Judith Nabakooba, the minister of land, has called on religious leaders to take the lead in battling poverty in their communities by encouraging followers to support government development initiatives.
She said this during a celebration of Our Lady of Fatima Mwera Catholic Parish in Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese’s 60 years of existence on Sunday, November 5.
The festivities took place at Mityana’s Kakindu sub-county’s Kakindu Village.
In order to boost their incomes, Nabakooba urged churchgoers to participate in government programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.
“PDM funds are readily available because they are located in every parish. As she presided over the event, she advised the faithful, “So, always attend seminars to learn how that money can be accessed and how it works because you need it to boost your agricultural produce.”
In the upcoming years, the minister encouraged other Christians to keep pushing forward with the church.
“In order to make sure that God’s work is carried out effectively, I will continue to support church activities and I, therefore, call upon all of us to lend a hand wherever needed,” she declared.
She requested that the church pray during this November month in remembrance of the loyal deceased who founded the church.
Since this month is dedicated to praying for all deceased loved ones, let’s also offer up prayers for the people who formed Mwera Parish. We beseech God to pardon them for their transgressions and grant them entry into paradise,” she begged.
The Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese’s Bishop, Rev. Fr. Joseph Anthony Zziwa, led mass and expressed gratitude to God for all the blessings this parish has experienced over the past 60 years, including the election of Rt Rev. Lawrence Mukasa to the position of Bishop of Kasana-Luweero Diocese on April 29, 2023, by Pope Francis.
He remarked, “I want to thank all of the parishioners for their generosity over the years, and I ask that you continue to love and serve God, as He has brought us from a far distance, and to spare some time to glorify His name.”
Mwera Parish has seen 120,994 baptisms, 228,569 child confirmations, 1,781 married couples, 19 ordained priests, two brothers, and sixteen sisters since 1963.
Bishop Zziwa stated that they had faced numerous difficulties, the most recent of which was COVID-19, which created devastation in 2020 and forced the closure of every institution of worship in the nation.
He disclosed the church’s intention to increase farming, with each parish to possess three acres of dairy land and coffee plantations in order to raise funds for church-related initiatives.
