Religion

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

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Last semester, as we sat for our first exam, a classmate who had been experiencing episodes of depression couldn’t sit for his papers. We had prayed and hoped for his return. He didn’t make it back. Focused on this sad moment, we forgot about another student who was missing. I vividly remember the cloud of sadness that descended upon the exam room when we eventually noticed. How could we not have seen this earlier? We had forgotten about someone struggling just as much. This student, burdened with a considerable debt and having collected some money, had lost hope and switched his phone off. He was later found in his hostel, simply sleeping through the exam period, possibly praying, hurting, or trying to self-soothe. These are but some of the numerous hard times we find ourselves going through.

Njangali was ordained as the first female deacon in East Africa on September 10, 1973. This outraged a number of lay people and priests who believed it not biblical to ordain a woman. Although she was never fully priested, her ordination broke the ecclesiastical glass ceiling, paving the way for future generations of women in ministry, and in 1983, Bishop Festo Kivengere of Kigezi ordained three women as priests.

As a son of an Anglican priest, Barnabas Tibaijuka was expected to lead a God-fearing life. And that’s exactly what he did at home.  His was the perfect illustration of living a double life — humble, obedient, and God-fearing son at home and rebellious and party-loving boy away from home.

Every last Sunday of September, Anglican churches in Uganda commemorate a Uganda Christian University (UCU) Sunday (UCU Sunday). UCU Sunday was established in 2017 by the Church of Uganda Bishops with three objectives: to pray for UCU; to mobilize financial resources to support UCU projects, especially infrastructure; and to raise awareness about the university. This tradition spans across Uganda, with every Church of Uganda participating.

“My father did not study his dream course — law — unlike his brothers,” Baitwa said. “And that saddened him. Someone, however, told him that if he got a son one day, he could live his dream in his son.” Baitwa’s father, Enoch Tumusiime Baitwa, instead studied a certificate course in veterinary medicine. 

While growing up, Beatrice Masendi says some aspects of Christian salvation did not make much sense to her. And that forced her to begin equating her faith to politics. All this happened despite Masendi being a child of a lay reader. Lay readers are non-clergy who are authorized to preach and to conduct some religious services, but are not permitted to celebrate the Eucharist.

“Mwami ssuuna, mbadde nsaba kwogerako nawe.” 

A tall woman I’d never seen spoke Luganda.  Translated to English, the message was: “Mr. Ssuuna, I would like to talk to you.”