High bride price demands discouraging church weddings, priest says
Fr Remigius Kasibante said some parents were placing excessive financial demands on men seeking to marry their daughters, making it difficult for couples to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
The Parish Priest of St Padre-Pio Catholic Parish, Kabulamuliro in Akright off Entebbe, Fr. Remigius Kasibante, weds David Musingasinga and Annunciate Imanairaguha of St Francis Sub-Parish, Akright. (Photo by Juliet Anna Lukwago)
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The parish priest of St Padre Pio Catholic Parish Kabulamuliro has challenged parents who demand high bride price from prospective sons-in-law, warning that the practice is discouraging young couples from formalising their relationships through church weddings.
Fr Remigius Kasibante said some parents were placing excessive financial demands on men seeking to marry their daughters, making it difficult for couples to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
“Today we have been with over ten couples, but some parents jammed them because they need expensive dowry from their daughters.”
Kasibante made the remarks on November 14, 2026, during a mass wedding at the parish, where three couples exchanged vows.
The Parish Priest of St Padre-Pio Catholic Parish, Kabulamuliro, in Akright, off Entebbe Road, celebrating Mass during the wedding of three couples on Saturday, November 14, 2026. (Photo by Juliet Anna Lukwago)
He questioned why parents would allow material demands to stand in the way of their children's happiness and religious commitment, arguing that the value of marriage should not be measured by the wealth presented as dowry.
The priest said parents should instead appreciate what prospective husbands could afford, including modest gifts such as a Bible or a portrait of the Virgin Mary.
“I am happy for the parents who request a Bible, a Virgin Mary portrait as dowry, and the other things they can afford that come according to their financial status, but not demand as some parents start to do.”
He said excessive financial expectations were particularly discouraging young people and couples already living together from seeking church weddings.
The mass wedding initiative was started in Kampala Archdiocese by the late Archbishop Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga to support couples who wished to formalise their marriages but lacked the resources to do so.
Kasibante urged the couples to remain faithful to their vows and regularly reflect on the strength of their relationships.
He described Christian marriage as a lifelong and indissoluble covenant between a man and a woman, founded by God and elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. He said the love between spouses should reflect the self-giving love of Christ for the Church.
“Married couples you are not the only symbol, but you are the foundation of the church, when the families, homes are destroyed even the church can’t be there well.”
Kasibante also cautioned parents against allowing financial expectations to undermine family relationships and the Church's efforts to encourage couples to formalise their unions.
Catherine Nsubuga, head of the parish's married couples, urged the newlyweds to model their relationships on the love of Christ, saying marriage without love was meaningless.