The Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hoima, Rt. Rev. Vincent Kirabo Amooti has officially announced Gulu Ecclesiastical Province as the organizers of the 2025 Annual National Catholic Youth Conference.
The annual event organized by the Uganda Episcopal Conference is intended to bring young people closer to Christ, ensure their growth in a holistic way, as well as revitalizing the youth apostolate.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference gives a chance to all Dioceses to organize Diocesan Youth Conferences between January and November, while in December they all come together for the climax with the National Catholic Youth Conference.
The national event is rotational among the four Ecclesiastical Provinces of Uganda. Last year it was organized by Tororo Ecclesiastical Province led by the Diocese of Soroti.
This year’s event which attracted nearly 15,000 young people from across the 19 Catholic Dioceses of Uganda and beyond was organized by the Mbarara Ecclesiastical Province with Hoima Diocese leading in the preparations.
It started on December 10th and ended on Sunday December 15th 2024.
Gulu Ecclesiastical Province the next organizers consist of the Gulu Archdiocese and the dioceses of Nebbi, Arua and Lira.
Now given the Bishop’s announcement, one of these Dioceses will be selected to lead the preparations that will climax during the second week of December 2025.
Bishop Kirabo made the big announcement at the closing ceremony of this year’s conference that took place at St. Andrea Kaahwa’s grounds just next to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes Bujumbura in Hoima Diocese, Hoima City in the Bunyoro sub region.
The closing event started with a Eucharistic Celebration led by Bishop Kirabo together with Bishop Robert Muhiirwa Akiiki of Fort Portal Diocese as the co-celebrant among other priests.
In his homily, Bishop Kirabo reminded the youth to be proud of what they are, and to be responsible for their life and tap from all opportunities available to develop themselves.
Bishop Kirabo told the youth that Pope Francis encourages them never to lose sight of the presence of Christ.
He urged them to care for one another, repent and to turn away from sin and move towards God.
In the same vein, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni graced the function as the chief guest and also officially closed the conference.
He pledged a contribution of shillings 200 million toward the development of a youth center in Hoima diocese.
He appreciated the Church for shifting from concentrating on teaching spirituality, but rather engaging in a holistic approach that includes socio-economic and political wellbeing of her members.
He said it is important to engage young people in such approaches.
The Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Hon. Balaam Barugahara, the State Minister for Youths and Children Affairs, Hon. Mary Mugasa, the State Minister for Public Service, Hon. Fred Byamukama, the State Minister for Transport, Members of Parliament from the Bunyoro sub region among other leaders were present at the closing ceremony.
An almost week-long conference was a beehive of activities ranging from praise and worship, question and answer sessions, confessions, a blood donation drive, plus talks on topics of importance to young people for example caring for the environment as per Pope Francis’ letter, ‘Laudato si’.
The conference attracted a total of seventeen participants from the neighbouring countries of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
By Florence Nangendo
17 Dec 2024
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