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Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | All Catholic Bishops in Uganda will start a week long retreat tomorrow during which they will deliberately focus on different issues including praying for the church and the country
News of the retreat was disclosed by the Archbishop of Kampala Bp. Paul Ssemogerere and Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa of Kiyinda Mityana Diocese who also doubles as the head of the Uganda Catholic Episcopal Conference (UCEC).
The two senior prelates were at the celebrations to mark one hundred forty five years of the arrival (February 17th, 1879) of the first Catholic Missionaries, Fr. Lourdel (aka Mapeera) and Bro. Amans at Kiguungu – Entebbe where thousands of faithfuls trekked to commemorate the “Mapeera Day.”
The event also marked the beginning of celebrations to commemorate sixty years of the canonization (October 18th, 1964) of the Uganda Martyrs. Buyege Parish from Entebbe deanery led in the liturgy to mark the day.
Bishop Ssemogere who was the main celebrant at the function asked Christians not to look for the bishops in their offices beginning Monday as they will be at the retreat. He together with Bishop Zziwa asked the Christians to pray for their leaders during the retreat, as they also reciprocate
The event was also attended by retired Popal Nouncio Bishop Augustine Kasujja who made remarks about the relics saints of Charles Lwanga and Matia Mulumba that were brought to the function in two small boxes
During the main sermon Bp. Ssemogerere, also delivered warm greetings from Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala who he said was at 97 years in good health, praying for them and the Church.
He commended the Buganda kingdom and the several families and individuals’ generosity for donating land in different areas where the Church has made different developments including missions, schools and hospit
He reminded the brethren that Lubaga Cathedral is sitting on a hill that was a palace but was donated by late Kabaka Muteesa to the missionaries.
Bishop Ssemogerere however expressed indignation that in several cases descendants of the said families donated land were grabbing some of it, selling it off.
He challenged every Christian to ask themselves what they have done to advance the mission of evangelization kicked off in Uganda by the missionaries. Reiterating the papal message of 1966, Bp Ssemogerere said it was time for Africans to become missionaries, including evangelizing the nations of Europe where the first missionaries to Africa came from because the faith there has dwindled.
The Bishop also congratulated students and schools who had performed well in their candidate class final examinations whose results were recently released.
He lamented about the ills pervading the Ugandan society today, including theft, dishonesty, corruption among others, against which he asked Christians to pray through the Uganda Martyrs.
Bishop Zziwa announced Nebbi Diocese will lead this year’s Martyrs Day (June 3rd) celebrations at Namugongo. He asked faithfuls to pray for Uganda and those countries where Christianity was fading.
Nouncio emeritus Bishop Kasujja said the relics that had been carried to the function so that seeing them, Christians would pray through the Uganda martyrs who died for faith to intercede for them. He said one of the first miracles registered though the martyrs’ intercession was the healing of three nuns who suffered small pox while treating patients who suffered from the epidemic in 1941.
He said that within three days of starting a Novena (period of prayer for a specific cause), the nuns had healed and the epidemic eventually disappeared from the country.
Father Richard Nyombi, head of the priestly congregation to which Father Lourdel belonged (Missionaries of Africa, formerly White Fathers) said the martyrs’ relics would be taken to all the seventy-five parishes of Kampala Archdiocese during the yearlong celebrations. They are asked to pay a pilgrimage to at least one of the gazzetted places of the martyrs.
During these events, Fr Nyombi asked Christians to pray for the country to have peace and renew their faith. Christians also asked to revive the Uganda Martyrs Guild in their respective parishes and to pray for the canonization of Fr Lourdel and Bro Amans.
Bp Ssemogerere led a fundraising drive for the uplifting of Mapeera Shrine at Kiguungu in which over shs 17million was realized 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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