Masaka Diocese dedicates Mapeera week to forthcoming elections

Feb 17, 2016

Taking center stage in this year’s event was the forthcoming elections scheduled for 18th February.

The day was 15th February 1879, when French Catholic Missionaries Father Simeon Lourdel together with Brother Amans set foot in present day Bugoma landing site—Kalangala—for a day long stopover.

They were journeying their way from Tanzania through Lake Victoria to meet Buganda's King Mutesa 1 for a dialogue that would birth Catholic faith in Buganda, and subsequently territories that make up present day Uganda.

137 years down the road, not only has the seed of faith they sowed germinated into a strong religion boasting of over 10 Million followers, but also facilitated the establishment of numerous institutions. Most of these especially Education institutions, Hospitals and Banks like Centenary have gone a long way in developing the country.

In celebration of this solid achievement, hundreds of pilgrims flock Bugoma landing site every 15th February for a holy mass meant to start a weeklong celebration dubbed the Mapeera week; as named after Father Lourdels nickname, Mapeera. The celebration is usually highlighted with the dedication of particular state of affairs to God for divine intervention.  

Taking center stage in this year's event was the forthcoming elections scheduled for 18th February.

While presiding over the mass at the site which hosts a colonial styled church, Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa urged political candidates to stop stimulating negative propaganda purposed to pull down their rivals.

"Doing otherwise will fuel violence that could eventually blow up into extremes like massacres." Worried the Reverend Father in charge of Masaka Diocese

Beefing up Kaggwa's advice, Father Aloysius Bunya, Parish Priest of Bugoma encouraged residents of Ssese Islands-Kalangala to uphold the unity and strong spirit of togetherness they have had over the last five years.

Bunya's call follows Uganda Tourism Boards recent inclusion of the site in the Martyrs trail. The development was initiated by Ssese Islands Tourism Development Association (SITDA), a tourism cluster operating in Ssese to promote domestic tourism.

Launched on April 30th 2015, the Uganda Martyrs Trail is Uganda's exclusive faith based tourism product that takes visitors through different places where the first Christian missionaries passed and preached from, and where some of the Uganda Martyrs were killed before their bodies were taken to be burnt at Namugongo.

The death of these martyrs has always been memorable in the hearts of many people especially Christians who celebrate the lives of the martyrs on 3rd June of every year.

According to Patrick Katerega a Marketing Officer with the Uganda Tourism Board, unlike in the preceding years where the trail begun from Kigungu to Uganda Martyrs Shrine, it will now begin at Bugoma.

"The main objective of the incorporation is to promote faith-based tourism. Further to that, it is meant to market other sites not commonly known by many of the pilgrims." Said Katerega

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