This has no headline
Nov 06, 2006
MONSIGNOR Lawrence Mbwega’s story reads like a science fiction memoir that would be the envy of many. At 94 years, he has been hospitalised only twice, which sounds miraculous.
By Fred Ouma
MONSIGNOR Lawrence Mbwega’s story reads like a science fiction memoir that would be the envy of many. At 94 years, he has been hospitalised only twice, which sounds miraculous.
Mbwega always flashes a warm smile. On his door, a metallic inscription reads: “Peace be to those who enter this house.†His simple room at Lweza is decorated with portraits of the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul VI and a plaque from the Rotary Club of Ssese Islands, awarded in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the country.
He is the caretaker of Queen Mother of Peace shrine ‘Kiwamirembe’ at Lweza in Wakiso district.
Mbwega, a light-skinned man of medium build, walks with the help of a stick and has a hearing problem.
The third of the 10 children, Mbwega was born on November 5, 1912, to the late Alistera Mbakolere and Matayo Nandibijjo Lulume of Buvuma Island on Lake Victoria.
“At the time, Buvuma and other islands were being evacuated because of sleeping sickness. People in Buvuma were shifted to Buganda mainland, where I was born at Lubongo village near Kyambogo landing site in Nkokonjeru, Mukono district.
His admiration for altar boys came to pass when he joined the seminary in 1925.
“I was baptized on December 5, 1912 in the Catholic faith. As a young man, I always wondered whether I would ever serve at the altar. At 27, the long-awaited chance came,†Mbwega says with a smile.
“After my Holy Order (mugigi) on December 8, 1925, Father J. Kuntner asked if there was anyone interested in becoming a priest. I was very pleased and put up my hand. He told me to go and inform my parents about it and they were happy too,†he says.
He joined Nyenga Seminary for six years before proceeding to Ggaba Seminary for eight years. He was ordained priest on December 10, 1939 and his desirous interest to spread the gospel drove him to many parts of Uganda.
“I was first posted to Bududa, south Bugisu on February 2, 1940, then Budadiri, Bududa again, Nyenga in Mukono, Kwapa in Tororo, Pallisa, Nyondo in Mbale and back to Kwapa. In the central region, I was at Namagunga and Namilyango in Mukono then, Namugongo in Wakiso, Mulwonge in Buikwe and currently at Lweza Parish, Wakiso.
“Lweza Church was started by Rev. Father John de Bernardi, an Italian priest during (Idi) Amin wars to gather people regardless of their denomination to pray for peace in the world and our country,†he says beaming.
Fr Bernardi is now in Kasala Parish, Luweero district. He comes to the Kiwamirembe shrine every Wednesday for prayers.
“My work is to make people aware of peace in society through the intercession of Our Lady Mary, whom the church invokes,†Mbwega says with confidence.
“My experience is that prayer is very powerful. I invite all God-fearing people to visit Kiwamirembe, regardless of their religious affiliations.â€
Father Gerald Sserwadda Jjuuko who has spent eight years as priest at this shrine says visitors come from all walks of life including Muslims, Anglicans, Catholics, politicians and business people. All these people have been provided with wonderful favours,†Jjuuko confides.
Mbwega has insatiable reverence to God. But it is for a reason: He is the only surviving soul of his family.
“My health has been good. The first time I was hospitalised was in 1978, when I was admitted for eye treatment (cataract) in Cologne, German,†he says.
“Most of my contemporaries have died but I’m still healthy. I thank God for this miracle.â€
His second visit to the hospital was last year when he was admitted to Nsambya Hospital in Kampala for abdomen obstruction. Mbwega does not take drugs and he stresses that it is not about diet. “I don’t fancy a particular diet, but God’s providence.â€
Maybe thirst for peace coupled with patience and good time-management is the secret behind Mbwega’s health!
“Msgr Mbwega is a gifted teacher and a preacher who takes patience as a virtue of life,†says Fr. Charles Kato Katongole of Namugongo Parish.
Msgr Anatoli Kamya of St. Jude Church, Naguru, who is Mbwega’s former student and has been in priesthood for 50 years, concurs with Katongole: “Mbwega is a spiritual person and always on time for everything, including meals. His desire for peace is unmistakenable.
"You feel it in his alluring tone and see it on his beaming face.â€
Mbwega does not take beer. “During colonial times, Africans were not allowed to take European drinks. But priests were allowed to take a little wine. When I tried it (beer), I found it bitter and tasteless and lost interest,†he says.
Although he is an accomplished missionary and achiever, Mbwega does not claim personal credit for any success. Rather, he attributes it to teamwork.
He is one of the people who started Uganda Martyrs S.S. Namugongo and the brain behind the Altar Island on Namugongo Martyrs ‘lake’. He is currently constructing an outside service altar at Lweza for pilgrims.
“I owe everything to God and good people who visit Kiwamirembe,†he says.
His fondest memory is the painstaking decisions to leave missions he had been attached to for some time and also when Pope John Paul VI asked a Karimojong to pray for him during his last visit to Uganda.
“The Pope’s request showed me the importance of prayer, regardless of its source,†he says.
His favourite newspaper is L‘Osservatore Romano, a Vatican-published newspaper, which covers Catholics news worldwide.
He listens to BBC radio most of the time.
Mbwega is a remarkable man whose sharp brain is refreshed with his reading lifestyle.
He reads biographies mostly. “Novels are interesting, but biographies are better,†he says.
MONSIGNOR Lawrence Mbwega’s story reads like a science fiction memoir that would be the envy of many. At 94 years, he has been hospitalised only twice, which sounds miraculous.
Mbwega always flashes a warm smile. On his door, a metallic inscription reads: “Peace be to those who enter this house.†His simple room at Lweza is decorated with portraits of the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul VI and a plaque from the Rotary Club of Ssese Islands, awarded in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the country.
He is the caretaker of Queen Mother of Peace shrine ‘Kiwamirembe’ at Lweza in Wakiso district.
Mbwega, a light-skinned man of medium build, walks with the help of a stick and has a hearing problem.
The third of the 10 children, Mbwega was born on November 5, 1912, to the late Alistera Mbakolere and Matayo Nandibijjo Lulume of Buvuma Island on Lake Victoria.
“At the time, Buvuma and other islands were being evacuated because of sleeping sickness. People in Buvuma were shifted to Buganda mainland, where I was born at Lubongo village near Kyambogo landing site in Nkokonjeru, Mukono district.
His admiration for altar boys came to pass when he joined the seminary in 1925.
“I was baptized on December 5, 1912 in the Catholic faith. As a young man, I always wondered whether I would ever serve at the altar. At 27, the long-awaited chance came,†Mbwega says with a smile.
“After my Holy Order (mugigi) on December 8, 1925, Father J. Kuntner asked if there was anyone interested in becoming a priest. I was very pleased and put up my hand. He told me to go and inform my parents about it and they were happy too,†he says.
He joined Nyenga Seminary for six years before proceeding to Ggaba Seminary for eight years. He was ordained priest on December 10, 1939 and his desirous interest to spread the gospel drove him to many parts of Uganda.
“I was first posted to Bududa, south Bugisu on February 2, 1940, then Budadiri, Bududa again, Nyenga in Mukono, Kwapa in Tororo, Pallisa, Nyondo in Mbale and back to Kwapa. In the central region, I was at Namagunga and Namilyango in Mukono then, Namugongo in Wakiso, Mulwonge in Buikwe and currently at Lweza Parish, Wakiso.
“Lweza Church was started by Rev. Father John de Bernardi, an Italian priest during (Idi) Amin wars to gather people regardless of their denomination to pray for peace in the world and our country,†he says beaming.
Fr Bernardi is now in Kasala Parish, Luweero district. He comes to the Kiwamirembe shrine every Wednesday for prayers.
“My work is to make people aware of peace in society through the intercession of Our Lady Mary, whom the church invokes,†Mbwega says with confidence.
“My experience is that prayer is very powerful. I invite all God-fearing people to visit Kiwamirembe, regardless of their religious affiliations.â€
Father Gerald Sserwadda Jjuuko who has spent eight years as priest at this shrine says visitors come from all walks of life including Muslims, Anglicans, Catholics, politicians and business people. All these people have been provided with wonderful favours,†Jjuuko confides.
Mbwega has insatiable reverence to God. But it is for a reason: He is the only surviving soul of his family.
“My health has been good. The first time I was hospitalised was in 1978, when I was admitted for eye treatment (cataract) in Cologne, German,†he says.
“Most of my contemporaries have died but I’m still healthy. I thank God for this miracle.â€
His second visit to the hospital was last year when he was admitted to Nsambya Hospital in Kampala for abdomen obstruction. Mbwega does not take drugs and he stresses that it is not about diet. “I don’t fancy a particular diet, but God’s providence.â€
Maybe thirst for peace coupled with patience and good time-management is the secret behind Mbwega’s health!
“Msgr Mbwega is a gifted teacher and a preacher who takes patience as a virtue of life,†says Fr. Charles Kato Katongole of Namugongo Parish.
Msgr Anatoli Kamya of St. Jude Church, Naguru, who is Mbwega’s former student and has been in priesthood for 50 years, concurs with Katongole: “Mbwega is a spiritual person and always on time for everything, including meals. His desire for peace is unmistakenable.
"You feel it in his alluring tone and see it on his beaming face.â€
Mbwega does not take beer. “During colonial times, Africans were not allowed to take European drinks. But priests were allowed to take a little wine. When I tried it (beer), I found it bitter and tasteless and lost interest,†he says.
Although he is an accomplished missionary and achiever, Mbwega does not claim personal credit for any success. Rather, he attributes it to teamwork.
He is one of the people who started Uganda Martyrs S.S. Namugongo and the brain behind the Altar Island on Namugongo Martyrs ‘lake’. He is currently constructing an outside service altar at Lweza for pilgrims.
“I owe everything to God and good people who visit Kiwamirembe,†he says.
His fondest memory is the painstaking decisions to leave missions he had been attached to for some time and also when Pope John Paul VI asked a Karimojong to pray for him during his last visit to Uganda.
“The Pope’s request showed me the importance of prayer, regardless of its source,†he says.
His favourite newspaper is L‘Osservatore Romano, a Vatican-published newspaper, which covers Catholics news worldwide.
He listens to BBC radio most of the time.
Mbwega is a remarkable man whose sharp brain is refreshed with his reading lifestyle.
He reads biographies mostly. “Novels are interesting, but biographies are better,†he says.