Centenary Celebration in Gulu

Growing Together as a Family of God:
Celebrating Our Christian Heritage

The above title was the theme of Saturday’s centenary celebration. The Archdiocese of Gulu, along with the Diocese of Lira, is moving into the second hundred years of the Catholic faith in these parts. The Diocese of Nebbi celebrated in 2010 and Arua will celebrate in 2012.

As we left our compound to walk to the Cathedral we were surprised (and yet, not surprised) by the numbers of police/military and trucks scattered along the way. This was not because of the Centenary, but because Uganda’s President Museveni was going to come. I guess if our US President was attending an outdoor affair, the security would have been just as tight…. As we entered the Cathedral grounds we were all searched. At our gate there was one line for women and two lines for men and children. There were similar stations at every open gate along the fence. I’d venture to say there were a couple hundred military/police (one and the same) milling around. Big trucks had brought them in and they had slept in the various areas the previous night; there were also the President’s private ambulance, and a huge water truck. (You may know that this was one of the weapons used in Kampala to quell protesters… The people were sprayed with water containing pink dye so they could be identified!)

The Liturgy was a true celebration! Dancers, male and female, along with flower girls led the procession from the far side of the Cathedral around to the front gate and onto the grounds where the tents, chairs, red carpet, etc. were set up surrounding the raised area where Mass would take place. Some of the folks present were a part of the Diocese when it was still relatively young. The Comboni Missionaries were the first to bring the faith here, so in a way this was THEIR celebration as well. It was very impressive….

One of the most meaningful features was the presentation of various “gifts” after the Gospel was proclaimed, to symbolically hand over the tools of evangelization. First, there was a very large crucifix carried on the shoulders of about 5 people. Following the crucifix was a Pascal Candle, two Bibles (one in Luo and one in Lango), a chalice, a very large wooden rosary, a large picture of St. Joseph, and a large picture of the two Northern Uganda martyrs (recently declared Blessed). The Comboni Community feels that their role of evangelizing in this area is finished, and at some point in the future the members will be missioned elsewhere.

The Archbishop did a great job of summarizing the contributions and difficulties faced by Daniel Comboni (founder of the Comboni Missionaries) and his first followers. Then he spoke of the trials of the war years, and now, in these days of peacefulness, the problems the church continues to face.

About this point in the Mass the music began again and we all thought the Offertory procession was beginning. Wrong! President Museveni had just arrived. His vehicle drove right up the red carpet, and turned right in front of the altar. The actual Offertory procession then took place next and is always special on such occasions. The dancers again led the folks in. At least fifty people brought baskets of foods on their heads, or carried items in other ways. The colorful dress of both the people and the dancers added to the festive ambiance. As always, the combined choir (Cathedral, Holy Rosary, Lira and 42 students from the Primary Teachers’ College) led the congregation with glorious harmonies. We’re sorry we have no photos, but we expected cameras to be confiscated at the gates.

Another special moment occurred at the time of the Peace greeting. The Archbishop came down from the raised area where the altar and priests were placed, walked over to the special area where President Museveni was seated, and greeted the President, who has not been the best agent of peace. Another high-profile opposition leader present, Olara Otunu, also greeted the President in a sign of goodwill and hope.

At the end of the Liturgy we sang the National Anthem (actually, we mostly listened to it). The Liturgical part of the celebration was over in about four hours, but the speeches and entertainment were to follow. Pat went home at this point, but Jo and Marion remained for the speeches. They said that if they hadn’t known the man’s history with our people even Museveni’s talk would have been “good.” He declared himself as Christian and felt that it gave value to his life.

Ordinarily there would have been a meal for everyone, but apparently not enough money was collected. Therefore, only the elite or visitors from areas outside of Gulu were fed. Many of the people returned to the area later for dancing. We can hear the music all the way down at our house! Fortunately or unfortunately, the rains came and the dancing was over before 10:00 PM. The day was certainly celebrating a spectacular event in history for the Catholic Acholi people and we were glad to be a part of it. We all agreed that this was a great celebration!