Bishop Ssemogerere warns new priests about seeking wealth
The bishop made the statements during a scientific ordination ceremony at Sacred Heart of Mary Cathedral-Rubaga on Saturday afternoon, during which 17 deacons were ordained priests and 18 seminarians were ordained deacons.
Bishop Paul Ssemogerere, the Apostolic Administrator of Kampala Archdiocese, has encouraged newly ordained priests to concentrate their efforts into serving God’s children rather than focusing on becoming wealthy.
The bishop made the statements during a scientific ordination ceremony at Sacred Heart of Mary Cathedral-Rubaga on Saturday afternoon, during which 17 deacons were ordained priests and 18 seminarians were ordained deacons.
Bishop Ssemogerere, who is also the ordinary of Kasaana-Luweero diocese, preached before the ordination, urging the ordained to live like Jesus Christ the Great Arch-Priest and not to utilize their vocations for worldly gain. He stated that they should recognize from the beginning that priesthood is not a lucrative endeavor.
Earthly wealth can corrupt the royal priesthood, according to Ssemogerere, at the expense of the cardinal mission of evangelism. Some have claimed that some priests hold property, with some putting it in the names of close acquaintances or relatives.
Despite the fact that diocesan priests do not take a vow of poverty, they are required to live a simple life in accordance with the people they serve. Diocesan priests, on the other hand, make various commitments upon ordination, such as living in chastity and honoring and obeying the bishop and his successors. Priests who are members of religious organizations and societies within the Catholic Church, such as Franciscans and Dominicans, do take poverty vows on occasion.
Meanwhile, the bishop addressed the faithful, particularly priests’ family and friends, and asked them to refrain from seeking financial assistance from priests, instead supporting, praying for, and guiding them as they carry out their tasks.
Since they had to be ordained in 2020, the candidates who obtained Holy Orders had been waiting for more than a year. The function was postponed due to the first COVID-19 restrictions.
This year, the church had to get special permission from the government to waive restrictions prohibiting assemblies in places of worship, so there was none of the typical pomp and circumstance that comes with throngs gathered at the cathedral from all across the archdiocese.
However, like with any other church function during the COVID-19 epidemic, it was streamed on various media channels with only a few invited visitors physically present, primarily the parents of the ordained.
Future candidates for holy orders are usually advanced to the ranks of church acolytes and lectors, preparing them for service at the altar as acolytes and lectors, respectively, assisting priests and deacons and proclaiming the reading during mass. This group, however, was not included in the Saturday function due to COVID-19-related effects.
In a related event, Bishop Ssemogerere and leaders of the Kampala archdiocese’s lay faithful used the ceremony to lobby the government to reopen houses of worship, claiming that they can better obey SOPs and regulate crowding.
Dr. Chris Byaryomunsi, the minister in charge of ICT and National Guidance, who had represented the prime minister, advised them to wait patiently because the government is still investigating the case and the house of worship will be reopened at the appropriate time.
