The youth of St. Benedict Ndama Catholic parish in Nyakibale Deanery concluded a three day Youth conference which aimed at equipping the youth with diverse skills meant to help them in their youthful stage. The conference which was conducted under the theme: Prudent and Righteous Conduct as summarized in Sirach 5:8-15 was held from Friday, 23.1.2026 to Sunday, 25.1.2026 at Ndama Parish.
While preaching during Mass for concluding the conference on Sunday, Fr. Achilles Tumukurate the Parish priest Ndama Parish and youth chaplain reminded the youth to put God at the centre of their life and allow him to direct their plans and actions. Fr. Tumukurate urged the youth to put in practice all the skills and knowledge they acquired in the conference.
He reminded the faithful that 3rd Sunday in the ordinary time is the Sunday of the Word of God which unites them to him. The word of God is food for the soul and urged people to always have time to read and listen to the Word of God. This year, the Catholic Church marked the sixth Sunday of the Word of God on January 25, 2025, a day instituted by Pope Francis on September 30, 2019, to emphasize the significance of Sacred Scripture in the life of the faithful.
Before you go to church, you should be knowing where the Readings are coming from. I urge you all to have Bible Diary or Ordo or even the Kabale Diocesan calendar which has the daily readings – Fr. Achilles Tumukurate.
While introducing the theme for Sunday of the Word for 2026, “The word of Christ dwells among you” (Colossians 3:16), Archbishop Rino Fisichella Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization noted that Every Christian and every community must rediscover the primacy of the Word of God. Its sincere and profound listening is an essential path through which human beings encounter God. When space is given to the Word, each person discovers that the Word of God dwells in the heart like a seed that, in due time, sprouts and bears fruit. Indeed, all of us are invited to nourish ourselves with the daily bread of the Word and, afterwards, to proclaim it to our brothers and sisters, for proclamation flows from the abundance of the heart, according to the Gospel saying: “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34; Lk 6:45).
“It is particularly significant that this year the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God coincides with the celebration of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the day that concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Word that Christ addressed to Paul on the road to Damascus struck his heart so deeply that it made him the great evangelizer we know. Today it is up to us to ensure that the same Word reaches the ends of the earth, so as to transform the life of all peoples by dwelling among us,” said Archbishop Fischella.
Quoting the first Reading from the Prophet Isaiah chapter 8, Fr. Tumukurate reminded the faithful to always be hopeful because God does not abandon them even when they are faced with challenges of life. But this calls for unity, whereby the faithful should remain as one people of God. This unity is called for by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians chapter one.
He reminded the youth who had a seminar about the love and mercy of God to extend that love and mercy to others. Everyone is created in the image of God in a unique way, one different from the other so that each contributes to the building of God’s kingdom.
Fr. Tumukurate thanked the parents who permitted their children to attend the youth conference and promised that they would see a difference from their previous behavior they had, because they had consecrated themselves a new. He also thanked them for supporting their children both in school and out of school and engaging them in different constructive activities. He reminded parents to give their children some piece of land to grow their crops thereby learning how to earn income by themselves, a promise they made to Bishop Callist Rubaramira when he visited Ndama Parish for the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2025.
While speaking as Guest of Honor, Associate Professor Sunday Arthur, an Associate Professor of Accounting & Finance in the Faculty of Economics and Management Science and member of the University Council congratulated the youth of Ndama Parish for their successful conference. He urged them to put in practice the knowledge which was imparted into them so that their lives and change for the better.
The conference was crowned with football competitions whereby the girls of St. Jerome Secondary School Ndama defeated the girls of Ndama Parish by 4:0 while the boys of Ndama Catholic Centre defeated the boys of Kyamutariga Catholic Centre by 2:0 in a heated contest held at St. Jerome Secondary School Ndama playground.
While handing over the trophies to the winners, Prof. Sunday Arthur thanked all the participants in sports competitions for transforming the sports from television screens to actual fields. He said sports are important for physical fitness, but also bring together different members making them busy and active instead of loitering in unruly behavior.
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Thank you Fr Achilles for Godly work you doing in the Youth
Be blessed .
We became family not only by blood but also by the waters of baptism.
We are all brothers and sisters in the family of God.