KITGUM, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 300 pilgrims drawn from Lango and the Diocese of West Lango have set off for Namugongo ahead of thTe Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations slated for June 3. The pilgrims from Lango Diocese joined their counterparts from the Diocese of West Lango on Friday and began their over 300-kilometre trek on Saturday.
The group includes an 89-year-old woman and a 9-year-old Christian. The leader of the team, Rev. Canon Captain Moses Ocweo, said the pilgrims include 258 from Lango Diocese and 107 from the Diocese of West Lango.
He noted that the pilgrims from Lango Diocese joined their West Lango colleagues after they were flagged off by Rt. Rev. Alfred Olwa, the Bishop of Lango Diocese.
Susan Abeya Okello, the Otuke District Woman Member of Parliament and one of the pilgrims, said she chose to walk to Namugongo as a sign of commitment and gratitude to God for fulfilling her dream of becoming a Member of Parliament.
Another pilgrim, Imat Katorin, 89, from Abilonino Parish in Kole Archdeaconry, said this is her sixth pilgrimage to Namugongo and that she has received countless blessings from the journey.
Rev. Deacon Peter Otim, the Curate of Oyam Parish in the Diocese of West Lango, urged Christians to remain faithful during the journey. He encouraged them to resist temptations along the way and focus on the spiritual purpose of the pilgrimage.
Every 3rd of June, pilgrims from all over Uganda and beyond walk to the Martyrs Shrine in Namugongo in honor of the 45 young men who were martyred between 1885 and 1887 for converting to Christianity, defying King Mwanga II of Buganda.
Among them were 22 Catholic converts who were beatified on June 6, 1920, by Pope Benedict XV and later canonized on October 18, 1964, by Pope Paul VI. The annual pilgrimage attracts over two million people from across the world, including countries such as Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even from Europe and the Americas.
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