church.
He commended the Buganda kingdom and several families and individuals for their generosity in donating land in different areas where the Church has undertaken various developments, including missions, schools, and hospitals.
Bishop Ssemogerere expressed concern that in several cases, descendants of families who donated land were grabbing and selling it off. He challenged every Christian to reflect on what they have done to advance the mission of evangelization initiated in Uganda by the missionaries.
Reiterating the papal message of 1966, Bp. Ssemogerere emphasized that it was time for Africans to become missionaries, including evangelizing the nations of Europe where the first missionaries to Africa came from due to the dwindling faith there.
The Bishop concluded by congratulating students and schools that performed well in their candidate class final examinations, whose results were recently released.
He expressed concern about the prevailing ills in Ugandan society today, including theft, dishonesty, and corruption, urging Christians to pray through the Uganda Martyrs to combat these challenges.
Bishop Zziwa announced that Nebbi Diocese would lead this year’s Martyrs Day celebrations on June 3rd at Namugongo. He encouraged the faithful to pray not only for Uganda but also for countries where Christianity is fading.
Nuncio Emeritus Bishop Kasujja stated that the relics brought to the function were for Christians to pray through the Uganda martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their faith. He shared a historical account of one of the first miracles attributed to the martyrs’ intercession, involving the healing of three nuns from smallpox during an epidemic in 1941. Through a Novena, the nuns were healed within three days, and the epidemic disappeared from the country.
Father Richard Nyombi, head of the priestly congregation to which Father Lourdel belonged (Missionaries of Africa, formerly White Fathers), announced that the martyrs’ relics would be taken to all seventy-five parishes of Kampala Archdiocese during the yearlong celebrations. Parishioners were encouraged to pay a pilgrimage to at least one of the designated places of the martyrs.
During these events, Fr. Nyombi urged Christians to pray for peace in the country and to rejuvenate their faith. Christians were also encouraged to revive the Uganda Martyrs Guild in their respective parishes and to pray for the canonization of Fr. Lourdel and Bro. Amans.
Bishop Ssemogerere led a fundraising drive for the improvement of Mapeera Shrine at Kiguungu, raising over shs 17 million in cash and pledges. Notable among the day’s pilgrims were former East African Legislative Assembly speaker Margaret Zziwa, Wakiso district chairman Matia Lwanga Bwanika, MP Kakembo Mwatekamwa, among others.
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