UGANDA: One Priest, Eight Deacons Ordained Amid Rising Need for Pastoral Agents in Arua Diocese
Candidates Ordained to deaconate on the occasion of the priestly and deaconate ordination in Arua diocese on Saturday 21st January 2023
Fr. Isaac Ojok
Arua Catholic Diocese has received the gifts of one priest and eight deacons in the month of January to dispense pastoral ministry among the refugees and the host communities.
The priest and the deacons were on 21st January 2023 ordained by the Rt. Rev Sabino Ochan Odoki, the Ordinary of Arua diocese in a ceremony attended by thousands of people wo came to who witness the precious gifts of one new priest and eight deacons to the church respectively.
Bishop Sabino Ochan Odoki in an interview with AMECEA Online correspondent noted that the diocese has been anxiously waiting to receive the new priest and the deacons due to the huge need for more pastoral agents in the diocese.
He disclosed that he is optimistic that the new priest and deacons are going to strengthen pastoral ministry in Arua Diocese at the time when the diocese is currently working to provide pastoral care to the refugees although the pastoral agents are few.
Apart from the new priest and eight deacons, the bishop further revealed that the diocese has started receiving the congregation of the Religious Sisters known as the Little Daughters of St Joseph from Verona in Italy who are coming to offer pastoral care to the refugees in the Education and health sectors.
According to Bishop Sabino, the nuns are going help the diocese to start a kindergarten to educate the refugee children and those of the host communities.
Other responsibility according to Bishop Sabino is that the Sisters are going to engage in the care of the little children infected by the HIV/AIDS at Gift of Love care center in Adjumani previously founded by Caritas Slovakia.
He added that the Sisters are going to join Caritas Slovakia in giving care and other charitable activities to the children both in the center and those vulnerable in their vicinities in a move to restore hope and confidence in their lives.
Additionally, Bishop Sabino disclosed that the diocese is preparing to receive another group of Scalabrini Fathers from Cape Town in South Africa and that they are mainly going to be involved in pastoral work, monitoring the situation in all the refugee Camps so that they can report to the Holy See appropriately.
As a diocese with a Catholic population of approximately two million three hundred Christians, the bishop said their obligation is to provide pastoral care to both the host communities and the refugees who are spread in all the 38 camps equally.
The Bishop concluded that he is grateful to God and to every one for the support being rendered especially the personnel who are the pastoral agents to offer spiritual and pastoral care to the refugees although the need on the ground is still demanding for more to come.
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