Mbarara Archdiocese has released the burial programme for deceased Archbishop Emeritus Paul Kamuza Bakyenga.
The four-day programme kicked off on Tuesday evening with Holy Mass at Nyamitanga Cathedral, the seat of Mbarara Archdiocese.
On Wednesday and Thursday, there will be two masses each; one at 7 am and the other at 5.30 pm, all at Nyamitanga Cathedral.
On Friday, there will be Holy Mass at Lubaga Cathedral, Kampala, at 10 am, followed by another two masses at Nyamitanga Cathedral as well as vigil mass later at 8 pm.
On Saturday, there will be five masses at Nyamitanga Cathedral beginning at 7 am and ending at 7 pm.
On Sunday, which is the burial date, there will be Holy Mass at 7 am, funeral mass at 11 am, and then burial at Nyamitanga Cathedral.
The communications director of the Mbarara Archdiocese, Rev Fr Charles Lwanga Mutabaruka, has confirmed that the deceased Archbishop will be laid to rest at our Lady of Perpetual Help Nyamitanga Parish.
The emeritus Bakyenga, died this Tuesday morning at Nsambya Hospital in Kampala where he had gone for his medical checkups.
Fr Mutabaruka said the Emeritus Bakyenga will be buried inside the cathedral and will be the third prelate after the First Bishop of the then Rwenzori Vicariate Francis-Xavier Lacoursiere of the White Fathers who was buried inside.
The Rwenzori Vicariate was curved out of the Vicariate of Uganda in 1934 and covered the western part of Uganda with its seat at Nyamitanga in Mbarara.
Bishop Jean Marie Ogez, who was the first Bishop of the Mbarara Diocese followed Bishop Xavier to be buried in the cathedral.
Fr Mutabaruka said that whereas other Bishops were buried in the cathedral, Bishop J. B. Kakubi the second Bishop was buried in the Chapel of St. Joseph’s Vocation School.
He said that Bishop Kakubi was buried at St Joseph’s Vocation School because there was a renovation going on at the cathedral church at Nyamitanga at the time of his death.
Bakyenga was the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mbarara a position he held for more than 23 years before he was appointed and ordained the third Bishop of Mbarara Diocese the position he served for more than 30 years.
He replaced Bishop John Baptist Kakubi who had ordained him into priesthood in 1971.
At the time of his death, Archbishop Emeritus Bakyenga had retired to rest at St Kagwa Catholic Church in Bushenyi District.
