SOUTH SUDAN: Thousands of Believers Turn to Celebrate 100 Years of Faith in Loa Parish

Ginaba Lino

Thousands of believers within and across the region have on August 15, 2021 turned to celebrate one hundred 100 years of faith at Our Lady of Assumption Parish Loa, western deanery of the Catholic Diocese of Torit

Presiding mass on Sunday, the metropolitan Archbishop H.G Stephen Ameyu Martin appealed to the faithful Christians to continue seeking for God’s mercy to transform the lives of people and the country South Sudan

“My dear brothers and sisters, it is not anybody that brought to us pain: it is always the devil that temper all of us to bring sorrow to our brothers and sisters. All of us today, let us commit ourselves to ensuring that this tribe, this community of Loa people comes back home. Dear brothers and sisters, let us allow God to interfere in our life’s and he will transform South Sudan, if you pray every day this country will be liberated and we will be one people”.

Archbishop also called upon the Christians to pray for the displaced population in the State so that peace may prevail and they will be able to return to their homes.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed parish priest of Our Lady of Assumption Parish Loa Fr. Dario’s Modi stressed that has the parish is still having challenges, he is calling on all the Christians and well wishers to give support so that the church can be build.

“Madi land is not new place, and so I am here, with a support from you people we shall continue to refiled this place, because we cannot leave our mother Mary in this Church which is leaking, we are here because of our mother Mary and we are celebrating this centenary today but things are not yet in order, my dear faithful people of Good will, I will still call up on you to support, so that we rebuild this church which has taken a hundred years, we cannot leave it in this stage, there is a lot to be done”.

Meanwhile the Vice President of Economic Cluster Dr. Wani Igga acknowledges the suffering of the Madi community after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA that has led to destruction and many flee the country for refuge.

Dr. Igga encourages people of Loa to return home, saying that people are suffering in Camps without food, no Land for agricultural activities and no proper education for children.

According to Wani, the leadership in South Sudan promised not to take the country to war again.

“Definitely our people of Madi you in this conflict after CPA you have suffered more than any other community in South Sudan, it is clear from the destruction that the war has brought very clear, this is why every time we say war is very bad is destructive, we now have peace, I want to tell him or her in fact there is now peace, I believe this is also the stand of Dr. Riek Macher, don’t make the community suffer in Uganda for nothing, Hunger is killing people there, you know the food is not enough even where to cultivate you are put in a rocky place which you cannot even cultivate, children doesn’t have proper education no proper sites and our country”.

The centenary celebrations that took place at Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Loa on Sunday brought in many Christians from various parishes within Catholic Diocese of Torit, Juba Arch-Diocese, Bidi-Bidi, Pagerinya refugee settlement Camps in Adjumani and Gulu Districts in Northern Uganda.

Among those from the Government was the President of the Republic of South Sudan H.E General Salva Kiir Mayardit, Vice president Dr. Wani Igga, Hon. Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, and Hon. Louis Lobong Lojore Governor eastern Equatoria state, and Hon Otto David Commissioner Magwi County.