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| President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with Most Rev Ciprian Kizito Lwanga (left) |
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the Republic of Uganda on Sunday 14thDecember, 2014, presided over the grand ground-breaking ceremony for the re-development of the Uganda Martyrs Shrines at Namugongo.
Addressing the crowd that attended the ceremony, the President Museveni said that the government has over the years been using Church Land without paying anything; he therefore promised that the government will pay the money to the Catholic Church so that it may help in this noble project.
Archbishop of Kampala, Dr. Cyprian Kizito-Lwanga, said that over the years, Namugongo has deteriorated in terms of sitting capacity and other utilities, like toilets and places of accommodation due to the overwhelming numbers of pilgrims that keep increasing every year.
“The activities surrounding the re-development are, therefore, part of the ongoing improvement process of Namugongo shrine that aimed at marking of this year Golden Jubilee of the canonization of the 22 Uganda Martyrs,” Archbishop Lwanga said.
He said that with the ceremonies, they are appealing to local and international resource mobilization groups to repair the shrine which is currently leaking. They also want to construct multiple toilet facilities for the thousands of pilgrims, reconstruct the shades around the man-made lake and to renovate the Alter sanctuary.
They are also to construct dormitories for the many pilgrims who travel long distances and sleep in the open. They want to improve upon the terrace and pathways, provide safe Uganda Martyrs’ drinking water for the pilgrims and; they would also wish to construct a Uganda Martyrs’ museum and grottos for each Martyr.
The Archbishop also revealed that they want to purchase a public address system and screens to enable visibility and audibility for the pilgrims to properly follow what would be going on at the altar and activities elsewhere in the whole place.
They also want to improve the security precautionary measures for all the pilgrims and around whole place and; to improve upon the pastoral spiritual and health services in whole place of martyrdom.
“In order to ensure a smooth process, we have been assigned two missionaries of Africa to help the coordination of the spiritual activities aimed at achieving our dream of Namugongo.
Archbishop Lwanga expressed gratitude to the Uganda Government, particularly to President Museveni for accepting to officiate at the ground-breaking ceremony of Namugongo Uganda Martyrs Shrines.
“I would like to appeal to the nation to support this effort, because Namugongo is a National Shrine of an international repute. It will benefit not only our pilgrims, but also the tourism sector. It will enhance the evangelization of the entire continent and the world at large. Ugandans are encouraged to contribute generously towards this noble cause through the SMS platforms and the various bank account numbers, which the steering committee will provide in details soon,” the Archbishop urged.
The project is expected to cost the Catholic Church an estimated 36 billion Ugandan Shillings (About 13 Million USD).
Giving a background of the project, he said that Namugongo Uganda Martyrs Shrine was started by the late Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga in 1967 and; a corner stone was laid in 1975 by a special papal envoy Sergio Cardinal Pignedoli.
Namugongo lie 15 km east of Kampala city off Jinja Road. It was a place of execution of all people who committed grave offence in the Kingdom of Buganda. The Uganda Martyrs both Catholics and Anglicans offered their lives to Christ and were burnt alive on the orders of King Mwanga in 1886 for refusing to denounce their faith.
Following this holocaust that reached its climax on June 3, 1886, Namugongo has easily taken on the image of the attraction as a place of pilgrimage for about 2 million pilgrims from around the world annually; most of whom come to commemorate every third day of June each year when St Charles Lwanga and others were martyred.
SOURCE: Juliet Lukwago; UEC Communications Office