70 Years of Dispensing God’s Grace

With heartfelt joy, I send cordial greetings to you dear parishioners and well-wishers of our Lady and St. Jude Parish Naggulu. Today we are celebrating a remarkable day in the history of this place; 70 years of existence down the road is a milestone worth celebrating. Let me use the words of the psalmist, “this is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad” [Ps. 118:24]. Indeed we have a reason to celebrate this day as we glorify the Lord who called this parish into being. By celebrating Naggulu parish’s existential endurance for 7 decades, we are as well acknowledging God’s providential grace to His people.  He has never abandoned this place from its inception to date.

We are also celebrating the legacies of the 70 years of Catholic mission in Naggulu. So many people have been touched differently and now serving the Church and the State in various capacities. Looking at the fruits we have harvested over years, it is right to celebrate this day with great honours. In the spirit of upholding the legacies of our forefathers, let us take it upon ourselves to see to it that nothing of what was received withers in our hands. 

The year 1954 is remarkable in the history of this place. It was during this time that the concerted efforts of Bishop Vincent Billington in collaboration with Father Henry Steegmans brought about the establishment of a young Church. These were faithful custodians who through their teachings laid a firm foundation for Naggulu parish. But as you know, nature dictates that the course of our life is short; we wither and bodily life comes to an end, so it was the case with the founding fathers. At this point I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessors who picked from him (Fr. Steegmans); all parish priests and their curates who over years exercised spiritual, pastoral and moral stewardship. It was out of the tireless efforts of these animators of spiritual life that no wave has ever shook this parish to its foundations. I also acknowledge all lay leaders over years who dedicated their efforts to serve God at Naggulu parish in various capacities such as, catechists, executive committee members, sacristans, lectors, choristers and in all other capacities. However, some priests and lay people are now resting in the peace of Christ, let us unceasingly keep them in prayer.

Most of us at face value are looking at 70 years as the reason to celebrate, but here comes a question: What is the gist of this celebration? The most outstanding answer is that, we are celebrating God’s presence amidst his people. He has dwelt in the Church at Naggulu for the last 70 years, dispensing graces to His people through the celebration of sacraments by priests. The latter turns out to be the reality because Holy Mother Church basically sanctifies and teaches her children. These distinguishing characteristics draw us to the primary and sole mission of the

Church, that is, the “salvation of souls” [can. 1752]. Through the sanctifying office, priests as channels of grace have been celebrating sacraments here since 1954. All peoples regardless of the state of life have been receiving graces making them worthy to stand before God. Therefore, the gist of our celebration is embedded in the 70 years of unceasingly channeling God’s graces and love to humankind.

Again as faithful stewards of the word of God, we are also celebrating 70 years of defending the deposit of faith (word of Scripture and Tradition) as handed over by the teaching authority of the Church (magisterium) headed by the Pope which gives the guidance on the doctrines to carry forward. Naggulu parish through its priests and responsible lay men and women has in union with the Holy Father defended the doctrinal positions of the Church.  It has carefully without alterations of teachings directed the people of God ably well in terms of faith and morals. The teaching function is so important especially during our time when many people more so the young generation are torn apart by ungodly mundane ideologies, policies, propaganda and doctrines. With all these facts on our fingertips we can come to a conclusion that the Church at Naggulu is well represented as a mother and teacher. She has parented many in virtues as she plants the faith. Thence, we are celebrating not only years of existence, but also the visible impact of the existence on God’s people.

I invite you in the spirit of our diocesan theme, that is “We the baptized let us journey together in communion, participation and mission” to join efforts by picking from where our forefathers left the task. No one can carry on this role individually, let us pray that we may be permeated by the spirit of love and harmony as we build Naggulu parish. The characteristic of cultural diversity which defines our parish at times may scare the onlookers, yet for us it is our strength because we exploit the richness of every culture for the good of our faith. All other trial moments should not derail us from achieving the common goal. Further still, in the spirit of togetherness, I thank my immediate co-worker, Fr. Viatory Muvunyi and the executive committee headed by Hon. Margaret Nantongo Zziwa Babu for the commendable work being done as we seek to lift Naggulu parish to greater heights. 

Finally, I invite you to dedicate your energies and zeal towards spiritual, moral, pastoral and infrastructural development of our home, Naggulu parish. It is you and me to come up with good polices, systems and structures that will bridge some loopholes which have affected us for the past 70 years. Let us unanimously revisit the drawing board every now and then whenever need arises so as to re-strategize and come to terms with modern challenges. This will enable us to establish a lasting parish which our grandsons and daughters will live to witness. 

Rev. Fr. Joseph Mary Bbuye

Sun 30, Jun 2024 04:06 am