Thousands of Christian believers in Gulu City have come together to commemorate the annual Joint Way of the Cross. The event, which is celebrated by Christian believers across the world, is held in memory of the life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ for the sake of mankind, according to the scriptures in the Bible.
By 7:30 a.m., a group of Christian congregants had already gathered in front of the main entrance of St. Joseph’s Cathedral Church, the headquarters of Gulu Archdeaconry, awaiting the official flagging off of the 9.7 km faithful journey across Gulu City.
At 7:30 a.m., the retired Archbishop Emeritus John Baptist Odama officially flagged off the event with words of prayer as Christian congregants embarked on this enriching walk of faith.
A number of believers expressed their faith and confidence in the Joint Way of the Cross, pointing to several miraculous healings they received through participation.
Mego Josephine Lawil, a resident of Lacor and a member of the Catholic Church from Lacor Parish, says she has participated in the Way of the Cross for over 20 years and received her first miracle in 2023 when she was healed from strokes that had left her bedridden for over two years.
“My greatest moment was in 2023 when I had been bedridden for two years suffering from stroke. I tried treatment but never had any improvement. When I heard about the Joint Way of the Cross, I told my daughter to come along with me. I came hopeful for deliverance, and I was delivered. I therefore want to encourage my fellow Christians and believers to come for the Way of the Cross with faith and belief, for I know God can answer our prayers when we are faithful to Him. That’s the reason I have never quit participating in the Joint Way of the Cross.”
Mr. Oryem John Bosco, a person living with disability and a Christian from Holy Cross Parish, says he believes that it is through prayers during the Way of the Cross that he was able to pay school fees for his children.
“I strongly believe that it’s through the prayers I usually offer during the Joint Way of the Cross that I was able to pay for my children’s education. I am disabled and do not have a decent job to take care of and educate my children. Therefore, I believe God has been listening to my prayers. That’s why I am able to educate and take care of them. My son is in his fourth year studying law at Gulu University, and the others are in high school. That’s why I don’t miss the Joint Way of the Cross.”
In their final messages to the Christian congregation during the Joint Way of the Cross, Archbishop Emeritus Dr. John Baptist Odama, who represented the Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese Bishop Raphael P’Mony Wokorach; Retired Bishop for Northern Uganda, Bishop Onono Onweng, who represented Bishop Godfrey Loum of the Church of Uganda; and Bishop Nectaria Kabuye from the Orthodox Church community emphasized the importance of love for one another and asked Christians to preach peace instead of disunity among themselves. They urged the public to use the reflection on Jesus’s death as a way to resurrect from sinful and selfish deeds.
The Way of the Cross is celebrated worldwide by believers in Christ, and Gulu was no exception.
