UGANDA: Focolare Community Spearheads Christian Unity Prayers 2024
ARU Reporter
The Focolare movement in collaboration with Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) organized celebrations to commemorate the week-long of prayer for Christian Unity-2024 which is held annually according to the Church tradition from January 18 – 25.
The official celebrations were held at Mariapolis, Mbuya.
During the opening of the week of prayer for unity at the Secretariat of the Association of Religious in Uganda, (ARU), Msgr. John Baptist Kauta said that during this week of prayer for Christian Unity, we are reflecting on the prayer of Jesus Himself that we may be one.
According to Msgr. Kauta, a week of prayer for unity is a reminder that there is some value somewhere and with some misunderstanding somewhere. He said, there is need for more dialogue and say to one another, let us understand and forgive though it is hard to understand and forgive and that is the purpose of the whole thing.
“So let me hope that as we pray for one another and as we pray for unity, all of us shall be bound by only one thing: theme of love irrespective of colour. Biasedness disappears in time of need and in Heaven there will be no religion but one God who admits all people,” Msgr. Kauta emphasized.
The prayer for Christian unity, which will continue till the end of the year is guided by the theme: “You shall love the Lord your God…and your neighbour as yourself (Luke 10:27). This theme will be used by all Christian believers to pray for unity throughout the year.
Annually, Christian believers converge to pray for Christian Unity as a symbol of mutual respect and understanding of one another. “It is about coming together as believers in Jesus Christ to pray together and give witness to Christ who is our founder.” Fr. Vincent Karatunga explained.
Fr. Vincent serves at Uganda Episcopal Conference as the Executive Secretary for Inter-religious Dialogue and Ecumenism.
“As Christians, we have a lot to share in common like the bible and our common belief in Jesus Christ. So, every Christian denomination is invited in the week of prayer to forget the differences, put them aside, come together and pray for that visible unity which Jesus Christ prayed for, (Cf Jn.17:21).” Fr. Vincent noted.
Fr. Vincent said, the world today is characterized by division, hatred and violence because people have no respect for one another. People don’t understand that we are brothers and sisters in humanity. Christians are called to be neighbors to one another which is the foundation of everything. The reason why Christians pray together is that, at the end of it all, they are brothers and sisters to one another and Jesus Christ is their brother, their Lord and Saviour.
“The sacrifice you did to come and participate in this prayer is for the Lord and for the good of yourself. When we talk of unity, I always ask myself, are we really united? But the most important thing is that let us pray for love and unity,” Executive Secretary UJCC, the Orthodox Archimandrite Constantine Mbonabingi remarked.
Christian Ecumenism in Uganda has its roots dating way back with our fore fathers in faith. In this case, Nabulagala is where Pioneer Protestant Missionaries were often welcomed by the Pioneer Catholic Missionaries for cup of tea / coffee or for a meal, on their way to the Kabaka’s Palace of Kasubi – Nabulagala or going back to their mission post at Nateete.
Traditionally, stories were told in the evening around the “Foyer / Fire Place / Kyoto / Focolare”. One of the key stories which have to be told around the “Kyoto of the Uganda Martyrs” is that of their Ecumenical Encounter and living. Missing it out would be an injustice to the ‘Story of the Uganda Martyrs’ and even more so to God who willed that both Catholics and Protestants die together for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ!
The late Bishop Adrian Kivumbi Ddungu once wrote these inspiring words: “By accepting to die together, the Uganda martyrs gave a heroic testimony of ecumenism and that, Ecumenism is not an appendix to the teaching of the church, but the essence of Christ’s teaching about love”, (Jn. 13:34-35, Jn.17:21).
“As we gather here today, at another “Foyer / Focolare”: to pray, meditate and reflect on our ecumenical journey; I invite you, dear brothers and sisters, to go with me to the Foyer of our Ancestors in the faith: ‘The Pioneer Missionaries – Protestants and Catholics – and the Uganda Martyrs’. Let us hear once again their ecumenical story which happened more than 140 years ago,” Fr. Vincent appealed to the congregation.
“In the light of the story of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10: 25-37), the official text for our meditation and reflection for the Week’s Prayer for Christian Unity and for the whole year 2024 will hopefully help us re-listen to their story and renew in us the spiritual strength for our ecumenical journey and progress,” Fr. Vincent proclaimed.
The very first Ecumenical encounter at Lubaga on Sunday 23rd February 1879 between Fr. Simeon Lourdel (Mapeera) and Mr Alexander Mackay, unfortunately ended up in a clash! But, thank God, it was immediately followed by the spirit of reconciliation. It moulded beautiful story of the Good Samaritan!
This ecumenism of charity was to continue after which prompted Fr. Leo Livinhac, the superior of the Catholic team to pen down: “The charity of the protestant missionaries has saved our lives. Without them we would not have had any quinine for eighteen months and in this country that means death.” (Lubaga (Nabulagala) Diary, Friday 26th November 1880)
This ecumenism grew up into an ecumenism of friendship as reflected in the words of Mr
O’Flaherty which he wrote about Fr. Livinhac in 1881: “I really like the superior of the White Fathers. He is an intellectual, a gentleman and a very spiritual person. We often walk together and we have very friendly discussions. He and his confreres are often very surprised when I explain to them our fundamental doctrine of an authentic Christianity that is based on the Bible…” (Friday, 27th May 1881).
“Imagine, when the Protestant Missionaries baptised their first converts in 1882[1], they invited the superior of the Catholic Missionaries, Fr. Leon Livinhac for the occasion!” Fr. Vincent remarked.
This ecumenical encounter later on grew into an ecumenical commitment to defend Human Rights, like defending religious freedom when Muteesa wanted to impose Islam as state religion (1881); pleading for the life of Bishop James Hanington and later on pleading for the life of the future martyrs at Munyonyo.
When the Muslim chiefs and army took power in 1888, they imprisoned both the Catholics and Protestant missionaries for five days after which they were expelled from Buganda and on leaving, they used the same boat for Tanganyika! A testimony of the Ecumenism of suffering!
Following the same path of Christian ecumenical journey, together with Canon John Israel Mwesigwa, the pilgrims visited Cardinal Wamala at his residence in Nsambya. Canon Israel had worked with Cardinal Wamala in Kiyinda Mityana in the 1980s. In our Christian history in Uganda, the Protestants are the Wasswas and the Catholics are the Katos! Let us be inspired by the Wasswa and Kato of Mityana, in the persons of the late Bishop Yokana Mukasa and Our Jjajja, Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala.
Cardinal Wamala remarked this about the Uganda Martyrs and Ecumenism:
“We all ought to remember that they walked together as a family from their initial catechetical instructions; they walked together their journey of faith and suffering, to the very point of death. This heroic witness poses to us a challenge to ponder about our progress with the ecumenical spirit that was initiated and exhibited by the Uganda Martyrs.” (Message 3rd June 2018).
The prayer for Christian unity started way back in 1968 and every year, the church keeps inviting Christians to the week for celebrations.
