By Jacinta W. Odongo
Preparations are in full swing for the 2017 Uganda Martyrs Day celebration due this Saturday, June 3 at Namugongo Catholic Shrine.
The chairperson of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Kiiza Aliba, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Justice and Peace and Department of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, (UEC) said that preparations are at the final stage with 95 percent of the work complete.
“We only need some additional touch-ups on some technical aspects which will be finalized this afternoon. We have already received thousands of pilgrims from within and outside the country and more are still registering. We expect the Shrine to be flooded with millions of pilgrims by tomorrow morning,” said Aliba.
The Uganda Martyrs Day celebration usually attracts millions of enthusiastic pilgrims from across the world. Majority of these pilgrims usually walk on foot while others use various means of transport to reach Namugongo Shrine as an act of Faith and reverence to the Martyrs.
Last year, Tanzania had the largest contingent of registered pilgrims (4,961) among the East African Community member countries besides hosts Uganda. Kenya had about 4,000 registered pilgrims while 800 came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 300 from Rwanda, 712 from Burundi, and 105 from South Sudan.
Other international Pilgrims also included those who came from the United States of America (7); Nigeria (117); Mexico (4); Malawi (100) and others from Italy, Zambia, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada.
The annual celebration commemorates the heroic faith of the 45 Martyrs, both Catholic and Anglican, who were burnt to death following the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II, the then King of Buganda between 1885 and 1887. Twenty-two Catholic Martyrs were beatified on June 6, 1920, by Pope Benedict XV, and on October 18, 1964, Pope Paul VI canonized them as Saints.
In addition to the Catholic Martyrs, there are two Catechists from Paimol: Blessed Daudi Okello and Blessed Jildo Irwa who were killed in 1918, and were beatified by John Paul II on October 20, 2002.
Meanwhile, Catholic faithful across the country will on Friday 2nd conclude a novena in honor of the Martyrs. The nine-day prayer started on Thursday May 25. The Catholic Church usually honors those who exhibit such courage, devotion and selfless sacrifice for their faith as heroes, models of faith who intercede for the living before God.
On Saturday May 27, hundreds of pilgrims also participated in the second ‘Walk of Faith pilgrimage’ since it was introduced as part of the Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations. The pilgrimage started from Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine to St. Matia Mulumba Parish in Old Kampala, where St. Matia Mulumba (one of the Catholic martyrs) was killed.
The Diocese of Hoima will animate this year’s Uganda Martyrs Day celebration under the theme, “Stand Firm in Faith That We Have Been Taught” (Colossians 2:7). A total budget of US$ 166,064 (Ugandan shillings 597m) has been allocated for the preparation of this year’s event.
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