Today on the Feast of St. Joseph the worker, Ocer received a wonderful gift – a tranquil and beautiful prayer garden.
The inauguration of the garden started with a procession from the campus gate going through the main roads of the school campus. At the front of the procession was the statue of a Magnificent Mother Mary surrounded by three young girls dressed in white clothes- a symbol of purity.
The event started with a mass celebration led by Fr. Francis Njuguna SJ assisted by Fr. Onen, Fr. John Chachu SJ, the school headteacher and Fr. Martin Agwee, Chancellor of Gulu Archdiocese.
While delivering the homily, Fr. Onen charismatically urged the school community to maximally use the prayer garden for spiritual renewal and a place where they come to contemplate on God’s love.
“This is a place of remembrance, a place of reminding God of our needs, this is a place to encounter God’s love,” said Fr. Onen
After mass, Fr. Martin Agwee blessed the Grotto and the garden.
The dream of a prayer garden was borne three years ago by Brother Cyprian Mwithia SJ. Brother Cyprian is the minister in charge of the campus ministry which is charged with all the school liturgical and community service activities.
The place where the garden stands now was busy and scary but this is the place Mother Mary chose for the prayer garden as narrated by Brother Cypriano.
“After burning the bush, uprooting the eucalyptus trees and removing the bees, I realized that this place was set apart from the very beginning,” Said Br. Cyprian
Indeed it was work inspired and championed by God. Everything for the garden was donated by well-wishers. When Br. Cyprian started the project, he wondered where he would get the funds but he’d say: “Mother Mary will provide”. Indeed Mother Mary provided. The Grotto was fully and freely constructed by Engineer Micheal Okiria, and the statue of Mother Mary donated by Mr. Pascal, a devout catholic from Kampala.
The inauguration climaxed with a tree planting activity spearheaded by Fr. Martin Agwee. The school community is delighted with the prayer garden and they are optimistic that the students will be encouraged to use this prayer space to reflect on their lives and contemplate on the fullness of God’s love.