West Nile Diocese retires 127 clergy

The retired clergy were taken through two days induction on life after service in the Church under the stewardship of Charles Collins Andaku, the bishop of Madi and West Nile Diocese. COURTESY PHOTO

Madi and West Nile Diocese has retired 127 senior pastors and widows after clocking the mandatory 65 years of age. The affected pastors and widow were drawn from seven districts in West Nile.
They were taken through two days induction on life after service in the Church under the stewardship of Charles Collins Andaku, the bishop of Madi and West Nile Diocese.

"Our retirement age in the Church of Uganda is 65 years plus. If you clock 65 years of age, you have to retire mandatorily. But there are those who retire when they are earlier than that on health grounds or home issues. We hold the view that the retired clergy are a reserve treasure in God's vineyard. We pay tribute to them for how far they brought the Anglican Church," Bishop Andaku told journalists.

Bishop Andaku said this was the first time in more than a hundred years of the diocese that aging pastors, their wives and widows are gracefully retired by the diocesan administration.
The retired pastors and widows will receive their pension and gratuity from their treasury to help them leave a meaningful life, according to Mr Godfrey Nassa, Madi and West Nile Diocesan Secretary.

“As a diocese we have pension scheme that helps the clergy and it's monthly. Normally when you are retiring, you get gratuity and that gratuity is according to the number of years you have served the church,” he said.
Some of the retired Pastors expressed gratitude and commended the diocese for recognizing their service to Church of Uganda.