500-strong choir to animate Martyrs Day Catholic celebrations
With a month to go, the choir is busy preparing. The members, who include priests, sisters and lay Christians, have been drawn from all the 13 parishes in Kasese Diocese and two pastoral centres.
Priests and other committee members in the National steering organising committee at Catholic Secretariat Nsambya on Thursday April 10, 2026. (PHOTO BY JULIET ANNA LUKWAGo)
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A choir of 500 members will animate the Catholic celebrations of this year's Uganda Martyrs Day.
The Catholic Diocese of Kasese was appointed by the Uganda Episcopal Conference to lead the June 3 annual event that commemorates the martyrdom of 45 young Christian converts between 1885 and 1887 by the orders of the then king of Buganda, Mwanga.
The diocese last led the celebrations in 2005 during the tenure of Bishop Egidio Nkaijanabwo, who is now aged 90.
With a month to go, the choir is busy preparing. The members, who include priests, sisters and lay Christians, have been drawn from all the 13 parishes in Kasese Diocese and two pastoral centres.
The choir, which includes dancers and instrumentalists, is composed of 420 members from Kasese and others from Kampala and DR Congo.
The songs they are rehearsing are in different languages, including Lhukonzo, English, Luganda, Swahili, Latin, Runyoro-Rutooro, Ateso, Runyankore, Ruhiga, Acholi and Kinyarwanda.
"This intended to connect with the millions of pilgrims that are expected in Namugongo for the annual celebrations on June 3," said Fr Vincent Muhindo, the chairman of the Liturgy Committee.
“We have selected simple hymns of various local and international languages to cater for everyone. Our aim is to sing better and put all the pilgrims into a pilgrimage mood."
On the day of the celebrations, the preaching will be in different languages, based on regions.
This year's theme is: “Christ is alive in you and me."
Foot pilgrims from Kasese Diocese will collectively set off from Kasese district on May 20 and will be scheduled to reach Namugongo on May 31 to settle in early.
Rev. Fr. John Baptist Kule, who is chairing the diocesan organising committee, thanked the government for supporting their preparations to lead the event.
He appealed for continued support from faith-based institutions and well-wishers.
“With your spiritual, financial and all kinds of support, we shall be able to meet our budget, which is very much needed for the success of the occasion," said Kule during a meeting of stakeholders earlier in April.