UGANDA: Kasese Diocese Closes Holy Door for Jubilee Year of Hope, Urges Faithful to Keep Hope Alive
Masereka Peter
As the Mother Church celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family on Sunday, 28th December 2025, the Diocese of Kasese officially closed the Holy Door of Hope, calling on believers in Christ to keep their faith alive as they await the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The Jubilee Year of Hope, which was introduced and opened by the late Pope Francis on Christmas Eve of December 2024 to mark the Ordinary Jubilee that occurs every 25 years in the Catholic Church, directed dioceses around the world to open their own “Door of Hope” on Sunday, December 29, 2024 at the cathedral, during the Feast of the Holy Family.
Speaking during the symbolic closure of the main door of the Cathedral Church, which had been designated as the Holy Door of Hope, the Ordinary of the Diocese of Kasese, Rt. Rev. Francis Aquirinus Kibira, commended Christians who took the initiative to make special pilgrimages to various holy places, including the Cathedral Church.
He emphasized that, even as the Jubilee Year of Hope comes to an end, Christians should continue to live in hope in Christ and keep their faith alive.
Bishop Kibira said the heart of God remains open, urging people to listen to the Word, welcome others, and forgive. Hope is a light to be translated into prayer and attention to the poor in order to be a Church
On family life, Bishop Kibira warned couples against being misled by worldly influences and forgetting their responsibilities and obligations, including planning and praying together as a family.
He further urged couples to treat one another as true gifts from God and to cherish each other regardless of the challenges they face. He noted that during trials, spouses should carry one another as a cross for salvation, as Jesus Christ taught.
The Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Peter Masereka Kunama, commended his predecessors in the pastoral office and the Door of Hope team for successfully organizing the Jubilee activities.
Ms. Marylyn Kabugho, the Kasese Woman MP, independent candidate for 2026, congratulated the Diocese on the successful conclusion of the Jubilee Year and encouraged couples to stand firm in their marriage vows.
In related news, nearly three days before the closure of the Jubilee Year of Hope in the Diocese of Kasese, the Ordinary of the Diocese of Kasese, Rt. Rev. Francis Aquirinus Kibira has presided over a Mass wedding of more than 30 couples in Kyalhumba Parish, the largest in his tenure as Bishop.
The Mass wedding at Kyalhumba Parish is a fulfillment of the Bishop’s request during his pastoral visit on 01st November 2025, for the parish priest to mobilize couples for Holy Matrimony before the closure of the door of hope.
In his homily during Holy Mass, Bishop Kibira said money should not be the basis of marriage; rather, it should be built on a strong foundation of faith, love, reconciliation, respect, prayer, cooperation, and forgiveness.
The representatives of the newlywed couples pledged to join hands with the Church’s ministries in fulfilling Christ’s mission on earth and to establish a Sacco to improve their household incomes.
Earlier, Kyalhumba Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Cosmas Baluku Musungu, said plans were on to gazette 23rd December for Mass weddings.
The Jubilee Year was celebrated under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.
END
