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Medical Students at Ugandan Catholic Institution Urged to Prioritize God’s Will in Service

A screenshot of Fr. John Chrysostom Maviiri preaching during the 8th graduation ceremony of St. Francis Schools of Health Sciences (SFRASH) on Wednesday, December 20. Credit: Ugandan Catholics Online

Medical graduands at St. Francis Schools of Health Sciences (SFRASH) in Uganda’s Catholic Diocese of Lugazi have been urged to seek for and prioritize the will of God in their professional duties.

In his homily during the 8th graduation ceremony on Wednesday, December 20, the former Vice Chancellor of Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) said, “The will of God should be at the center of your service to the people. Even in our personal lives, the will of God should prevail.”

“I would like to be convinced that the graduands will embrace the will of God in their services,”  Fr. John Chrysostom Maviiri emphasized, and explained, “This means that as medical practitioners you should dedicate what you do to the will of God because it is only the will of God that takes us to success.”

Fr. Maviiri went on to highlight the benefits of prioritizing God’s will, saying, “Operating within the will of God ensures a path free from mistakes, consistently keeping you on the right track.”

“Errors often arise when deviating from this path, signifying that one is operating against the will of God,” the Catholic Priest, who started his lecturing career at Uganda’s St. Mbaaga Major Seminary College in 1987 said.

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He continued, “The will of God will do marvellous things in your life that people might not be able to understand.”

He told the more than 500 graduands of the Catholic institution that was established in 2013 that prioritizing the will of God in the medical practice will enable them rise above their medical oath as they will have the grace to put service before anything else, including money and self.

“The will of God that is inscribed in your heart goes even beyond that oath. This means you will have to exceed the oath and do something greater,” Fr. Maviiri said during the December 20 graduation ceremony that also had the emeritus Bishop of Lugazi Diocese, Matthias Ssekamanya, in attendance.

The focus, he said, needs to be “saving lives rather than focusing on money; and if we start by saving lives, other things will follow.”

“Statements such as, this nurse, this medical officer is different from the others will qualify your services among the people because you do things with God,” Fr. Maviiri said, underscoring the need to prioritize service over anything else.

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He went on to implore, “May we have a firm belief that the Lord is with us and let us not do things as if God is not with us, because if God is with us, we will do good things; our service will be excellent.”

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.