His message filled our hearts with hope for a better Uganda amidst our challenges. The visit of the Holy Father brought peace and joy into the hearts and families of many Ugandans. The pope's messages encouraged and challenged both young and old to revive their faith and witness their faith. The unity of the Catholic Church was felt when the Vicar of Christ visited Uganda. The visit of the Holy Father strengthened our faith. Pope Francis prays at the sanctuary dedicated the the Uganda Martyrs. The pope left Uganda on the twenty-ninth of November 2015, but the effects of his visit are still felt until now as explained below. The Holy Father stressed three major aspects of our calling, namely always remembering what the Lord has done for us, fidelity, and living a prayer life. I was part of the audience with the pope at Lubaga. Mass ended at 11:45am when the Holy Father left to prepare himself for his busy schedule which included meeting with the youth at Kololo, visiting the poor and needy at Nalukolongo, and addressing the priests, religious, and seminarians at Lubaga Cathedral.
Thousands of people gathered for the papal Mass. A mixture of English, Latin and local songs were sung during the papal mass, not to mention, the local dances that graced the celebration. The feeling I experienced on that day can't clearly be explained, it was all awesome. The Gloria was sung at its best by all the people around the Pope. A sense of holiness filled the entire environment of Namugongo. He waved and blessed the thousands of Christians who had congregated at Namugongo. The pope arrived at 9:30am amidst cheers, and songs in his papal mobile van which moved around. We arrived at Namugongo at 5:00 am and began preparing for the responsibility given to us on that day. Thousands had spent the night there, including my two young brothers, yet still thousands were arriving, among them myself, along with other seminarians, to usher on that Memorial Day. He later visited the Munyonyo Martyrs shrine before he retired for the day in Mbuya.įaithful Ugandans lined the roads hoping for a glimpse of Pope Francis.Įarly in the morning the following day, we traveled to Namugongo Martyrs shine to participate in the papal Mass. In his black, small car with lights on, he waved to us. By the time he passed by the road to our seminary it was around 9:00 pm. They were still on the roads awaiting their beloved visitor. Unfortunately, The Holy Father left the State house late, but the Ugandans never gave up. All the roads on which the Pope was to travel were filled by thousands of Ugandans standing by the sides of the roads to welcome the third Pope to visit the land of the martyrs, thanks to the Uganda Martyrs. Joys and cheers filled the faces of Ugandans. On the twenty-seventh of November, Friday, the papal plane touched down at 2:50 pm at the international airport of Entebbe. Time flies, the long awaited day approached. We eagerly awaited the Holy Father with our long list of prayer intentions: to pray for our families, to pray for the forthcoming elections, to pray for a reduction in the high levels of poverty and unemployment. The official announcement of Pope Francis' visit made on the eleventh of September 2015 brought great joy to many Ugandans.
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