Isegero, Namutumba District, Uganda, January 23, 2024
By Mayembar Brian Andonios
On Saturday, January 21, His Grace Bishop Silvester of Jinja and Eastern Uganda of the Patriarchate of Alexandria presided over the Baptism of 20 people in the village of Isegero, Namutumba District, Uganda, at the invitation of the parish priest of the Church of St. Spyridon in Nsinze and the head of the home where the holy Sacrament was celebrated.
Among the baptized was a pair of twins whose birth took place with the “help of holy water from the church.”
In his words, Isaac Isabirye the head of the home testified: “During my wife’s prenatal checkup, she went to Nsinze Hospital and there she had an ultrasound. The image showed that the babies were abnormally positioned in the womb. The doctors added that she could only have a C-section on October 21, 2023.
Isaac adds that when his wife came back from the hospital, she was afraid to tell him at first, but after several days of her being visibly upset, he asked her what was wrong and she revealed the troubling information.
Isaac then began working to raise money for the C-section. After a while, he decided to take his wife to the St. Spyridon Church to ask Fr. Michael Mushikoma to pray for her. Before that, the couple were formally Orthodox Christians who went to church only once in a while.
After praying for them, Fr. Michael gave them some holy water for the wife to drink.
When the time came for the birth giving, Isaac’s wife was rushed to Nsinze Hospital for the planned abdominal incision.
“After reaching the hospital, I decided to go back home to collect the money for payment, but before I could even start to head out, the midwives called me back and informed me that my wife had given birth to twins normally!” Isaac stressed with exclamation.
Everyone at the hospital was perplexed, but the doctors who had performed the radiology months before were the most puzzled.
When they got home, their souls were filled with wonder and joy that they couldn't keep under wraps, and they broke the news to their relatives and neighbors, and the news about the holy water spread quickly throughout the whole village.
With prudent minds, a number of villagers and other family members asked to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Bishop Silvester was assisted by Fr. Joseph Panuha, Fr. Thomas Wananda, Fr. Andrew Wambwa, and Fr. Emmanuel Kungo in celebrating the Holy Sacraments.
The St Spyridon Parish is located in the Namutumba District of the Busoga sub-region, about 45 miles from the Diocesan headquarters in Jinja City. The parish is one of the oldest Orthodox parishes in Uganda, having been founded in 1930 by the late Fathers Kyrillos Pasha, Joachim Foola, and Bishop Spartas.
We continue glorifying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Who works wonders through the Holy Mysteries in His Church.
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