"All Catholics and People of Good Will! Come Out and Contribute" -
Bishop Sabino Appeals Ahead of Groundbreaking Ceremony for Priests'
Retirement Home - 27th June 2026
Rt. Rev. Sabino Ocan Odoki, Bishop of Arua Diocese, has appealed to all
Catholics and people of good will to generously support the forthcoming
groundbreaking ceremony and fundraising event for the construction of a
retirement home for elderly and sick diocesan priests at Pokea Minor Seminary,
scheduled for 27th June 2026.
Arua Diocese - Ediofe -
The Bishop made the appeal during a press conference held on 13th May 2026 at the
diocesan offices of Arua Diocese, where he addressed members of the media and
various committees involved in the project.
"I appeal to all the Catholics and people of good will to come out and contribute
towards the construction of the home for the elderly and sick priests," Bishop
Sabino said. "We are grateful to all those who have already donated towards this
cause, and all are invited for the groundbreaking ceremony and fundraising event
on the 27th June."
The press briefing brought together representatives from the Project Committees,
media representatives from NBS Television, Radio Pacis, Centenary Bank, and other media centres within the region.
According to the Bishop, the purpose of the press conference was to officially
brief the media and the faithful about the upcoming groundbreaking and fundraising
event that will mark the beginning of the mega project aimed at constructing a
retirement and assisted living facility for elderly and sick priests of the diocese.
The facility is also expected to serve priests across the greater West Nile region,
especially in regard to health and assisted care.
In his address, Bishop Sabino thanked the Vice Chairman of the Central Organising Committee,
Christopher Nyakuli, for inviting him to brief the press on the progress of the proposed retirement
home project.
The Bishop explained that the vision for the project started nearly three years ago after
the Diocese launched the "Jege Jege Collection," an initiative encouraging every Catholic to
contribute at least 100 Uganda shillings ($0.027) so that everyone could participate in the
development of the Church.
"We wanted this project to be inclusive," he said. "Even the smallest contribution matters.
Alongside individual Christians, we also have corporate donors and organisations supporting
the cause. At the moment, we have raised slightly above 300 million Uganda shillings out of
the 3.4 billion ugandan shillings."
Bishop Sabino noted that Arua Diocese currently has more than 200 priests serving within the
Diocese, nationally, and internationally. However, he observed that some priests are
already retired while others are sickly, yet the Diocese does not have a proper
facility to care for them.
"The Diocese realised the need to establish a proper place where priests who
require assisted living and medical attention can be cared for with dignity,"
he explained. "The time has now come for the Diocese to have such a home."
The Bishop further called upon Christians to actively support the project,
saying that the Diocese believes the time has come to begin construction.
"Here in Africa, many people believe by seeing," he remarked. "Some have been
asking why the project has not started yet. That is why on the day of the groundbreaking
ceremony, we shall officially commence the works, and there will also be fundraising."
He invited the general faithful, government officials, development partners, NGOs and
partners, district and community leaders, sponsors and donors, Catholic institutions,
parish councils, alumni of catholic institutions, Small Christian Communities, youth groups, media representatives,
friends of the Diocese, and all people of good will to attend the event in large numbers.
Bishop Sabino also highlighted the Diocese's wider commitment to self-reliance through
various investments and development projects.
"We are in a time of self-reliance, and the Arua Diocese has taken this very seriously,"
he said. "We thank Christians and people of good will for accepting this appeal. Arua Diocese
is the biggest Diocese in terms of Catholic population, with about 2.6 million Catholics out
of a population of 3.8 million people. These numbers must translate into action because numbers
are also power."
He added that the project could have progressed even faster if more Catholics consistently
contributed towards the cause.
Chairman Christopher Nyakuli, Vice Chairman of the Central Organising Committee, thanked
God for the initiative and appreciated the Bishop for dedicating time from his busy
pastoral schedule to brief the faithful and media on the progress of the project.
He explained that the committee's role is to mobilise resources and ensure that all
Christians, both within Uganda and abroad, are reached through letters, media platforms,
chapels, and community networks.
"This press briefing is also part of the mobilisation effort," Christopher said.
"We want to widen the reach of this message because this is a major project estimated
to cost about 3.4 billion Uganda shillings."
He called upon all Small Christian Communities and parish structures to actively
participate in mobilisation and resource collection ahead of the event, while also
cautioning against diversion of project funds and activities.
Christopher further noted that the function on 27th June will begin with a Holy Mass before
the groundbreaking ceremony and fundraising activities commence.
Meanwhile, the Finance Committee, represented by Vice Chairman Mr. Ocen Joseph, assured
the faithful that proper accountability measures have been put in place regarding the
collection and utilisation of funds for the project.
He explained that the committee is responsible for collecting resources, allocating
funds to different project activities, and ensuring transparency throughout the process.
Mr. Ocen called upon the general community to continue supporting the initiative, noting
that the amount currently collected still represents only a small fraction of the total project cost.
The groundbreaking ceremony and fundraising event for the retirement home for elderly and
sick priests will take place on 27th June 2026 at Pokea Minor Seminary in Arua Diocese.
Invited is the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and his contribution.
The Bishop noted that he personally invited the President with the help of the
Minister of State for Primary Education, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, and that he will
respond in due course. He expressed confidence that the President will be with us
or will be represented. Several Ministers, Members of Parliament, and many friends
of Arua Diocese with good business standing are also joining us.
Mrs. Patricia, the Public Relations Officer of the Diocese, added that the entire
West Nile region is invited, including Members of Parliament, Chief Administrative
Officers, security departments, the RDCs, the army fraternity, prisons, city authorities,
the business community of the West Nile region, commercial institutions and companies,
all of whom shall be represented. Individual leaders within and outside the region are
encouraged to mobilise resources in their respective areas, including the education
fraternity, parishes, and others as well.
