Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tombura-Yambio (Agenzia Fides) - The Parishioners of St. George, Bangasu in the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio on Friday, 23rd April 2021 celebrated their Parish’s Patron Saint Day for the first time since the creation of the parish one year ago.
"Any person who performs his/her profession well even if the profession is in the military can become a Saint just like St. George". This is what Msgr. Hijiboro Kussala, bishop of the diocese said, during the Eucharistic celebration.
"Any work done diligently even during difficult times makes one trustworthy before people and God and the rewards come from God himself. We should thus do our work very well and remain faithful to God so as to be the foundation stone for the lives of any", said Bishop Hijiboro and thanked them for imitating the hard work of their Patron Saint in just a period of one year aggravated by Covid-19. "Without so much external help, parishioners of St. George have started laying bricks for the construction of their Parish Church", he emphasized. "We have numerous lessons to be drawn from the life of St. George who was a soldier during his lifetime and kept great faith in God".
Fr. Thomas Bagbiowia, St. George’s parish priest who doubles as the Diocesan Vicar General said that the parish has very committed and dynamic faithful, "they use their hands to produce what they need. This is because, over the period of one year that St. George has been a parish, parishioners have come to the realization that they must work as a team in order to be self-evangelizing and self-supporting as they serve God through others and build a church that will be self-supportive and self-evangelized". St. George was welcomed into Diocletian's army and by the time he was in his late 20s, he served as an imperial guard for the Emperor at Nicomedia. On February 24, 303 A.D., Diocletian, who hated Christians, announced that every Christian would be arrested and every soldier must offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. George refused to abide by the order and told Diocletian, who was angry but could not harm him because he greatly valued his friendship with George's father. In an effort to save George, he attempted to convert him to believe in the Roman gods and also offered George land, money, and slaves in exchange for him offering a sacrifice to the Roman gods. He made several other offers but George refused. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 4/5/2021)
