Masaka diocese animates students’ martyrs day pilgrimage amid lockdown

Masaka , Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Masaka Catholic Diocese has experimented their idea of dedicating a special day for young people to celebrate the annual pilgrimage feast of the Uganda Martyrs day.

On June 3, every year, Christians from different corners of the world converge at  the Uganda Martrys shrine in Namugongo, Wakiso district; in commemoration of the determination of young men who braved death for their newly found faith on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga.

Masaka Diocese which had been chosen to lead this years’ National Martyrs day prayers preferred to design a special arrangement for students as a response to the spectacular crowds that usually characterize the events.

All students according to the arrangements were meant to exclusively pay pilgrimage and conduct prayers ahead of the general Christian Community that usually overshadowed them at the main celebrations.

Despite the cancellation of this year’s festivity due the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Masaka Diocese has gone ahead to experiment part of their planed program for young pilgrims.  The activity was preceded by a mass  led by retired Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa, with selected student representatives from the different schools.

During the mass, celebrated on Friday afternoon inside the diocesan Cathedral at Kitovu in Masaka Municipality, Bishop Kaggwa asked all students to remain positive even when their preparations have been interrupted by the prevailing circumstances.

The Bishop observed that although some sections of the congregation may feel disappointed for celebrating the feast in an unusual manner, it has presented an opportunity to reform the current evangelism methods towards fully embracing the modern social communication channels.

Bishop Kaggwa evoked the students’ imaginations of how their pioneer special pilgrimage feast would look like at Namugongo shrines, indicating that the Diocese has now set a standard that is likely to become a continuous practice.

He accordingly led the students into a special prayer interceded through the martyrs, in which they implored God to directly intervene in the situation of the Coronavirus that has bothered the whole world.

But some of the students that participated in the mass told URN that they were frustrated for not having the opportunity to physically be at Namugongo Martyrs shrines.

George William Zziwa, a senior Five Student at St Henry’s College Kitovu who is part of the diocesan students Choir shared his disappointment for not being able to showcase all their compositions as they had prepared.

Meanwhile, Jacent Nakabuubi and Anita Nassaka, who are both members of Archbishop Kiwanuka Secondary School’s choir, indicate that although they have exhausted their compositions, they were however happy that they managed to attend the mass in a cathedral which was locked since March.

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URN