“We’re in one boat moving in the same direction”: Catholic Archbishop in Uganda Emphasizes Collaboration at Installation

He added, “It is our prayer that our journey together continues to be sustained by the spirit of God Almighty.”

Archbishop Wokorach started his Episcopal Ministry in August 2021 following his Episcopal appointment in March 2021 for Nebbi Diocese. His Episcopal Consecration that had been initially scheduled to take place in June 2021 was postponed amid COVID-19 restrictions; it was later rescheduled to 14 August 2021. 

The alumnus of the Uganda Martyrs’ National Major Seminary Alokum in Gulu Archdiocese and the Nairobi-based Tangaza University (TU), where he undertook his philosophical and theological studies, respectively, was ordained a Priest in September 1993.

As a Priest, the 63-year-old holder of a master’s degree in philosophy served as the bursar of the Comboni Community in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), formator at the MCCJ postulancy in DRC, missionary in Togo and formator of Comboni Postulants in the West African country; missionary in Chicago in the U.S.A, and formator at the Nairobi-based Comboni International Theologate.

Inspired by his Priestly ministry, he settled for “Service with Humility” as his Episcopal Motto.

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In his July 12 homily, Archbishop Wokorach alluded to his Episcopal Motto, saying, “Humility is a recognition that what I am, and what I have come from one greater than me, the author of even my life. Humility opens doors and windows.”

“Lack of humility drives us away from depending on God who is the author of our lives,” the Local Ordinary of Gulu Archdiocese said, adding, “We become great by helping others to become great, by serving others to become great.”

During the Eucharistic celebration, the Apostolic Nuncio in Uganda, Archbishop Luigi Bianco, unveiled the pallium that Archbishop Wokorach received in Rome alongside 41 others on June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

Only Metropolitan Archbishops and the Latin-rite Patriarch of Jerusalem are imposed with the liturgical vestment called the pallium, a white woolen stole adorned with six black crosses, that is a symbol of communion, authority, and unity with the Holy Father and his pastoral mission of being a shepherd for the people of God.

In a rite that is a sign of communion with the See of Peter, the Pope traditionally bestows the stole to the new Archbishops on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

In the July 12 homily, the Ugandan Catholic Archbishop reflected on the importance of the pallium.

“I feel like a lamb today. The wool serves to remind the one who wears it that authority comes from the lamb of God. Our authority of service comes from the lamb of God and the lamb in the Bible is the symbol of peace,” he said. 

The pallium, Archbishop Wokorach continued, “symbolizes the mission that upholds peace and unity; unity of the church; unity among people.”

“It reminds the wearer to be an Apostle of peace. This is what I pray for, that God may help me to strive and fulfill the purpose of putting on the pallium,” he said, adding, “This is a task given to me but we all as Christians are called to partake in it at different degrees, with different responsibilities.”

“Be a shepherd even without the pallium,” the MCCJ member appealed. 

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He implored, “May God, who has called us to participate in the wisdom of his love, in the heart of his being be with you always and guide you. I ask you all to please pray for me.”

Archbishop Wokorach will serve as the second Catholic Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, the 27,945 square-kilometer Metropolitan See that comprises three suffragan Dioceses, inlcuding Arua, Lira, and Nebbi.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.