UGANDA: Bishop of Lira Urges Christians to Practice Marian Devotion as He Blessed New Grotto

Isaac Ojok

“The primary devotion of the Church stands on the Blessed Virgin Mary”. This was the statement of Rt. Rev. Sanctus Lino Wanok the Bishop of Lira Diocese while blessing and opening the magnificent Marian Grotto at Uganda Martyrs Cathedral Church in Lira city on Saturday.

The Bishop says the blessed virgin Mary is one of the main protagonists of the incarnation so much that Christians place their devotion to her.

In his catechesis, the Bishop said that Marian grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes became part of the manifestation of Catholicity around the Church, in homes and other decent places designated for people to go and recite the Rosary, read Bible and meditate upon it.

According to the Bishop, this is the reason why it was found meaningful to erect the magnificent Marian grotto at Uganda Martyrs Cathedral as it will promote spiritual devotion of Christians to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The magnificent Marian Grotto “Our Lady Help of Christians” adjacent to Uganda Martyrs Cathedral Church has been constructed with local contributions from Christians and other people of good will.

Rt. Rev. Sanctus appreciated the Christians who made their contributions that made it possible to successfully complete the construction of the grotto, while urging them to continue supporting development activities in the Church.

He further asked Christians to stay away from laxity and respond promptly to the needs of the Church even though in the tough time of the lock down.

He is optimistic that the new grotto inaugurated and ready for use, will help to stimulate the spiritual growth of Christians given the key roles Mary under took in the salvation history.

He also urged those who will not be able to visit the Grotto physically due to the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions to continue praying from home.

The Bishop implored all Christians to unite in prayers and play the noble duty of making Christ known to others using the various means within their reach.

At the moment, the Bishop said the tradition of ringing the bell three times per day at Marian grottos has been re-introduced in the parishes saying that it reminds people of the important event of God’s intervention for the salvation of mankind that took place through the blessed virgin Mary. The first bell of the day according to Bishop is rang in the morning followed by the second bell at midday while the third bell is sounded in the evening.

In his message, the Bishop asked the lay faithful to observe the practice in order to improve on their devotion to the prayers of the Church in their homes even at the time when all the houses of worship in the country are closed as a measure to curb down the rate of Corona virus infections among the people.