UGANDA: Lodonga Minor Basilica, an Icon of Faith and a Center for Spiritual Nourishment
Immaculate Heart of Mary Minor Basilica Lodonga in Yumbe district- Arua Diocese
Fr Isaac Ojok
The Immaculate Conception of Mary Lodonga Minor Basilica in Arua Diocese, north-western Uganda, has been an icon of faith and a center for Christian spiritual nourishment among the population in the region.
The Basilica which is remotely located in the civil district of Yumbe, the area that is largely dominated by the Muslim communities was constructed in 1927 by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus popularly known as Comboni Missionaries, who introduced Christianity in the area.
It was erected in 1961 becoming the first Basilica in the region which is now seen as a symbol of faith among the people and a centre for Christian spiritual renewal according to Monsignor Constantine Avaga, the parish priest at the Basilica.
He particularly mentioned that the idea of erecting the Minor Basilica at Lodonga is attributed to the tireless efforts made by the late Comboni Missionary Fr Bernardo Satori who is on the journey to attain a spiritual hierarchy of blessed.
According to Monsignor Avaga, the erection of Minor Basilica in 1961 was meant mainly to slow down the rapid spread of Islamic religion in the region which has now formed 90% of the total population in the district.
The Basilica is now thriving because of the Christians who are still able to uphold their faith and Gospel values despite persecutions, religious discrimination being faced based on account of their faith.
Despite challenges, the priests who are now serving at the Minor Basilica are conducting regular spiritual activities to help Christians keep and remain determined in their faith.
Among the spiritual activities that priests conduct regularly is family apostolate to strengthen and restore confidence in the Christians so that they do not lose faith. This is done in collaboration with catechists and other pastoral agents.
Regular catechesis at the basic level is one activity being conducted in the small Christian communities that are well established in the area, to ensure that the word of God is shared and rooted in the hearts of the people.
The family apostolate and catechesis are not only being conducted to Christian families. The priests do home visits even to Moslem communities to ensure peace, harmony and to establish good working relationship despite religious differences that exist in the area.
As a result of a robust catechesis program being conducted, it was all joy on Easter vigil which occurred 30th March 2024, when 7 Moslem brothers and Sisters got converted to Christianity and were baptized in the Basilica, a development that displeased some Moslems in the area.
Holy pilgrimage that always occurs on the 8th December every year- the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of Mary and on other days is another spiritual activity that helps Christians in the area to remain confident and build their trust in God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary despite constant attacks and persecutions they meet during their pilgrimages.
Apart from the spiritual activities, there are also some economic activities that do take place around the Basilica and this is the agricultural production managed by the Marian Brothers. The farm is located in a village called Odokitibu and it is made accessible by the local communities who are mainly the Moslems.
The Bishop of Arua Diocese Rt. Rev Sabino Ochan Odoki during the pilgrimage to Lodonga Minor Basilica by Catholic communicators in Uganda informed them that the existence of the farm is serving the Moslem communities who are the majority in Yumbe district.
Bishop Odoki who accompanied Catholic communicators to the Basilica observed that the activities in the farm, funded by the Italian Episcopal Conference, has helped to create good working rapport with the Moslem community since it is in an area having both primary and secondary schools dedicated to Mother Mary where children in the area go to access good learning facilities.
He went on to note that at the farm, other services such are giving of loans through micro-finance support are being offered to help people overcome poverty irrespective of the religious differences in the area.
Around the Minor Basilica, there are also formation programs going on like; training of catechists and other pastoral agents at Catechists training center, giving short recollections and retreats for couples and other pastoral agents at the retreat center, formation of religious brothers at the Mother house respectively.
In the Southern direction, there is also Lodonga Health Center IV, a facility that is currently offering many services to clients who visit the facility. The health facility has had significant impact in ensuring that Christians live healthy and productively.
As observed from the given report, not long ago, the facility was in the recent years elevated to the status of health center IV because of the excellent services being given to clients that go to receive assistance from the facility.
Under Education, the Basilica is surrounded by many learning institutions like Lodonga girls Primary School, Lodonga technical school, St Clare girls Secondary School and St John Bosco teacher training institute that is managed by Missionaries of Divine Master. The learning institutions are set with the vision to provide better education to the learners.
The presence of Religious Congregations in the area is also important in the sense that they are facilitating spiritual welfare of refugees and the host communities. The religious congregations that are present in the area are; the Divine Word Missionary priests that are currently giving spiritual guidance to people and the religious sisters called Servants of the Holy Spirit, they are as well giving pastoral care and services to mainly the refugees in the area.
Because of the services that the church is offering in the sectors of education, health, agriculture and in the Micro-finance, the civil authorities in the area are grateful to the church because of the corporation and commitment in the development of different sectors which are also the sources of employment.
The Existence of Immaculate Conception of Mary Lodonga Minor Basilica in the relatively remote Yumbe district- Arua diocese in North Western Uganda has remained the centre for Christian spiritual nourishment even amidst persecutions they face on account of their faith.
End
