Archbishop in Uganda Declares “Triduum of prayer” after Desecration of Seminary Chapel

Kampala, 21 March, 2023 / 9:41 PM

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala in Uganda has declared “a Triduum of prayer for an act of Reparation” following the desecration of the Chapel of Nswanjere Junior Seminary.

In a statement published on the Facebook page of Kampala Archdiocese on Monday, March 20, the Chancellor of the Ugandan Archdiocese recounts the aftermath of the Sunday, March 19 night incident.

“The robbers vandalized the Chapel, stole some property and injured Fr. Emmanuel Mukukule and Bro. John Bosco Mwaasa who are providentially in a stable condition,” Fr. Pius Male Ssentumbwe says.

Fr. Male further says that the Tabernacle in the Junior Seminary Chapel was “unfortunately deconsecrated” during the robbery incident. 

“Because of this act of violation, the Archbishop summons all the people of God into a Triduum of prayer for an act of Reparation,” the Chancellor of Kampala Archdiocese says, adding that the three-day Reparation period would start on Tuesday, March 21 and conclude on Thursday, March 23.

“Let us join together praying for healing, repentance and restitution of God's Glory,” he says in the statement addressed to “the Clergy and all the Faithful” in Kampala Archdiocese about the desecration of the Chapel of the Junior Seminary that Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka founded in 1964 aimed at fostering vocations to the Priesthood.

The people of God in the Ugandan Archdiocese “are requested to set aside an hour for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” during the three days of Reparation, Fr. Male says in his one-page statement.  

In a Tuesday, March 21 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Male said that the attack followed the Junior Seminary’s visiting day, and that the robbers believed parents and guardians had left the students with money. 

“The attackers went to the Rector’s office and demanded money. Fortunately, there was some (money) in the office and so they took it and left,” Fr. Male said about the March 19 incident at Nswanjere Junior Seminary, located 32 kilometers from the Kampala-Mityana Highway. 

The incident was reported to the police, the Chancellor of Kampala Archdiocese told ACI Africa March 21, adding that no arrests had been reported.