Kampala, Uganda: Outreach to University Students

Panorama of Kampala skyline. Eucharistic Adoration chapel in lower  left corner.

 From October 7th through the 14th I was in Kampala, capital of Uganda. Unbeknownst to me ahead of time, my visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of Ugandan independence, which took place on October 9th, 1962. Our drive from the airport in Entebbe into Kampala was interrupted by approximately ten official motorcades carrying Ugandan government officials and visiting dignitaries who were arriving for the celebrations.

Mosque donated by Moammar Gadhafi to Idi Amin that dominates the skyline.

That coincidence turned out to be very providential, since during my visit I was speaking mostly about the New Evangelization and the Year of Faith, set by Pope Benedict to begin on October 11th. That date marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962. Two days after Uganda became an independent nation the most significant ecclesiastical event in the Catholic Church in the last century began.

Speaking to students at Kampala International University (above and below).

The principal purpose of my time in Kampala was to do evangelization outreach to university campuses throughout the city, an effort coordinated by the National Office of the Uganda Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Accompanied by Edwin and Patrick - two young men serving in the university apostolate - we visited four institutions:  Mulago Medical College, Makerere University Business School, Kyambogo University and Kampala International University. I also celebrated special Masses in several other locations, including one to mark the beginning of the Year of Faith in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel of the National Office of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.