Brother Sun treats Namugongo Pilgrims to Rare Display of Colours and Movements

 

by Valerian Kkonde                                                         

ACCPU

The procession and part of the pilgrims

 In Uganda, the month of June is dedicated to the Uganda Martyrs. It is on June 3 that the universal Church celebrates the feast of Charles Lwanga, Matia Mulumba and 20 companions who decided to shade their blood rather than denounce their faith in the Lord.

Pilgrims, in their millions, flock to Namugongo from all over the world to praise and thank God for the gift of these martyrs.  The 2025 pilgrimage will be remembered for the rare display put up by the Sun on the second and third of June.

It was a few minutes passed 9:00 am when suddenly, a section of the Pilgrims seated on the left side of the entry to the bridge leading to the altar, burst into shouting, clapping, singing and calls to others to come and witness to the rare displays in the sky.

From Pavilion C the shouts were audible as well as the stir in the crowd. At first I thought they were reacting to the music the Lugazi diocese choir was playing. No sooner was I taking my attention to other areas, the people at the very end of Pavilion C also burst into shouting, screaming and clapping. I stood up to take note of what was going on. As I tried to make sense of the fracas, I heard one lady shout and pointing intently in the sky: “I can see the Virgin Mary clearly.”

I decided to go out to get a clear view of what was taking place. The Pilgrims in Pavilion B were also scrambling to get a clear view of the sky.

The walkway between Pavilion B and Pavilion C was the perfect place to look up in the sky and have a clear view without any interruption. By now some people were shouting that it is the Virgin Mary.

Behold, I was amazed by the display the Sun was putting up in the sky!

The Sun was at first blue, then turned about as if in a bearing and appeared to move towards us! Then it turned white with golden clouds surrounding it! It then got a snow white cloud around itself and would shake as if it were falling from the sky!

After the white clouds, there would follow the nimbus clouds and the sequence went on and on! The spectacle was indeed a joy to behold! Not even a strain in the eyes could be felt.

As the pilgrims kept cheering, some were asking rather confused as to what was going on; they pleaded that they were not seeing anything.

A section of the Lugazi diocese choir. All photos by Arthur Kintu/ ACCPU

Some journalists tried to capture the spectacular display on their cameras but without success. By this time the procession of the priests was visible from the extreme right hand side, and the master of ceremonies was calling upon the pilgrims to get composed for Holy Mass. The excitement was too much to contain. It was 9:30 am by now.

After Mass, I talked to a priest about the display that the Sun had put up just before Mass. The priest told me that he had arrived in Namugongo on Saturday, 31^st May 2025. He went on to say that the Sun had indeed put up the same display on June 2, 2025 at 3:00 pm and last for almost an hour!

Whenever I recall that spectacular display of Brother Sun, on the day when we celebrate the Uganda Martyrs, what comes to mind is that Mary, the Queen of Martyrs, could have had a message for the Pilgrims.

With the marking of the decade for the landmark Encyclical: Laudato Si of Pope Francis, there is no doubt that the Queen of Martyrs would love to emphasise that she as well is the Queen of heaven and earth. She is the Queen of the Universe. Mother Mary is the mother of God and mother of the Church. And she never tires to intercede for her children.

 

Namugongo is a Place of Faith- Bishop Kakooza tells pilgrims

 

by Valerian Kkonde                                                            

ACCPU

 

Bishop Christopher Kakooza in Namugongo

On 3^rd June the universal Church celebrates the Martyrdom of Saints Charles Lwanga and his 21 companions who were killed on the orders of the then Kabaka of Buganda, Mwanga Basammula-ekkere, for refusing to denounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The martyrdom took place between 1886 and 1887.

The death of these martyrs took place in different parts of the country: Munyonyo, Kyamula, Old Kampala, Kiyinda Mityana and Namugongo.

It is in Namugongo, where majority martyrs were executed, that pilgrims gather on this day, in their millions to praise and thank the Almighty for the gift of the Uganda Martyrs. This year’s Martyrs’ celebrations were animated by Lugazi diocese, representing Kampala Ecclesiastical Province. The celebrations were held under the theme: Lord, let me see again, I, a pilgrim of hope.

The Ordinary of Lugazi diocese Bishop Christopher Kakooza, was main celebrant and his homily follows below.

“Your Excellence Archbishop Luigi Bianco- Papal Nuncio, Your grace the Archbishops, my Lord Bishops, honourable ministers and members of parliament. Dear fathers, religious men and women. Dear people of God.

I welcome you all to Namugongo. Namugongo is a place of faith and hope. I welcome pilgrims from Kenya, from Tanzania, from Uganda, from Rwanda, from Burundi, from Sudan, South Sudan, from West Africa, South Africa, pilgrims from Europe, USA, Australia, India and from all over the world.

Dear pilgrims you are all welcome.

Co-celebrants at Consecration

Ladies and Gentlemen, with hearts full of gratitude and joy, we lift up our voices in thanks giving to the Almighty God for giving us a Shepherd Pope Leo XIV. Called and chosen to guide the Church in this new era of faith and renewal. Let us unite in prayer to God for the Holy Father.

We also remember to pray for Pope Francis our beloved shepherd of good memory. During his life time he made this pilgrimage with us to Namugongo. Pope Francis called us pilgrims of hope as he proclaimed 2025 a holy year. May he rest in peace.

“With one voice we have come to cry out to Jesus: Lord, let me see again I a pilgrim of hope!

Dear pilgrim of hope, brothers and sisters, what is a pilgrimage?  A pilgrimage is a journey of faith, by a person of faith, to a place of faith to strengthen faith.

A pilgrimage is a journey of faith, by a person of faith, to a place of faith to strengthen faith. It is a spiritual journey, a holy journey, a quest for renewal and transformation.  It is an examination of values, a relation with God. It is penance, choosing the narrow path, seeking to encounter God’s grace and revelation. A pilgrimage is a journey of faith. This journey is undertaken by a person of faith. It is a journey of a disciple walking with Jesus towards holiness, experiencing contemplation of the Divine.

Brothers and sisters we have made this holy journey to this place of faith- Namugongo. Today we have come to pray like the apostles: Lord increase our faith. Jesus answers: if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey you.

Brothers and sisters, with the faith of a mustard seed, little faith as it was with the Martyrs, they gave their life to Christ, they died for Christ. The little faith of Charles Lwanga, Matia Mulumba and companions was turned into great faith to uproot evil and plant holiness. They made this pilgrimage to Namugongo.

In Jesus’ name they conquered the world. They are now at peace. Their faith and hope turned into immortality. They were tested like gold in a furnace. Nothing, neither hardship, persecution nor spiritual … could separate them from the love of Christ. They were accepted as a pleasing offering. They shine brightly, they reign with the Lord forever.

We have come to tap this faith in this place of faith, Namugongo. We are pilgrims of hope.

Brothers and sisters, eternal salvation is hopeful. Jesus said, in my Father’s house, there are many places. I am going to prepare a place for you. Where I am there you will be. This is a promise. We have great hope in these words of Jesus. We can go through challenges trusting God’s promises. This hope calls us to transcend worldly attachments.

Pilgrims from different countries at the time of Offertory. All photos by Arthur Kibuuka / ACCPU

Hope is the cornerstone of our pilgrimage. We anticipate God’s kingdom and eternal life. Hope inspires us to love; love motivates us to serve others selflessly. A pilgrimage of hope is an eternal spiritual journey that upholds in our daily life through prayer and acts of charity. We participate in this spiritual journey in communion with God and others.

The pilgrimage of hope is a journey of resilience. Life is full of challenges, moments of doubt and suffering. Hope enables us to persevere. Hope reminds us that our troubles are temporary. The holy Martyrs of Uganda were inspired to understand this. Charles Lwanga, Matia Mulumba and companions were ready to suffer in hope of what was to come.

Their mission was to witness to the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. They have handed over that mission to us. Dear Christians, with love and joy, we proclaim the hope of resurrection to the world, a world marked by despair and uncertainty. Of this pilgrimage we invite all of you to come thus to the father’s house where there is plenty of joy, where there is love.

The Lord be with you.”

Gaza Hungers and Thirsts for Justice

 by Fr. Ibrahim Faltas *

                  Malnourished Palestinian girl Seela Barbakh receives treatment at Nasser Hospital

                        in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip   

For months, no food or medicine has entered the Palestinian enclave, while there is a shortage of electricity and the bombings continue. To the already extremely high numbers of those who have lost their lives, those still trapped under the rubble, those who have been injured, and those left orphaned, must now be added the equally painful number of those who have died from hunger.

 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” 

The tragic situation the people of Gaza are living through and the sense of powerlessness lead us to lose hope and trust. Yet, it is the certainty that the hungry and the thirsty in Gaza will one day be satisfied that reignites our commitment to demand justice. 

 

A protest demonstration

On Sunday July 20, 2025 despair and the feeling of being forgotten led the people of Gaza to launch massive protest demonstration to tell the world that children are dying from hunger. The population has been suffering for months without the basic necessities to survive, their bodies weakened and frail after nearly two years of hardship and suffering. For months now, food, medicine, and electricity have not been entering Gaza — these vital necessities are blocked just a few kilometers away from those who need them, and that is inhumane. The sound of ambulance sirens produces a long and deafening noise which should awaken the dulled consciences of those silently witnessing a slaughter, one that becomes a massacre when food is denied to the hungry and water to the thirsty. This is the greatest scandal, the indelible shame of a world that has placed economic interests and greed for power at the top of its value scale, and human life and the denial of human rights at the very bottom.

 

Death in real time

             Gazans starve to death due to Israel's blockade on all essentials but the world looks away

Elderly people, people with disabilities, and children make up a large and fragile part of a population that no longer has a home and may no longer have a land — a population subjected to deadly attacks while sleeping in tents and makeshift shelters. To the already extremely high number of those who have died, those still under the rubble, those injured, and those orphaned, we must add the equally painful number of those dying from hunger. The world knows that for many months now, countless children have been suffering from malnutrition and that thousands have died of starvation. It seems unbelievable, but this is happening just a few kilometers away from a world that consumes beyond its needs and wastes vital resources. The world watches, live, the avoidable deaths of children dying from hunger: among the 900 who were killed while queuing in humiliation for a piece of bread, the majority were fathers trying to find food for their families. Those who did manage to return home with something to survive on often found their children already dead. A video showed the heartbreaking tragedy of an elderly and frail man who, while standing in line for food, died from hunger and heat. This is the daily, painful reality for my friends in Gaza, for so many people — human beings, children who deserve to be respected without any distinction of nationality or faith, like all children of the world.

 

Images of suffering that unite consciences

                        Israel's savage tactics of total disregard for the dignity of Palestinians at display

During this long period of violence, it has been the images of suffering — of children, the disabled, and the elderly in Gaza — that have united the consciences of those who feel powerless in the face of so much pain, of those who do not want to be complicit in what has happened and continues to happen in Gaza. The deep, sad eyes, the tears shed from suffering and hunger, the severe physical and emotional trauma of the children of Gaza are a silent cry to humanity. The strong appeals of the Holy Father, the heartrending sound of ambulance sirens, the mobilization of international civil society, Heads of State, and eminent authorities and figures, all remain unheard by those who continue to use every kind of weapon against the unarmed, and who do not realize that denied rights are a legacy that cannot be erased from history. The eyes, the tears, the broken and trembling little bodies of the children of Gaza outrage us and make us cry out for peace, make us hunger and thirst for justice.

Editor: Fr. Faltas is Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land