Malawians join pilgrimage to Kampala
As thousands of pilgrims from across the world thronged Namugongo Catholic Martyrs Shrine in Uganda in readiness for this year’s Feast of St. Charles Lwanga held on June 3, Malawi was represented by 61 pilgrims.
The Malawian contingent left the country by bus on Monday, May 27 2013. The team consisted of Catholics from almost all dioceses in Malawi.
The majority of the pilgrims came from the Archdiocese of Blantyre and were led by Bishop Montfort Stima.
One of the pilgrims, Blessings Sambo, said the pilgrimage to Kampala was a blessing and renewed his faith in the Catholic Church.
“On Monday, June 3, 2013, the group set off for the shrine compound which covers over 15 acres for the Feast of the 22 Uganda Catholic Martyrs. On arrival, there were already thousands of pilgrims, most of whom had spent a night there praying.
“The Eucharist celebration was held in a pavilion which is surrounded by a man-made lake that is regarded as sacred by the pilgrims because of the water which is believed to heal diseases and bring blessings of other kinds.
“2014 will be another special feast because the church will be celebrating the 50th anniversary since the canonisation of the martyrs as saints by Pope Paul VI in 1964,” said Sambo.
The pilgrimage, which was attended by about a million people, marked 127 years since 22 Ugandan martyrs were killed on the orders of Kabaka Mwaanga in 1886, accusing them of disobedience. n
