UGANDA: Lay Apostolate Department organizes Marriage and Family Life Seminar
Group photo of the participants of the Family Life Seminar
In an effort to help married couples build strong foundation for their marriages, the Lay Apostolate Department of the Uganda Episcopal Conference (LAD-UEC) held a week-long Seminar on Marriage and Family Life for married couples in the Catholic Church in Uganda.
The seminar, which was held from 17th to 23rd September 2018 at Emmaus Centre in Katikamu, Kampala Archdiocese, was aimed at bringing together married couples in the Catholic Church to be trained as trainers of other couples in all the 19 dioceses across the country.
Over 27 couples from all the four Ecclesiastical Provinces of Uganda as well as couples from the Archdiocese of Mombasa in Kenya were in attendance. There were couples from Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, the largest Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda which is currently home to South Sudanese refugees.
The seminar attracted an all-encompassing group of people with varied experiences in marriage, ranging from those that have only been married for 7 months to those with over 50 years in Holy Matrimony. Some of the participants were Leaders of Couples in their parishes and dioceses.
In her presentation, Theresa Mary Obbo, the key facilitator of the seminar, began the discussion with an introductory topic on “Building Strong Foundations in Marriage”. She described marriage as a universally accepted cultural union where sexual relations are sanctioned and she compared it to a wheel which needs to be propelled in order to move forward.
“The Core of the Wheel is God. When God is at the centre of our wheel (i.e. marriage), He will never let the ‘spokes’ break or jam; rather He will make it easy for us to carry heavy loads in both good and bad times,” she said.
She urged the married couples to practice the spokes of love in action between the couple and their God; their children; grand-children and in-laws. These spokes, she said, include conjugal relationship, the art of effective communication, financial management and the ability to forgive one another.
She further set the tone for the rest of the training when she asked the couples to do various exercises, including re-writing their vows and saying them to each other; and carrying out a SWOT analysis on their marriages.
The Executive Secretary of the LAD- UEC, Rev. Fr. Frederick Tusingire also introduced the couples to the concept of Holy Matrimony and explained how it differs from other forms of marriage; how marriage is described in the Sacred Scriptures; and what the Church’s teachings is on marriage and family are.
The rest of the days were dedicated to various topics related to Parenting, Family Planning; transmission of life and pro-life; writing last wills and testaments; human sexuality; legal issues in marriage and family life; pastoral care for marriage and family, among others.
The seminar is expected to be held annually to empower couples with necessary skills on how to keep marriages vital and effective.
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Jacinta W. Odongo Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference
