Dear Faithful,
Fr. Ndong, normally based in Gabon, has sent a report of his time in Uganda. He spent an unexpected nine months there with the border closures because of COVID. It was quite fruitful.
Here in Australia, Fr. Pio Suneel spent a profitably nine months stranded in Melbourne. His presence caused a great increase in the number of faithful attending our mission.
God bless,
Fr. MacDonald
Apostolate in Uganda : March to November 2020
I arrived in Entebbe on March 7. I was welcomed by our coordinators and a religious sister I met previously. I was scheduled to stay three weeks but I didn’t know that God had planned differently.
March
I visited our people in Kabale and Masaka. I added to new towns : Rukungiri about an hour and a half from Kabale and Sembabule about an hour from Masaka. I spent three days in Kabale, Rukungiri and Masaka, three days in each town. However, in Sembabule, I just spent one day. I visited one of the greatest land owners of the area. I was very surprised to see that he had a very great devotion to our Lady of Perpetual Help. From Sembabule, I went back to Kampala just before the general and progressive lockdown. The last public Mass was on March 25, on the feast of the Annunciation. The chapel was full many people consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
April
The lockdown was in full operation and my worry was the celebration of the holy Week. We managed to celebrate all ceremonies : Palm Sunday with procession, Holy Thursday with the adoration at the altar of repose, Good Friday, Paschal Vigil and Easter Sunday. For the first time, the very few people who attended, saw the beauties of the traditional holy Week liturgy. It was a challenge to find everything we needed.
May
We celebrated the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker and Ascension Thursday. The last day of the month of Mary, again many people consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We had also the celebration of the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles and the birth of the holy Church.
June
It was a very busy month with so many feasts : Martyrs’ day, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, our Lady of Perpetual Help, Saints Peter and Paul. On June 3rd , I celebrated the holy Martyrs of Uganda for the first time and in Uganda! It was a special blessing for me and for our people who attended the celebration of the Martyrs in the traditional rite for the first time. It was also the first time for me to celebrate our Lady of Perpetual Help abroad and in Uganda. Still in June, on the first Sunday, I gave the Body of Christ for the first time to a young boy. It was my first holy communion in Uganda. On Corpus Christi, we had a very nice procession with two altars of repose.
It was the first time for our people to attend Corpus Christi in the traditional rite. It was a month full of first: first Holy Communion, first Martyrs’ day, first Corpus Christi procession, first our Mother of Perpetual Help!
July
We started July with the celebration of the feast of the most Precious Blood of Jesus. Many people came because most of them are devotees of the Precious Blood devotion of Br Barnabas in Nigeria. I started to enthrone the Sacred Heart in families. They have been waiting for it for years. They made a list of around one hundred families! On Tuesday and Thursday, I went to enthrone the Sacred Heart in several families. I celebrated my first baptism in Uganda. It was a new born baby.
August
We celebrated the great feast of the Assumption with a lot of fervor. Again, the chapel was full as on the feast of the Annunciation in March before the lockdown. Then I went to Masaka for the second time but not to the same place. I remained in that new place for five days. The way to Masaka from Kampala was a nightmare. Our car broke three times and we had to call for another one to take us to Masaka. We arrived very late and exhausted. In Masaka I did two enthronements. At the end of August, I celebrated two more baptisms on the same Sunday. There were my second and third baptisms in the country.
September
At the beginning of the month, I had a week training session for two Novus Ordo priests in order to teach them how to celebrate the Latin traditional Mass. I have been in touch with one of them for more than a year. He brought with him the second priest for that training session. At the end of the month, we had a second training week. It was very challenging and encouraging. I was struck by their humility in learning how to celebrate the Latin traditional Mass.
After the first week training session, we spent two days in the Marian Workers’ community land. I was impressed by the work done since I visited the place the previous year. I blessed several houses.
I had one more baptism and I gave our Lord to two cousins for the first time. One of them was baptized and received the Body of Christ on that same Sunday !
October
A lady who discovered the Latin Traditional Mass like a month ago, asked me to say the Mass in her home on a regular basis. It was a new place for Tradition.
I spent two days in Kabale as a farewell since the airport had been reopened.
November
November was my last month in Uganda. I departed on 12th and I reached Gabon the following day. I slept in Kigali international airport! Another amenity from the covid tyranny!
Conclusion
I was supposed to spend only three weeks in Uganda in March. But the divine Providence decided otherwise and I stayed nine months! That gave me a lot of time to do more apostolate. I had time to explain better and deeper. I taught the whole catechism book of Saint Pius X. We had the opportunity to know each other better. New people discovered the Latin traditional Mass. We had baptisms and first holy communions. I had time to train two priests. Covid was used against God and God turned it to extend our apostolate !
Fr. Ndong, normally based in Gabon, has sent a report of his time in Uganda. He spent an unexpected nine months there with the border closures because of COVID. It was quite fruitful.
Here in Australia, Fr. Pio Suneel spent a profitably nine months stranded in Melbourne. His presence caused a great increase in the number of faithful attending our mission.
God bless,
Fr. MacDonald
Apostolate in Uganda : March to November 2020
I arrived in Entebbe on March 7. I was welcomed by our coordinators and a religious sister I met previously. I was scheduled to stay three weeks but I didn’t know that God had planned differently.
March
I visited our people in Kabale and Masaka. I added to new towns : Rukungiri about an hour and a half from Kabale and Sembabule about an hour from Masaka. I spent three days in Kabale, Rukungiri and Masaka, three days in each town. However, in Sembabule, I just spent one day. I visited one of the greatest land owners of the area. I was very surprised to see that he had a very great devotion to our Lady of Perpetual Help. From Sembabule, I went back to Kampala just before the general and progressive lockdown. The last public Mass was on March 25, on the feast of the Annunciation. The chapel was full many people consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
April
The lockdown was in full operation and my worry was the celebration of the holy Week. We managed to celebrate all ceremonies : Palm Sunday with procession, Holy Thursday with the adoration at the altar of repose, Good Friday, Paschal Vigil and Easter Sunday. For the first time, the very few people who attended, saw the beauties of the traditional holy Week liturgy. It was a challenge to find everything we needed.
May
We celebrated the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker and Ascension Thursday. The last day of the month of Mary, again many people consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We had also the celebration of the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles and the birth of the holy Church.
June
It was a very busy month with so many feasts : Martyrs’ day, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, our Lady of Perpetual Help, Saints Peter and Paul. On June 3rd , I celebrated the holy Martyrs of Uganda for the first time and in Uganda! It was a special blessing for me and for our people who attended the celebration of the Martyrs in the traditional rite for the first time. It was also the first time for me to celebrate our Lady of Perpetual Help abroad and in Uganda. Still in June, on the first Sunday, I gave the Body of Christ for the first time to a young boy. It was my first holy communion in Uganda. On Corpus Christi, we had a very nice procession with two altars of repose.
It was the first time for our people to attend Corpus Christi in the traditional rite. It was a month full of first: first Holy Communion, first Martyrs’ day, first Corpus Christi procession, first our Mother of Perpetual Help!
July
We started July with the celebration of the feast of the most Precious Blood of Jesus. Many people came because most of them are devotees of the Precious Blood devotion of Br Barnabas in Nigeria. I started to enthrone the Sacred Heart in families. They have been waiting for it for years. They made a list of around one hundred families! On Tuesday and Thursday, I went to enthrone the Sacred Heart in several families. I celebrated my first baptism in Uganda. It was a new born baby.
August
We celebrated the great feast of the Assumption with a lot of fervor. Again, the chapel was full as on the feast of the Annunciation in March before the lockdown. Then I went to Masaka for the second time but not to the same place. I remained in that new place for five days. The way to Masaka from Kampala was a nightmare. Our car broke three times and we had to call for another one to take us to Masaka. We arrived very late and exhausted. In Masaka I did two enthronements. At the end of August, I celebrated two more baptisms on the same Sunday. There were my second and third baptisms in the country.
September
At the beginning of the month, I had a week training session for two Novus Ordo priests in order to teach them how to celebrate the Latin traditional Mass. I have been in touch with one of them for more than a year. He brought with him the second priest for that training session. At the end of the month, we had a second training week. It was very challenging and encouraging. I was struck by their humility in learning how to celebrate the Latin traditional Mass.
After the first week training session, we spent two days in the Marian Workers’ community land. I was impressed by the work done since I visited the place the previous year. I blessed several houses.
I had one more baptism and I gave our Lord to two cousins for the first time. One of them was baptized and received the Body of Christ on that same Sunday !
October
A lady who discovered the Latin Traditional Mass like a month ago, asked me to say the Mass in her home on a regular basis. It was a new place for Tradition.
I spent two days in Kabale as a farewell since the airport had been reopened.
November
November was my last month in Uganda. I departed on 12th and I reached Gabon the following day. I slept in Kigali international airport! Another amenity from the covid tyranny!
Conclusion
I was supposed to spend only three weeks in Uganda in March. But the divine Providence decided otherwise and I stayed nine months! That gave me a lot of time to do more apostolate. I had time to explain better and deeper. I taught the whole catechism book of Saint Pius X. We had the opportunity to know each other better. New people discovered the Latin traditional Mass. We had baptisms and first holy communions. I had time to train two priests. Covid was used against God and God turned it to extend our apostolate !