Africa-Press – Uganda. The Catholic Church yesterday sealed the beatification of the late Fr Dr Joseph Ambrosoli at a ceremony attended by thousands of Christians at Kalongo Catholic Mission in Kalongo Town Council , Agago District.
President Museveni, Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo, and Mr Hillary Onek, the Minister for Relief Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, attended the event.
Other top officials included Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Comboni Missionaries Superior General Fr Tesfaye Tadesse, the Ambrosoli family and a representative of the Bishop of Como (Italy), Cardinal Oscar Cantoni.
The ceremony started off with Mass presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda Luigi Bianco.
Archbishop Bianco said the Vatican had described Ambrosoli as a hero and a good Samaritan.
“Pope Francis presents him as a good Samaritan. We are invited to consider emulating the Blessed Joseph Ambrosoli’s faith, hope, charity, humility, goodness, patience, generosity, the spirit of service, sense of duty, and availability,” Archbishop Bianco said.
“The new Blessed Ambrosoli was a person who did not look to his interests, but his life was complete and tireless- giving to the needy as a priest and doctor,” the Apostolic Nuncio added.
Fr Ambrosoli, who was born in 1923 in Ronago, a small town in the Province of Como, Italy, was a member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus. He died in 1987.
In his remarks, President Museveni asked the Catholic Church to rally Christians to embrace commercial agriculture to fight poverty.
“With a massive involvement in agriculture by every household, we will create a lot of production which translates into income. Once the homesteads have money, food, the churches will be prosperous because the Christians will give more support,” Mr Museveni said.
He also said the government will be able to raise more taxes.
Museveni’s anti-poverty tips
“…How can we fail to look after your own families? Get to work and chase poverty away from your homes,” Mr Museveni said.
The President advised the faithful as well as Muslims to abandon subsistence farming, saying it is an old idea that keeps them in a perpetual state of poverty.
The President emphasised his four-acre land model of farming, which he said perfectly suits those with limited land. “We want new ideas, production for subsistence and also commercial so that we get out of poverty. The first acre grows coffee in areas like Arua, Gulu, Zombo and Lira. The second acre grows fruits that mature quickly such as pineapples, oranges and mangoes,” Mr Museveni said.
The President added that while a farmer has to grow pasture and do dairy farming on the third acre, they can use the fourth acre to grow food crops to cater for the family’s food demands.
In his speech, Archbishop Odama said the ceremony now earns Dr Ambrosoli the title ‘blessed’, qualifying him to be able to intercede for those who pray to God through him.
Fr Ambrosoli now intercessor
“He is now our representative in heaven. When we have needs, we go through him and ask him to intercede for us. For example, we are battling a severe Ebola disease, we can ask Dr Ambrosoli to intercede for us to let Ebola stop so that the people of Uganda are healthy and free,” Archbishop Odama said.
Pieces of Fr Dr Ambrosoli’s remains kept at Kalongo Catholic Parish were unveiled during yesterday’s beatification.
The remains were returned to the archdiocese early this year from the Vatican.
How does one become a saint?
The beatification brings Dr Ambrosoli a step closer to becoming a saint after securing the title ‘blessed,’ Archbishop Odama said. Upon beatification, a candidate is given the title “blessed.” At this point, there is one exception to the miracle requirement before he or she can be canonised (declared a saint). A martyr can, however, be beatified without a verified miracle.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, beatification is a rite during which a deceased person is determined and proclaimed to be “the blessed.” The deceased gains a second degree of holiness. To reach canonisation, a second miracle is usually needed after one has been beatified. The entire sainthood process can only begin five years after the candidate’s demise to ensure the individual’s case can be evaluated objectively.
Pope Francis in November 2019, granted the publication of the decree on the miracle obtained through the intercession of Fr Dr Ambrosoli. He was renown for his compassion and love for the sick.
Reported miracle: It is believed that he inexplicably cured a woman who lived in Kalongo Catholic Parish on October 25, 2008, 18 years after his death. Lucia Lomokol, then aged 20, lost her unborn baby and suffered sepsis or blood poisoning by bacteria after arriving at the hospital too late. Her condition was so puzzling that one doctor reportedly placed on her pillow a card of Dr Ambrosoli and asked her relatives to pray to the “saint doctor.” The next morning, Ms Lomokol recovered. Pope Francis declared the healing a miracle on November 29, 2019, a step that led to the sanctioning of Fr Ambrosoli’s beatification.
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