Do not detach from God, Bishop tells MPs at High Mass

Christmas came too soon for legislators and staff after receiving spiritual blessings from the Bishop of Soroti Catholic Diocese, Rt Rev. Dr Joseph Eciru Oliach, who celebrated a thanksgiving Holy Mass at Parliament on Thursday, 09 December 2021.

The celebration of High Mass was intended to initiate, pray and dedicate MPs of the 11th Parliament to the Lord and prepare Christians for the holy Christmas festival ahead.

At the foyer, stood the Deputy Speaker, Anita Among, holding the beads of her symbolic rosary, ready to welcome the Bishop of Soroti Catholic Diocese and his entourage who were emerging from the VIP lounge.

The Deputy Speaker was accompanied by the Government Chief Whip, Thomas Tayebwa, Leader of the Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, MPs and members of the choir doing what they do best.

Rt Rev. Dr Eciru would then emerge, sprinkling holy water on the congregation that had gathered at the foyer before proceeding to light the Christmas tree to symbolise the beginning of the spiritual celebration to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.   

“Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree. How lovely are thy branches," the congregation hymned as the Bishop blessed and lit the Christmas tree, before heading to preside over mass at the Conference hall.

In his sermon, Rt Rev. Eciru implored MPs not to detach themselves from God and their communities.

“I know being in this august House is not simple; it is challenging and has a lot of demands from the constituents. However, I urge you to remain prayerful and enlightened. I know at times you may get overwhelmed but stick to God and continue making policies aimed at uplifting our people from poverty,” Rt Rev. Eciru said.

On the behalf of the Parliamentary Commission, Mpuuga expressed gratitude to the Bishop for choosing the Parliament Catholic Chaplaincy to celebrate High Mass.

He called for the spirit of openness and togetherness among the faithful despite their political, ethical or religious affiliation.  

“The duty of the church in a fast evolving society needs to go beyond the ordinary evangelism to doing the extraordinary. Whatever we do should reflect the spirit of this country. The religious and ordinary people need not to fear while discussing the frustrations, aspirations and dreams of the people without fear of contradiction,” Mpuuga said.  

The Deputy Speaker thanked his Lordship Rev. Eciru for honouring her invitation to celebrate High Mass and committed that the 11th Parliament will place God at the centre of all their activities. 

She also pledged to mobilise MPs at an appropriate time to fundraise for the construction of the new Soroti Catholic Diocese.