Uganda Episcopal Conference

Uganda Martyrs Celebration held under strict observance of Covid-19 SOPs
By Jjunju Francis
June 3, 2021
The Uganda Martyrs day celebration at Namugongo Catholic Shrine was this year held under strict observance of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) set by the Ministry of Health of the Government of Uganda. The celebration which was led by Masaka Diocese was attended by about 200 people. Read more.....https://www.uecon.org/component/k2/item/104-uganda-martyrs-celebration-held-under-strict-observance-of-covid-19-sops

A Mother's Prayer to the Guardian Angels of her Children
I humbly salute you, O you faithful,
heavenly Friends of my children!
I give you heartfelt thanks
for all the love and goodness you show them.
At some future day I shall,
with thanks more worthy than I can now give,
repay your care for them,
and before the whole heavenly court
acknowledge their indebtedness to your guidance and
protection.
Continue to watch over them.
Provide for all their needs of body and soul.
Pray, likewise, for me,
for my husband,
and my whole family,
that we may all one day rejoice in your blessed company.
Amen.

A Mother's Prayer to the Guardian Angels of her Children
I humbly salute you, O you faithful,
heavenly Friends of my children!
I give you heartfelt thanks
for all the love and goodness you show them.
At some future day I shall,
with thanks more worthy than I can now give,
repay your care for them,
and before the whole heavenly court
acknowledge their indebtedness to your guidance and
protection.
Continue to watch over them.
Provide for all their needs of body and soul.
Pray, likewise, for me,
for my husband,
and my whole family,
that we may all one day rejoice in your blessed company.
Amen.

St. Charles Lwanga and Companions
For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day.
The Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn't reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga's court.
King Mwanga was a violent ruler and pe*****le who forced himself on the young boys and men who served him as pages and attendants. The Christians at Mwanga's court who tried to protect the pages from King Mwanga.
The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga's court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mkasa (or Mukasa).
When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mkasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship. After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph's hands, he told them, "A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die." He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.
When the White Fathers were expelled from the country, the new Christians carried on their work, translating and printing the catechism into their natively language and giving secret instruction on the faith. Without priests, liturgy, and sacraments their faith, intelligence, courage, and wisdom kept the Catholic Church alive and growing in Uganda. When the White Fathers returned after King Mwanga's death, they found five hundred Christians and one thousand catchumens waiting for them. The twenty-two Catholic martyrs of the Uganda persecution were canonized.
Prayer:
Martyrs of Uganda, pray for the faith where it is danger and for Christians who must suffer because of their faith. Give them the same courage, zeal, and joy you showed. And help those of us who live in places where Christianity is accepted to remain aware of the persecution in other parts of the world. Amen

St. Charles Lwanga and Companions
For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day.
The Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn't reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga's court.
King Mwanga was a violent ruler and pe*****le who forced himself on the young boys and men who served him as pages and attendants. The Christians at Mwanga's court who tried to protect the pages from King Mwanga.
The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga's court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mkasa (or Mukasa).
When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mkasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship. After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph's hands, he told them, "A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die." He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.
When the White Fathers were expelled from the country, the new Christians carried on their work, translating and printing the catechism into their natively language and giving secret instruction on the faith. Without priests, liturgy, and sacraments their faith, intelligence, courage, and wisdom kept the Catholic Church alive and growing in Uganda. When the White Fathers returned after King Mwanga's death, they found five hundred Christians and one thousand catchumens waiting for them. The twenty-two Catholic martyrs of the Uganda persecution were canonized.
Prayer:
Martyrs of Uganda, pray for the faith where it is danger and for Christians who must suffer because of their faith. Give them the same courage, zeal, and joy you showed. And help those of us who live in places where Christianity is accepted to remain aware of the persecution in other parts of the world. Amen

Jesus perfects our prayer
Thus, the Pope said, Jesus not only wants us to pray as He prays, but assures us that, even if our attempts at prayer are completely vain and ineffective, we can always count on His prayer.

He urged Christians to repeat and memorize that Jesus always prays for us. “When there is some difficulty, when you are in the orbit of distractions: Jesus is praying for me,” he said adding, Jesus Himself has said it. “Let us not forget that what sustains each one of us in life is Jesus' prayer for each one of us, with name, surname, before the Father, showing Him the wounds that are the price of our salvation.

In conclusion, Pope Francis said that “even if our prayers were only stutterings, if they were compromised by a wavering faith, we must never cease to trust in Him”.

“Supported by the prayer of Jesus, our timid prayers rest on eagle wings and soar to Heaven,” concluded the Pope.

Jesus perfects our prayer
Thus, the Pope said, Jesus not only wants us to pray as He prays, but assures us that, even if our attempts at prayer are completely vain and ineffective, we can always count on His prayer.

He urged Christians to repeat and memorize that Jesus always prays for us. “When there is some difficulty, when you are in the orbit of distractions: Jesus is praying for me,” he said adding, Jesus Himself has said it. “Let us not forget that what sustains each one of us in life is Jesus' prayer for each one of us, with name, surname, before the Father, showing Him the wounds that are the price of our salvation.

In conclusion, Pope Francis said that “even if our prayers were only stutterings, if they were compromised by a wavering faith, we must never cease to trust in Him”.

“Supported by the prayer of Jesus, our timid prayers rest on eagle wings and soar to Heaven,” concluded the Pope.

Pope’s June prayer intention: ‘The beauty of Marriage’
Vocation of love
Pope Francis then reflects on the importance of the Sacrament of Marriage, and its centrality in the life of the Church and of those who undertake this path.

“Marriage isn’t just a ‘social’ act,” he notes. “It’s a vocation that’s born from the heart, a conscious decision for the rest of one’s life that requires specific preparation.”

And the Pope urges everyone to remember that God has a dream for us, which is love.

Pope’s June prayer intention: ‘The beauty of Marriage’
Vocation of love
Pope Francis then reflects on the importance of the Sacrament of Marriage, and its centrality in the life of the Church and of those who undertake this path.

“Marriage isn’t just a ‘social’ act,” he notes. “It’s a vocation that’s born from the heart, a conscious decision for the rest of one’s life that requires specific preparation.”

And the Pope urges everyone to remember that God has a dream for us, which is love.

The Guardian Angel Prayer for Friends
Guardian Angel,
watch over those whose names you can read in my heart.
Guard over them with every care
and make their way easy and their labours fruitful.
Dry their tears if they weep;
sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart,
their health if they be ill,
truth if they err,
repentance if they fail.

The Guardian Angel Prayer for Friends
Guardian Angel,
watch over those whose names you can read in my heart.
Guard over them with every care
and make their way easy and their labours fruitful.
Dry their tears if they weep;
sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart,
their health if they be ill,
truth if they err,
repentance if they fail.

The living sign of God the Trinity is love for all
Mystery of love and light
The feast of the Holy Trinity, said Pope Francis, “makes us contemplate this wonderful mystery of love and light from which we come and toward which our earthly journey is guided.”

“In the proclamation of the Gospel and in every form of the Christian mission,” Pope Francis underlined, we cannot disregard this unity invoked by Jesus; the beauty of the Gospel demands to be lived and witnessed in harmony among us, who are so different."

He continued by saying that this unity, "is essential to the Christian: it is not an attitude, an expression: no. It is essential, because unity is the only way of life. It is essential, because unity is born of love, of God's mercy, of the justification of Jesus Christ and of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts."

The living sign of God the Trinity is love for all
Mystery of love and light
The feast of the Holy Trinity, said Pope Francis, “makes us contemplate this wonderful mystery of love and light from which we come and toward which our earthly journey is guided.”

“In the proclamation of the Gospel and in every form of the Christian mission,” Pope Francis underlined, we cannot disregard this unity invoked by Jesus; the beauty of the Gospel demands to be lived and witnessed in harmony among us, who are so different."

He continued by saying that this unity, "is essential to the Christian: it is not an attitude, an expression: no. It is essential, because unity is the only way of life. It is essential, because unity is born of love, of God's mercy, of the justification of Jesus Christ and of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts."

Prayer of the Day for Monday, May 31
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.

Prayer of the Day for Monday, May 31
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.

A living relationship with Jesus
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis explaining that this Gospel passage tells us that Jesus is not a “spirit”, but a living Person:

“Being Christian is not first of all a doctrine or a moral ideal; it is the living relationship with Him, with the Risen Lord: we look at him, we touch him, we are nourished by Him and, transformed by his Love, we look at, touch and nourish others as brothers and sisters.”

A living relationship with Jesus
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis explaining that this Gospel passage tells us that Jesus is not a “spirit”, but a living Person:

“Being Christian is not first of all a doctrine or a moral ideal; it is the living relationship with Him, with the Risen Lord: we look at him, we touch him, we are nourished by Him and, transformed by his Love, we look at, touch and nourish others as brothers and sisters.”

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Prayer of the Day
To St. Joseph for Protection
Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen.

Prayer of the Day
To St. Joseph for Protection
Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen.

Your prayers are being heard, do not give up
The answer, in catechism
The Pope went on to note that the Catechism offers us a good summary of the matter. He explained that "it puts us on guard against the risk of not living an authentic experience of faith, but of transforming the relationship with God into something magical". When we pray, stressed the Pope, "we can give in to the risk of not being the ones to serve God, but of expecting Him to serve us".
The Pope then went on to say that "the Apostle Paul reminds us that we do not even know what it is appropriate to ask for". What we do know, however, when we pray, is that "we need to be humble, so that our words are actually prayers and not just idle talk that God rejects".
When people pray with a sincere heart, when they ask for things that correspond to the Kingdom of God, when a mother prays for her sick child, "why does it sometimes seem that God does not listen?", asked the Pope. He noted that to answer this question, we need to meditate calmly on the Gospels. The accounts of Jesus’ life are full of prayers and "all are prayers imbued with suffering. It is an immense choir that invokes: 'Have mercy on us!'", said the Pope.

Your prayers are being heard, do not give up
The answer, in catechism
The Pope went on to note that the Catechism offers us a good summary of the matter. He explained that "it puts us on guard against the risk of not living an authentic experience of faith, but of transforming the relationship with God into something magical". When we pray, stressed the Pope, "we can give in to the risk of not being the ones to serve God, but of expecting Him to serve us".
The Pope then went on to say that "the Apostle Paul reminds us that we do not even know what it is appropriate to ask for". What we do know, however, when we pray, is that "we need to be humble, so that our words are actually prayers and not just idle talk that God rejects".
When people pray with a sincere heart, when they ask for things that correspond to the Kingdom of God, when a mother prays for her sick child, "why does it sometimes seem that God does not listen?", asked the Pope. He noted that to answer this question, we need to meditate calmly on the Gospels. The accounts of Jesus’ life are full of prayers and "all are prayers imbued with suffering. It is an immense choir that invokes: 'Have mercy on us!'", said the Pope.