“He hid under the altar”: Tanzanian Bishop on Effects of Violent Storm on Parish Church

Bukoba, 18 October, 2023 / 9:25 PM

St. John Paul II Rwamishenye Parish of the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba in Tanzania and the Parish Rectory have been destroyed following the heavy downpour that was accompanied by strong winds on the morning of Wednesday, October 18.

Speaking to the media after visiting the site, the Apostolic Administrator of Bukoba Diocese, Bishop Method Kilaini, recalled the effects of the storm, saying, “The Priest was praying in the church. When the church fell, he hid under the altar. This is how he survived.” 

Bishop Kilaini added, “Only two people were hit by falling timber. They were taken to the hospital, and their condition is good.”

Bishop Method Kilaini at the site of the destroyed Church. Credit : Radio Mbiu FB

He said that the Christians of Rwamishenye Parish "have no place to pray" following the tragedy. 

“They had built their temporary church and now the structure has been blown away by the wind,” the Tanzanian Catholic Bishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2000 as Auxiliary Bishop of Dar es Salaam Archdiocese lamented.  

"Part of the Priest's house, a storey building, has been unroofed and the wall has fallen,” he further said, and described the October 18 destructions amid the storm as “a very big problem" for Rwamishenye Parish. 

The 75-year-old Bishop, who was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Bukoba Diocese in October 2022 called on well-wishers to come to the aid of the people of God under the Tanzanian Catholic Parish.

“Anyone who can really help them, let us be with them in this tragedy that has befallen them,” he said, and encouraged the affected people of God to remain strong amid the tragedy.

“Believers should have a great heart. God will help us. Disasters come and God gives us more power. Let's soldier on, and do bigger things than we used to do,” said the Apostolic Administrator of the Tanzanian Diocese that covers Kagera Province.

The destroyed Church . Credit: Radio Mbiu FB

Tanzania’s Kagera Province has been experiencing heavy rains accompanied by strong winds. 

On Sunday, October 15, over 150 houses were unroofed by the strong winds, Muleba District Commissioner (DC), Dr. Abel Nyamahanga, was quoted as saying.

Dr. Nyamahanga added that three primary schools and one secondary school were affected by the storm that he said did not have any casualties. 

The Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force Kagera Regional Officer-in-Charge, Senior Assistant Commissioner (SACF), Zabron Muhumha, has urged residents to be vigilant and called on those living in flood-prone areas to move to safer locations.