Kiyinda Mityana Diocese has celebrated 42 years of existence since it was curved out of the then Kampala Metropolitan Diocese in 1981.
The celebrations were held at the diocese headquarters with mass led by Rt. Rev. Bishop Lawrence Mukasa, the newly appointed Bishop of Kasana-Luweero Diocese who is also a born of Kiyinda-Mityana.
In his sermon, Bishop Mukasa condemned the increasing domestic violence among couples and asked them to always dedicate their families to God.
“There is an increase in the cases of domestic violence. Dedicate your families to God, He will fight all your battles and you live a peaceful life,” he said He also condemned people who resort to shrines to solve problems instead of trusting in God.
The celebration mass was attended by people from different walks of life including religious leaders, political leaders, and the church goers.
Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa, the Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese said it was a memorable day in the history of the church and the people of this diocese worth celebrating.
He noted that they have not only been celebrating 42 years but also welcoming their son, Bishop Mukasa back home.
“Last year when we were celebrating Diocesan day, we were together with him as our Vicar General but due to God’s anointing, he was appointed a bishop. I wish you God’s guidance as you lead the people of God,” Bishop Zziwa prayed, thanking God for the past 42 years and asking Him for blessings and guidance as they start the new year of serving Him.
Bishop Zziwa highlighted the key achievements this year including the new gifts of six priests who were ordained in July this year together with six deacons.
The diocese which has 32 parishes with 662 sub-parishes celebrated the milestone with a few pressing challenges that include poverty, diseases especially malaria and HIV/AIDS among others.
These challenges, according to Bishop Zziwa are the reason behind starting up income generating projects such as dairy farming. He also noted that in a bid to combat the challenges that people face , every parish was tasked to have at least three acres of a coffee plantation.
Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands who spoke on behalf of other political leaders congratulated the Diocese upon this milestone.
She condemned the increasing number of land disputes among family members in greater Mubende that come as a result of the owners of the estates dying and the relatives who remain behind grabbing the land in total disregard of the people who are settled on such and .
“This is common among the grandchildren of the deceased persons and even some of our churches are victims of land grabbing but we are going to work hard to stop it,” Nabakooba pledged , and asked the residents to avoid land fragmentation.
“When the land lies idle, it attracts the grabbers. Ensure that you utilise the land and do something productive. I also encourage you to refrain from dividing land among family members. Keep it as a whole that is when you will produce food in large quantities,” she urged.
Nabakooba asked people to embrace government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga among others to help them boost their standards of living.
St Paul Kibubula sub-parish located in Busunju parish under Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese had its land taken by family members after the owner of the estate who offered a piece of land to the church died. The church was closed last year in July to first handle the issues on this land.
