Deacon Godfrey Musabe is a fourth year theologian here at Saint John’s, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Boston. He is originally from Uganda, where many of his friends and family still live. Deacon Musabe has told me how much he looks forward, God-willing, to returning next year to his home Church in Kyembogo Sub Parish to celebrate one of his first Masses as a priest next year.
He also shared with me the fact that his home parish is building a new Church and asked me to share that news with the readers of this blog. Deacon Musabe writes:
In the year 2000, due to increased numbers of Christians, the church leadership decided to begin construction of a new church. Although the planning began at this time 16 years ago, the actual building didn’t start until five years later, in 2005.
For the last eleven years, the construction has been going on at a slow but steady pace. Each Sunday the Christians raise funds for the project through the selling of food stuffs and livestock. Today, the church building is almost finished and roofing is done. However, there is still much to do before it is finished; for example, the walls need plastering, the windows and flooring have yet to be done, and the Altar and tabernacle are not yet finished. Additionally, they are planning to build more permanent seating for the church, as right now, the community borrows benches from a nearby school. The next phase of the project will also use materials leftover from the church building to construct a guest house, which will double as a rectory in the future.
This project is personal to me for a number of reasons, but most especially since, once ordained to the priesthood next year, God willing, it is the same church I hope to use for a Thanksgiving Mass while in Uganda. We are looking for $25,000 to $30,000 in total for the completion of the church and the guest house/rectory, but gifts of any amount will go a long way towards helping us reach our goals.
If you would like to help the Catholics of Kyembogo to complete this project, make your check payable to “Kyembogo Catholic Church” and mail it to Deacon Godfrey Musabe, Saint John’s Seminary, 127 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.
