Namirembe Diocese is set to host a mass wedding for 60 couples on Friday, September 18, as part of efforts to encourage Ugandans to embrace church marriage and build stable families.
The ceremony will take place at St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe, with couples expected from different parts of the country, including Nakasongola, Luwero, Mukono and areas of Kampala.
The Diocese says the annual event is intended to help couples who want to have their marriages solemnised in church but may not have enough money to organise conventional weddings.
Speaking to the media ahead of the ceremony, Rev Stephen Lumu Lwasi, the Mission Secretary of Namirembe Diocese, said the Church has a responsibility to promote peace, stability and love in families.
“Our main role as a Church is to encourage everybody who is 18 years and above to have a holy marriage that promotes dignity among Christians,” he said.
Rev Lumu said the mass wedding is not limited to people considered needy. It also targets couples who have always wanted to marry but may, at a particular point, lack the money required to organise a wedding.
He said Namirembe Diocese has allocated Shs150 million towards the mass wedding and related convention activities.
According to Rev Lumu, the mass wedding is held annually and is provided free of charge to encourage Christians to choose church marriage without being discouraged by the cost of a large ceremony.
He said the Diocese also follows up the couples about three months after the wedding to check on their progress and offer guidance where necessary. He said previous couples who went through the programme had made progress in their marriages. [WATCH VIDEO]
Rev Lumu said a moderate wedding in Uganda can cost between Shs20 million and Shs40 million, depending on the service providers and the location.
Samuel Syodoki, an official in the Namirembe Diocese Boys and Girls Brigade, urged young people to take advantage of the programme and pursue marriage through the proper church procedures.
“I am encouraging all the youths to get involved in this exercise so as to build a better nation with better marriages,” he said.
The diocese will also assist the newly married couples to register their marriages, according to the organisers.
The organisers said the programme also seeks to reduce the financial pressure associated with weddings and make marriage services accessible to Christians across communities in Uganda.
The mass wedding will be followed by the Namirembe Diocesan Convention, which is scheduled for Sunday, September 20, at Namirembe Cathedral Gardens.
The convention will include prayers, preaching and a health camp offering free medical services.
The health camp will include cancer screening, dental services and other medical check-ups.
Namirembe Diocese says the activities are part of its wider mission of strengthening Christian families, promoting responsible marriage and supporting the spiritual and
