Africa-Press – Uganda. It was a moment of joy at Virika Cathedral in Fort Portal City yesterday as the Congregation of Holy Cross in East Africa, a religious order in the Roman Catholic Church, was granted provincial status.
The Holy Cross of East Africa Province will now cover the countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Brother Paul Bednarczyk, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Cross in the whole world, who presided over the function, also inaugurated the first East Africa provincial superior, Fr Cyprian Binaka, who will be based at the provincial headquarters in Nsambya, Kampala.
Fort Portal Diocese Bishop Robert K Muhiirwa, who led the inauguration mass, tasked the new East Africa provincial superior to be innovative in looking for resources to run the province.
“The duty of the new superior for the province is to now oversee the other communities of the Holy Cross in East Africa; you are now independent and you need to be innovative in terms of finances but you have a general superior in Rome,” he said.
Bishop Muhiirwa said together with the new leadership of the province, they will work closely to see that the Holy Cross order is established in all other countries.
The Minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ms Justice Kasule Lumumba, who represented Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, commended the Holy Cross ministry for humanitarian causes such as establishing health facilities and extending clean water to communities, especially in Jinja Diocese.
She supported the ministry with Shs5 million. The new East Africa provincial superior, Fr Cyprian Binaka, commended the work done by the founders of Holy Cross on the African continent.
Fr Binaka said under his leadership, he wants to establish a Holy Cross memorial hall under Jinja Diocese.
At the function, about Shs20 million was raised for the construction of the conference hall.
The inauguration was attended by, among others, Archbishop of Nairobi Philip Anyolo, Archbishop Emeritus of Arusha (Tanzania) Josephat Lebulu, and Fr Bill Lies, the Provincial Superior of the US province.
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