UGANDA: Zambia, Malawi Register Pilgrims ahead of the 2017 Uganda Martyrs Day Celebration
With less than 70 days to go until the 2017 Uganda Martyrs Day celebration, international pilgrims have already begun to register for participation.
Pilgrims from Zambia and Malawi are among the first international pilgrims to confirm participation, while over 300 pilgrims from the Diocese of Hoima (Uganda) have so far registered as foot pilgrims for the forthcoming Uganda Martyrs celebration due June 3, at Namugongo Catholic Shrine.
The 2017 celebration will be animated by the Diocese of Hoima on behalf of Mbarara Ecclesiastical Province. The chairperson of the Organizing Committee at Diocesan level, Kiiza Aliba, confirmed on Tuesday March 21, 2017 that they have so far registered over 200 pilgrims from Zambia and Malawi.
“We have already started the registration process for both local and international pilgrims. So far we received a list from Zambia and Malawi, making them the first international pilgrims to register for this year’s celebration. We encourage other international pilgrims from different countries to register with us as it will help to ease our work (the organizers) on how to usher them in when they come,” he said.
The Uganda Martyrs Day celebration usually attracts millions of enthusiastic pilgrims from across the world. Last year, Tanzania had the largest contingent of pilgrims (4,961) from the East African Community member countries besides hosts Uganda.
Kenya had at least 4,000 pilgrims while 800 came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 300 from Rwanda, 712 from Burundi, and 105 from South Sudan. Majority of these international pilgrims walked on foot to Namugongo Shrine as a demonstration of their respective faith.
Other international Pilgrims also came from the United States of America (7), Nigeria (117), Mexico (4), Malawi (100), 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.
