Solemnity of Christ the King

Welcome to the Solemnity of Christ the King. Happy Feast Day.

Today as we gather to celebrate the day, I would like to say something more about why Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast and why it is still relevant today. I will pick up some points from the Pope’s Encyclical Letter of  December, 11 1925; Quas Primas —which introduced the Feast (Nos. 31, 32, 33).

Jesus Christ is Lord of the Universe.

The Pope introduces his Letter with the following words:

In the first Encyclical Letter …... We remember saying that (the) manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ….. (Quas Primas, No. 1)

He saw a problem, the governors and governed of this world were thrusting Jesus Christ out of their lives. The law of God no longer meant anything to them, it had no place in people’s private lives or in politics. Evils were multiplying in the world at an alarming rate. He wished to open the eyes of the world that they may see the needful; namely, that throwing Christ out of their lives leads to doom. So he wrote Quas Primas which instituted the feast of the Kingship of Christ and called upon the world to look for peace in the Kingdom of Christ. Christ out: meant more evils and Christ in: meant back to the way of peace.

The Pope expected that celebrating the Feast annually, would remind rulers of nations, that they too are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ. He believed that they would be reminded that not all ends here on earth; Jesus Christ whom they throw out of their lives, despise, neglect and ignore, will be found as a just judge at the end of time, demanding that Nations answer for their actions. He will want to know how much freedom the State gave to the Church to carry out her mission in the world and how the same State took account of God’s commandments and Christian principles in making laws and administering justice.

He further hoped, that the Feast would be a reminder to everybody that the Church has the right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the State. When the Church is fulfilling her God given duty of teaching, ruling and guiding those who belong to the kingdom of Christ,  she has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state and cannot be subject to any external power. The State is thus bound to give freedom to the agents of Evangelization as they carry out the mission.

It was his intended aim, that the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as they would annually be reminded that Christ must reign in their hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.  It was his desire that this would lead the faithful to live their lives in accordance with the laws of  God’s kingdom and receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful servants, they may be rendered partakers of eternal happiness and glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.

The relevance of the Feast today

Ninety two years since the institution of the Feast, the world still needs to be reminded that the way to lasting peace among nations is through submission to God’s law through Jesus Christ, Lord of the universe.

Unfortunately a good number of people today, as in 1925, are more interested in what profits them individually here and now. The individual self is becoming the only authority. Calling Christ Lord or King seems antiquated to some, because these are titles given to oppressive systems of governance. They don’t stop to reflect on the kingship of Christ whose kingdom is one of humility and service.

We hear him say: “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45)”

The kingdom that Jesus Christ brings is a kingdom of justice, radical love, mercy, peace and forgiveness.

We therefore still find the celebration of the feast of Christ the King relevant today. It continues to remind us that in him we find answers to many of the questions we are ever struggling to answer when we are blindly pursuing the individualistic path that many are following. Humility, justice, love, mercy and forgiveness will lead us to true peace.

Sun 26, Nov 2017 04:11 am

Msgr. Anatoli Kamya remembered

On Wednesday 15th November,2017, we had a memorial Mass for the late Msgr Anatoli Kamya. It was led by his nephew Rev. Fr. Anthony Mugambe.

This month November, is particularly dedicated to all the departed faithful; we are encouraged to pray in a special way for souls in purgatory.

Thu 23, Nov 2017 09:11 am

The National Novena to St. Jude Thaddeus

The National Novena to St. Jude Thaddeus was held here from 19th - 27th October. We celebrated the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude on 28th October. Congratulations to Naggulu Parishioners and all Devotees to St, Jude.

Tue 07, Nov 2017 13:11 pm

Celebrating Kampala Archdiocesan Golden Jubilee

REMEMBER, REJOICE, RENEW!

Tue 07, Nov 2017 13:11 pm

Weekly prayers for the faithful departed

[Richert, Scott P. "Weekly Prayers for the Faithful Departed." ThoughtCo, May. 27, 2017, thoughtco.com/weekly-prayers-for-the-faithful-departed-542594. ]

As we remember the faithful departed in purgatory during the month of November; the Church offers us different prayers that we can say each day of the week for them.

Sunday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech You by the Precious Blood, which Your divine Son Jesus shed in the Garden, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that one which is the most forsaken of all, and bring it into Your glory, where it may praise and bless You for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, 

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Monday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech You by the Precious Blood which Your divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in purgatory, and among them all, especially that soul which is nearest to its entrance into Your glory, that it may soon begin to praise and bless You for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal Rest

Tuesday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech You by the Precious Blood of Your divine Son Jesus that was shed in His bitter crowning with thorns, deliver the souls in purgatory, and among them all, particularly that soul which is in the greatest need of our prayers, in order that it may not long be delayed in praising You in Your glory and blessing You for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal Rest..

Wednesday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech You by the Precious Blood of Your divine Son Jesus that was shed in the streets of Jerusalem whilst He carried on His sacred shoulders the heavy burden of the Cross, deliver the souls in purgatory and especially that one which is richest in merits in Your sight, so that, having soon attained the high place in glory to which it is destined, it may praise You triumphantly and bless You for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal Rest

Thursday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech You by the Precious Body and Blood of Your divine Son Jesus, which He Himself on the night before His Passion gave as meat and drink to His beloved Apostles and bequeathed to His Holy Church to be the perpetual Sacrifice and life-giving nourishment of His faithful people, deliver the souls in purgatory, but most of all, that soul which was most devoted to this Mystery of infinite love, in order that it may praise You therefore, together with You divine Son and the Holy Spirit in Your glory for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal Rest

Friday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which Jesus Your divine Son did shed this day upon the tree of the Cross, especially from His sacred Hands and Feet, deliver the souls in purgatory, and particularly that soul for whom I am most bound to pray, in order that I may not be the cause which hinders You from admitting it quickly to the possession of Your glory where it may praise You and bless You for evermore. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal Rest.

Saturday Prayer

O Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which gushed forth from the sacred Side of Thy divine Son Jesus in the presence and to the great sorrow of His most holy Mother, deliver the souls in purgatory and among them all especially that soul which has been most devout to this noble Lady, that it may come quickly into Thy glory, there to praise Thee in her, and her in Thee through all the ages. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal Rest

Tue 07, Nov 2017 13:11 pm

World Mission Sunday 2017

Every year, on penultimate (the last but one) Sunday in the month of October, Catholics worldwide celebrate World Mission Sunday. I would like to wish my fellow Catholics and all Christians who may wish to celebrate with us, a happy and meaningful Mission Sunday.

For those who do not know or those who may have forgotten, World Mission Sunday is a day set aside for the Catholic Church throughout the world to publicly renew its commitment to its mission: i.e. proclaiming the gospel of the love of God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of what Vatican II document (‘Ad Gentes’ No. 2) states: “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father”.

Today, as we celebrate who we are, namely missionaries, Pope Francis (in his message for World Mission Sunday 2017) has invited us to reflect on Mission being at the heart of  Christian faith.  We are reminded that we are one with the church around the world.  We are called upon to be committed to carrying on the mission of Christ, no matter what our situations may be.  This, the Pope tells us, challenges us “to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium, 20). The Church’s mission impels us to undertake a constant pilgrimage across the various deserts of life, through the different experiences of hunger and thirst for truth and justice”. (Message of Pope Francis for World Mission Day 2017 No. 6).

Against this back drop, the Holy Father reminds us that the world still needs the gospel and that it is through the church (therefore through you and me) that the work of Christ as Good Samaritan and Good Shepherd is continued. To quote from his message: “Through the Church, Christ continues his mission as the Good Samaritan, caring for the bleeding wounds of humanity, and as Good Shepherd, constantly seeking out those who wander along winding paths that lead nowhere”. (No. 5)

To show how the world still needs the gospel and its transformative power he gives the following testimonies:

“….I think of the gesture of the Dinka student who, at the cost of his own life, protected a student from the enemy Nuer tribe who was about to be killed. I think of that Eucharistic celebration in Kitgum, in northern Uganda, where, after brutal massacres by a rebel group, a missionary made the people repeat the words of Jesus on the cross: ‘My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?’ as an expression of the desperate cry of the brothers and sisters of the crucified Lord. For the people, that celebration was an immense source of consolation and courage. We can think too of countless testimonies to how the Gospel helps to overcome narrowness, conflict, racism, tribalism, and to promote everywhere, and among all, reconciliation, fraternity, and sharing”.

In order to effect all this, we need to remember that if Mission is at the heart of our faith, and that faith without works is dead faith; then action must be taken by each one of us believers through the performance of acts that lead to the taking of the gospel “across the various deserts of life”. Three main acts come to mind, namely: prayer, celebration, and offerings.

Thus today we pray, that God may give His blessings to the Mission of the church. We pray for every member of the church, that they may continue to spread what Christ started. In addition, we celebrate the success of the Mission, an action that brings more awareness of God’s love towards his people to those who did not know it. Lastly we offer material support for the Mission, usually in the form of money which through the Society for the propagation of faith, is sent to various missionary regions.

Fellow Catholics, as we observe this years’ Mission Sunday, I would like to end with a quote from Pope Francis’ message: “…..in carrying out our mission, let us draw inspiration from Mary, Mother of Evangelization. Moved by the Spirit, she welcomed the Word of life in the depths of her humble faith. May the Virgin Mother help us to say our own “yes”, conscious of the urgent need to make the Good News of Jesus resound in our time. May she obtain for us renewed zeal in bringing to everyone the Good News of the life that is victorious over death. May she intercede for us so that we can acquire the holy audacity needed to discover new ways to bring the gift of salvation to every man and woman”.

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Mon 23, Oct 2017 13:10 pm

OCTOBER THE MONTH OF THE ROSARY

October is the month of the Rosary. This year the first day of the month falls on a Sunday. As we await the beginning of those thirty one days of prayer, meditation and leading us to contemplation through the recitation of the rosary, let us refresh our minds about the rosary.

When answering a question about the rosary, Fr. William Saunders says: “The rosary is one of the most cherished prayers of our Catholic Church. Introduced by the Creed, the Our Father, three Hail Marys and the Doxology ("Glory Be"), and concluded with the Salve Regina, the rosary involves the recitation of five decades consisting of the Our Father, 10 Hail Marys and the Doxology. During this recitation, the individual meditates on the saving mysteries of our Lord's life and the faithful witness of our Blessed Mother” (The Arlington Catholic Herald, Notre Dame, October 6, 1994).

That is what all who pray the rosary regularly do. Common knowledge as it may be, a good number of faithful ‘reciters’ of the rosary, tend to forget the part about meditation on the mysteries of  our Lord's life and the faithful witness of our Blessed Mother. They simply rush through the hail Marys as if someone was running after them with some sort of weapon with shouts of: “If you don’t finish this rosary in the next seven minutes, I will shoot”. Some times even some words of the Hail Mary are either ‘eaten’, half-way pronounced or completely omitted in the process. Oh, how we mess up Our Lady’s beautiful prayer!

As we recite the rosary, we are supposed to meditatively journey through the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of the rosary. We should bring to mind our Lord's incarnation, Public life, His passion and death and His resurrection from the dead. That way, again to quote Fr. William Saunders “the rosary assists us in growing in a deeper appreciation of these mysteries, in uniting our life more closely to our Lord and in imploring His graced assistance to live the faith. We also ask for the prayers of our Blessed Mother, who leads all believers to her Son”.

Tue 10, Oct 2017 09:10 am

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017

Liturgically Catholics celebrate New Year's Day as the Solemnity of Mary mother of God. I therefore wish all the reacts of my column, a joyful Solemnity of Mary mother of God, gracious Day of the Lord and a happy new year. At the same time I request you to reflect with me upon some events of last year and look ahead to the future's possibilities.

Thank you

My reflection upon the year that has been, begins with those two words 'thank you'. There are so many of us in this Parish of Our Lady and St. |ude; people of all walks of life from all corners of Uganda and beyond. Men and women of all trades and occupations, ranging from: CEOs of big companies to night guards of some small premises; members of the Uganda Police force to local Government employees; business men

and women who regularly fly to Dubai, China, the UK and other countries abroad for their transactions to tomato, matooke, charcoal or vegetable vendors along the road somewhere. Small families of four or five living in two storied houses to large families with an un specified number of relatives living in two "mizigos"(rented rooms), just to mention some.

However, in spite of all the aforementioned, we have been coming to our church to celebrate together as a family the Eucharist and other liturgical functions. We have tirelessly contributed, what each one of us could, towards the continuation of pastoral and developmental activities in Naggulu Parish. So I say thank youl First to God and then to you all fellow parishioners; thank you, thank you......

Some milestones in 2016

A key milestone was the celebration of our parish Day with His Grace Archbishop C. K. Lwanga under the theme: walking the path of God's mercy together. I remember with appreciation how each community organized itself and prepared lunch for its members. One could literally feel the spirit of unity in diversity moving within our multi cultural communities!

Then there was the unprecedented celebration of the 3rd Novena to St. lude (Oct. 19th-27th), with each day of the Novena allocated to a category of devotees and non devotees alike. Unity in diversity was again seen in action as the novena progressed. Unforgettable was the celebration of the Feast of Ss Simon and |ude (Oct. 28th) at the end of the Novena! Bishop ). B. Kaggwa of Masaka and his Diocese leading the celebrations, the couples that made their marriage vows and the huge congregation we had not seen recently on this feast; all made the reality of unity in diversity clearly visible!

On the side of all agents of evangelization, the Parish council led by our Ssaabakristu Mrs. M. S. Matovu was another source of encouragement to all the parishioners through the implementation of departmental work plans, at least those which had made some.

A committee that was very active through out the year, is the Finance Committee steered by our Treasurer Mr. J. L. Musoke, This committee sat every week to handle our Parish finances and saw to it that¹ the Parish continued to function.

The Liturgy Department which sat every month to make sure that our parish activities rotated around the heart of every Catholic Parish namely Liturgy is worth mentioning.

More milestones, for example concerning the city project and the development committee activities and reflection on future possibilities will follow in our subsequent issues. Meanwhile I wish you all a grace filled, prosperous and happy new year.

Tue 10, Jan 2017 08:01 am

NOVEMBER: COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

Yes I know that November 1 was All Saints Day, and thank all those who made an effort to attend Mass somewhere  -  the day being one of obligation.

But I am stressing November 2 (“All Souls Day”) for a couple of reasons:

First: the whole of month of November is a month for praying for the dead.

Secondly: until Tuesday 8 November, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted each and every day, if we devoutly visit a cemetery and there pray, if only mentally, for the departed.

You all know how we at times forget to pray for our departed brethren, and especially those who may not have relatives or friends to remember them. It is a noble act to  remind oneself every day of November

Wed 09, Nov 2016 22:11 pm

Ss Simon and Jude Feast Day at Naggulu, 2016

Last Sunday I wrote about concluding the 3rd Solemn Novena to St. Jude, Thursday 27 October, 2016. Today I would like to congratulate you all my fellow Parishioners (and those St. Jude devotees from other parishes who  by some sort of chance, may get hold of this News Letter) upon the successful celebration of the Feast of Ss. Simon and Jude.

The numbers of the pilgrims were overwhelming, the seven couples who made their marriages vows were very graceful and Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa who led the Eucharistic Celebration and officiated at the marriages gave an inspiring homily.

By nine in the morning the Bishop was already at the shrine and at exactly 9:30 a.m. the procession to the venue for the celebrations was starting. The function was graced by a sizeable number of priests: they came from the Dioceses of Kasese, Fort Portal, Hoima, Kabale, Mbarara, Tororo Kiyinda Mityana, Kampala, Nangina Deanery (Kenya) and Masaka the leaders of this years’ celebrations.

As usual the function was held in St. Jude ceremonial gardens and although we had more than thirty tents a good number of the faithful had to stand or sit on the grass without tents to shelter them.

The Mass and marriage ceremony went on smoothly. Among the couples for Matrimony were the Masaka District L.C. V Chairman, some police officers from Naggulu and couples from Masaka just to mention some. At the end of the Mass all couples were given their marriage certificates amid ululations. Many were heard saying that these couples gave a good example of making moderate wedding ceremonies and stressing more the sacramental part of marriage rather than the material part!

After Mass St. Jude devotees brought to the Bishop their thanks giving gifts. Then there was some fund raising towards the construction of the new church and a few speeches.

This was followed by Lunch sponsored by Mr. F.X. Kitaka of MTK. Many thanks to him and all who made this function a success.

In a very special way Masaka Diocese deserves a word of thanks for leading this years’ celebrations. They put in a lot of effort, ideas and money. May God reward them for all this, and may St. Jude continue to intercede for them so that they may receive more favours in their daily lives. 

Thu 03, Nov 2016 22:11 pm