Worldpriest is very pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Annual Global Rosary Relay for the Sanctification of Priests Award. The eleventh award goes to the Diocese of Fort Portal, Uganda, East Africa. The award is in recognition of the outstanding promotion and participation of the Global Rosary Relay in Uganda and it is the first time the award has been won on the continent of Africa.
Fort Portal is a very interesting and unique place. People do not normally associate Africa with snow and freezing conditions, but the principal place of worship in Fort Portal is called Our Lady of Snows, Virika Cathedral, because it is within sight of the tallest mountain range in Africa – the Ruwenzori Mountains, the top peaks of which are permanently covered in snow. In 1952 the cathedral was visited by Venerable Patrick Payton, when he addressed the thousands of local parishioners a miracle happened, as Venerable Peyton was speaking in English. He had no translator but everyone who was around still understood everything he said.
Many parishes in the Fort Portal diocese are in rural settings and a priest could travel close to 20 to 30kms to reach every church. The roads are very rough in some places and not suitable for car or motorcycle travel, often making walking the best option.
This is a very special part of Africa and according to the pastoral coordinator of the Fort Portal Diocese the number of Catholics living there is around one million — half of the total local population. A number in the region of 1,500 people participated in the relay on 19 June.
The winners award was presented to the Right Reverend Robert K. Muhiirwa, Bishop of Fort Portal Diocese at Virika Cathedral by Father John Baptist Nsubuga Araali CSC, Local Director of Holy Cross Family Ministries for the Fort Portal Region on Saturday, 17 October 2020.
In accepting the award the bishop stated ‘With humility and in a spirit of gratitude, on behalf of the Diocesan Community of Fort Portal, I accept this award accorded to us by the Worldpriest Global Apostolate in recognition of our participation in the Annual Global Rosary Relay for the Sanctification of Priests on 19 June 2020, with much gratitude, especially to Madam Marion Mulhall, founder of the Worldpriest Global Apostolate and her team. God bless you for the work in mobilising our Christians to pray for us priests all over the world.’
Other team members of the community in Fort Portal who worked so hard to make this day of prayer so special are Father Charles Oyo Amooti and Mrs Cecilia Kakere Amooti.
Like many millions of people across the globe you may already be praying the Rosary on Thursdays. Worldpriest is now naming each Thursday as Rosary Thursday and invites you to offer your Rosary on that day for the sanctification of priests, which is also the Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay prayer intention.
On the last Thursday of each month The Worldpriest Global Apostolate is planning a virtual Rosary Thursday. www.worldpriest.com/every-thursday-rosary-thursday
In 2002 Pope John Paul II invited Catholics to pray the Mysteries of Light on Thursdays. These mysteries focus on the public life of Jesus – the Light of the world. Included are Jesus’s Baptism, Wedding Feast of Cana, his revealing of God’s Kingdom, his Transfiguration and the Institution of the Eucharist.
At 6 p.m. Rome time on 12 November, a joint initiative will take place between Worldpriest Global Apostolate and Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages, which has been bringing pilgrims on spiritual journeys to the universal church since 2008. Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages developed from Inside the Vatican magazine, founded in 1993. Currently, Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages is hosting virtual pilgrimages to holy places, introducing the faithful to the ‘living stones’ around the world.
This community prayer time for Rosary Thursday will take the form of a virtual Rosary at 6 p.m. local Rome time, being prayed for the sanctification of priests to encourage vocations to the priesthood and for the many intentions of Pope Francis. Everyone around the world – regardless of their location – will be very welcome to join in this important time of prayer However, all participants will need to register by simply clicking on this link.
This virtual Rosary Thursday will make use of Zoom technology. It will open at 17.40 hours, when a slide show selection of photographs from various Global Rosary Relay prayer locations from around the world, before the prayers begin at 18.00 hours, concluding at 18.30 hours.
This virtual Rosary Thursday will include a welcome and introduction to our Rosary Thursday Prayer time by Father Benedict Croell OP from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – the ANGELICUM in Rome, Italy.
Father Benedict Croell, O.P., a Dominican friar, hails from Colorado (USA). He has served in parish, university and itinerant preaching ministries. He also served five years in the Dominican Order’s East African missions where he was novice master for friars in their initial stage of formation from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Southern Sudan, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. He served as Director of Vocations for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph (USA) from 2010-18 in Washington, D.C. – during which 100 young men entered their novitiate. He is co-author of a book for young men: A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life http://bit.ly/LivingSacrificeEurope He currently serves as Director of Development & Mission Advancement for the ANGELICUM https://angelicum.it in Rome, the Roman alma Mater of Father Karol Wojtyła, who later became Saint John Paul II. Fr. Benedict was named a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis in 2016.
The following people will pray the Luminous Mysteries in the following order, with guided meditations for each decade by. Father Benedict Croell O.P.,
- First Luminous Mystery –The Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan – Father Benedict Croell O.P.,
- Second Luminous Mystery – Wedding Feast of Cana – Niall M. Kennedy KCSG Chairman of Worldpriest
- Third Luminous Mystery – Proclamation of the Kingdom – Berni Neal Worldpriest team member Orange County California USA
- Fourth Luminous Mystery – The Transfiguration of Our Lord – Joe Feraggio Worldpriest Representative for Malta
- Fifth Luminous Mystery – The Institution of the Eucharist – Deirdre Rudden Friend of Worldpriest Dublin Ireland
Final prayers, Father Benedict Croell OP. with a final blessing.
(A recording of the Virtual Rosary will be available on YouTube later).
Register here
To register, just click on this link. You can register now or just before the time of prayer on 12 November 2020.
If you have any questions please contact;
Marion Mulhall
info.worldpriest@gmail.com