Lira pilgrims finally arrive in Kampala

By Ashraf Saif-llah Kasirye & Sarah Kisakye
true@saif_kasirye  @Kisa_Sarah 


KAMPALA - A 300-strong team of pilgrims that has been walking all the way from Lira district in northern Uganda has arrived in Kampala.

They entered the capital on Saturday under sweltering temperatures, and their entry into the penultimate phase of their long journey appeared somewhat of a grand one.

There is no doubt they will be very much in time for the Martyrs’ Day celebration due on Wednesday.

The group is now camped at Naguru parish – their last stopover before continuing to the martyrs’ shrine in Namugongo.

After attending a Mass led by Rev. Fr. Voite Kimale, the team left St. Francis Catholic Church in Matugga early on Saturday destined for Naguru.

And as they have been doing on previous legs of the trek, they sang songs along the way – more often to the delight of onlookers.

On their latest leg, many slapped on T-shirts emblazoned with pictures of the Uganda martyrs and the majestic Namugongo shrine.

At exactly midday, the group set foot in Kawempe and made their way through the suburb. Their transition was keenly guided by area traffic police.

By this time, many of the pilgrims had, understandably so, gotten wiped out. But they soldiered on, motivated by songs.

And if that wasn’t motivation enough, here was: along the northern bypass, a brass band and residents of Kawempe joined the team – something that boosted their morale to trudge on.
 

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They were also joined by Lira diocece leaders led by Lira Vicar General Fr. Desdelius Pule who told them to remain strong because they are yet to achieve their goal.

Those words, along with the support they received in Katwe, encouraged the pilgrims on.

At about 5.00pm local time, they entered St. Jude’s Cathedral in Naguru – their day’s stop point.

It is here that the group will spend Saturday night before setting out on Sunday for Namugongo.

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It was not an easy journey, from Lira to Kampala, and you can easily sense the feeling of accomplishment pictured here. (Credit: Ashraf Saif-llah Kasirye)

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Other pilgrims immediately went down in prayer upon reaching Naguru. (Credit: Ashraf Saif-llah Kasirye)
 



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