LIVE: Requiem mass for Rosemary Nankabirwa
We are at Christ the king church Kampala for the requiem mass of the late Rosemary Nankabirwa.
14:04pm: Mass is supposed to start but body is not yet here, church is full to capacity, you can hardly find space to sit. The MC, Mr Wclyffe Luyombya just announced a delay by Uganda Funeral Service, but hearse expected anytime...
14:06pm. Its here......mass now starting and as body enters church, its escorted by the courage hymn:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,a
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
14:10pm: Mass has started, the clergy take positions at the alter and the main celebrant starts: We are gathered here in big numbers, invited by someone who can not talk- Rosemary Nankabirwa.
14:14pm: Our sister was best at prayer, one of the priests met her in London and she would attend every mass, she was the youngest among old people in these masses.
14:18pm: Congregation now led into confession, mass is now surely underway.
14:22pm: The first reading taken by Douglas Kibirige (Nankabirwa's brother). from the book of Wisdom wisdom 4:7-15:
The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest............... reading goes on and oh oh..a cloud of sorrow descends upon the congregation, a few can be seen trying hard to fight their tears.
14:23pm: Choir interlude.. and sings the soothing song:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
14:27pm: Second reading is taken by Rose Nakayima. Its is in Luganda from Romans 14:7-9:
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
14:30pm: We all now stand up to welcome the Gospel, its taken from the book of Luke 12:35-40
You Must Be Ready
35 “Stay dressed for action[a] and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants[b] whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he[c] would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
14:31pm: MSGR Kalumba (the main celebrant) now we get his name starts his homily:
Rose was a fairly young but she is dead, events of this nature are difficult to manage because they come abruptly, they never warn us...
14:32pm: When preparing for a wedding, you look for places of entertainment to take drinks, death does not give that opportunity. It is good you have come in large numbers (Indeed the number is big) to see off Rose. People gather for bad things.
14:35pm: People gather to see a thief beaten by a mob but you gathered to see off someone, there is something about this lady that needs to be emulated, that to be young doesn't mean to be stubborn or hopeless. She could take readings readings in church .
14:39: I had known she had gone to London, but when i saw her at hospital near Namugongo when she had come back recently, she had changed, i would not recognise her if i had not been directed to where she actually was.
14:40pm: She was smiling but she was in deep pain, she died with dignity, when her mother called me and told me she had died, she said: "We were there to encourage her, but she died with dignity"
14:43pm: Nankabirwa in her life was always wearing her guard. One day i took for her holy communion in Mulago and she said: "Thank you". they made her strong. During lent she was in pain, she was taken on on the Sunday of Divine Mercy.
It is contradictory, you could say if it was on the day of divine mercy why didn't God heal her? We do not ask such questions. God says, let me end thy pain, come and be with me.
14:45pm: Let us pray that Rose rests in peace...........Homily ends and we go to offertory.. we fast forward to Holy communion
church singing Tulizukira ffena kwolo mu kitibwa kya yesu (We shall all rise on that day in Jesus)..now the church is over flowing, its at this time that we notice Mama Mabira (Beatrice Anywar) she is present.
15:06pm: The congregation stretches up to the road, too many people, meanwhile church changes song Yezu Okukujukira
15:10pm: Priest rises to say the last prayer: Almighty grant that Rosemary whom this holy Eucharist has been celebrated Passover to am place of peace. Our sister has fallen asleep, may she be welcomed at the table in heaven. Go forth mass is ended....
15:11pm: Now sprinkling of water and incense and the choir starts in Unison: Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine......This is my story, this is my song, praising my saviour all the day long...the voices singing along in congregation are very sad but beautiful
15:17pm: Spell of silence for the repose of Nankabirwa's soul, then priests prays: Angles of God welcome her, present her to son and father. May the Christ who called you welcome you. We say hail Mary and take seats
Meanwhile we wait for speeches, we did not introduce those present: Government chief whip and namesake to the late- Ruth Nankabirwa present, Senior Presidential advisor on Buganda Mr Robert Ssebunya, Sarah Kagingo, UBC's Jane Kasumba, Owere of NOTU, even Frank Gashumba, Paddy Ankunda and Miss Uganda, NTV staff and media personalities..... Its laying of the wreaths now
15:27pm: Mum and dad go first with their wreath, Rose's siblings are just coming after them with their wreath too and we shall have Ruth Nankabirwa and Minister Jim Muhwezi , then the church respectively and the choir continues........What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear.............
15:31: laying of wreaths continues in order: Rep of PM, Rep of Makerere VC, the embattled Lord Mayor, NTV management, NTV staff and friends, Diana and Simon Kasyate, WBS, UBC...........
Life Link Hospital, Hardware world, Gems Cambridge, Ballore Africa............oh oh oh Massive attendance here and the choir goes: Katonda alibaweera abakola obulungi, katunywere.....
15:35pm: More wreaths: Vienna College, Motorsport Africa, Malaika adventures, Federation of Motorsport and this one here: Gashumba and family.
15:41pm: Rosemary best friend Rhoda takes the wreath as choir sings: Then sings my song my saviour God to thee, how great thou art.....fading
15:42pm: Choir continues with interlude:
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
15:45pm: Condolence messages...we fast forward, .....then come across the most touching message from a pupil at Lohana Academy, let us make the picture available on social media platforms for you.
15:49pm: Rose's best friend Rhoda goes first: Rose was singing while on the plane, she left me a message that we should love one another. She gave me psalms 104, 23, and 25
Psalms 104: Praise the Lord, my soul.
Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendour and majesty.
Psalms23: The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters.
Psalms25: In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust....
15:54pm: The NTV HR speaks also on behalf of Rose's HR in UK, calls upon everyone to help in fighting cancer, praises Rosemary for always being part of NTV even when she was away.
15:56pm: There have been criticisms to NTV, why didn't you come out early. She left us four years ago, very few companies would help, but we did. There has been criticism on Mulago and Government, but Rose was in UK, the 6th largest economy but they failed to diagnose the disease........The congregation applauds.....HR ends speech
16:00pm: Meanwhile Dr Jane Fualal Odubu who performed the first operation on Nankabirwa takes over pulpit. On Jan 8 i saw Rosemary, but what i saw was not the girl i knew, she was with over weight, she was in pain and could not even lie on the examination couch.
16:05pm: I looked at the examinations that had been done, i ordered for more which i thought would be conclusive.. three sugars had been concluded, I asked her: How did you leave UK, she said i walked, How did you leave the plane? She still said i walked.. I asked; With all that pain? She answered yeah.
16:08pm: On 27th January i entered Rose's room, ready for operation. I found her with her mother praying. I told them i also need that prayer because i do not know whether we shall come from what we are going for......ooosh, we removed the tumour and took her to ICU.
16:12pm: The tissue was taken to Makerere and labs in UK and SA. results came back and we were told it was stage 4 of............(silence) adrenocortical carcinoma cancer...She continues. I took two days without telling the mother.
16:14pm: When i went to her room she asked : What next? she was stronger than me. I called Dr Walusansa of cancer institute he told me the cancer had spread to the liver and lungs and treatment will be Palliative care. We decided to take her to cancer institute.
16:20pm: I was called to go and see my patient later..I found her, she tried to smile, but the smile could not come, she tried , she tried, it failed..........The liver was shutting down. She requested that we keep a low profile. I have seen her pictures in the media, that was not her, this started earlier.
16:30pm: Minister Ruth Nankabirwa starts her speech, she says people called her thinking she was the one dead, praises Rose and says it was God's plan that all this happened. Says Government is setting up a centre of excellence to treat cancers in the region, ends by contributing shs 2m.
16:42pm: Mother flanked by the rest of the family starts to speak..oh dear , she can not, gives Microphone to Father,..Manages a statement: I don't have what to say but thank you...ends speech.
16:43pm: Mother gathers some courage, gets back microphone, starts: We have been moving of taking care of Rose with her father. I thank you all for the support.
16:47pm: What i have seen from Rose and others is that: CANCER IS PAIN! For the last two weeks she asked us to release her, when were taking her, she kept singing. She ends her speech.
16:56pm: Viewing of the body is not allowed (due to the state in which the body is), so is always the case with cancer deaths. Those who insist that they really need to see Rose's body are referred to the vigil later this evening in Kanyanya.
With this we depart, too many people, too much traffic, mood still sombre, mass and speeches all ended.
REST IN PEACE ROSEMARY
