Govt to promote faith-based tourism in Mbarara

Tourism minister Rtd Col Tom Butiime has said government is set to profile all faith-based tourism sites in the Ecclesiastical Province of Mbarara for promotion and development of the sites.

According to Butime, a team from his ministry will be flagged off to traverse the entire province to identify and profile the sites.

“There are many tourist sites which are faith based in the province of Mbarara and I want to assure you that I will put much effort in promoting faith based tourism,” he remarked on Sunday while addressing Christians and Bishops of Mbarara Ecclesiastical Province at Virika Cathedral in Fort Portal, where bishops of the jurisdiction were concluding their visit to Fort Portal Diocese.

Mbarara Province has five dioceses of Kabale, Fort Portal, Hoima, Kasese and Mbarara.

Visiting provincial clerics included Bishop Vincent Kirabo of Hoima, Archbshop Lambert Bainomugisha of Mbarara, Robert Muhiirwa of Fort Portal, Auxiliary Bishop of Joseph Mugenyi of Fort Portal and Callistus Rubaramira of Kabale while Bishop Kibira Francis Aquirinus of Kasese missed because of other engagements.

Archbishop Bainomugisha had earlier in mass invited believers to the knowledge that the province is endowed with major tourist attractions.

History shows that the province of Mbarara was established in 1934 as Rwenzori vicariate, covering all districts in Western Uganda. In 1993, Vatican made Mbarara a province.

About Mbarara province

According to Archbishop Bainomugisha, the province has preserved some items that were acquired when it was a vicariate.

They include the tomb for the founder of the vicariate of Rwenzori, Fr Francis-Xavier Lacoursiere, who was buried inside the church at Nyamitanga in Mbarara, the chalice and three metallic bottles for holy oil.

He said in 1934, the Pope gave Fr Lacoursiere the chalice when he was becoming the administrator of Rwenzori vicariate.

The province of Mbarara has three Ugandan martyrs’ shrines-St Andrew Kaggwa (Kahawa), St Anatole Kiriggwajjo in Hoima Diocese and St Adolf Mukasa Ludigo in Fort Portal.

Bishop Callistus Rubaramira of Kabale said from January 27, 2023  all the bishops of Mbarara province will join other Christians in Fort Portal Diocese to pilgrimage to Katoosa in Kyenjojo District in honour of St Adolf Tibeyariirwa who is one of Ugandan martyrs. He said the pilgrimage is one of the ways to promote the shrine and other sites in the province.

The Katoosa Parish Priest, Fr Venasio Busobozi, asked the province of Mbarara to make Katoosa shrine a provincial annual pilgrimage site.