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Church aims to integrate ecology into pastoral curriculum
Kasana-Luweero Diocesan Bishop Lawrence Mukasa (center) plants a memorial tree shortly after the commissioning of environmental caretakers at Bethany Land Institute in Nandere Parish, Luweero District, on August 2, 2024. PHOTO | DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- Rev Fr Mathias Jooga, the Parish Priest at Nandere in Nyimbwa Subcounty, described the pastoral formation programme as a unique opportunity that will bolster efforts to protect the environment.
The Catholic Church in Uganda is considering the integration of ecology studies into the pastoral formation programme for its trainee priests (seminarians). This initiative aims to enhance awareness of poverty and environmental issues.
The new campaign seeks to equip seminarians and priests with fundamental principles for nurturing the environment and aligns with Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si, which calls for global stewardship and love for nature.
At the Bethany Land Institute (BLI) under the Kasana-Luweero Diocese, the first cohort of trainees has graduated with certificates in integral ecology.
Church leaders emphasise that this training is designed to cultivate leaders who respect nature. In addition to studying ecology, trainees learn essential agricultural practices, particularly conservation farming methods. Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Katongole, President of BLI, discussed the program in an interview.
“When we enroll more of our Seminarians for the pastoral formation programme at BLI, we shall be laying stronger pillars for the protection of our environment. Our first cohort of trainees (priests) got surprised when they got introduced to gardening and nature conservation when they reported for training. But they are now integral ecology ambassadors,” he said during the commissioning of over 50 environmental caretakers on Friday.
Bishop Lawrence Mukasa of the Kasana-Luweero Diocese highlighted that the destruction of the environment is partly attributed to high poverty levels, which lead people to exploit natural resources for survival. “A desperate population seeks means of survival, which results in significant environmental degradation. We must establish strong foundations for family incomes based on improved farming systems,” he stated.
“I have instructed all our priests to lead by example by owning coffee gardens at their respective parishes. The state of poverty is slowing our efforts to restore nature. By adopting this proactive approach, where priests lead the fight against poverty and environmental restoration, we are confident in our ability to restore human dignity,” Bishop Mukasa added.
Luweero District has experienced severe destruction of wetlands and forest cover, as noted by Mr. Erasmus Musisi, an elder from Nyimbwa Sub County.
Rev Fr Mathias Jooga, the Parish Priest at Nandere in Nyimbwa Subcounty, described the pastoral formation programme as a unique opportunity that will bolster efforts to protect the environment.
“We are already witnessing the benefits of the nature caretakers trained since 2022 when the first cohort was commissioned at Bethany Land Institute. The communities in Nandere Parish, which includes five institutions on Nandere Hill, are experiencing the positive impacts of the environmental awareness campaign,” he said.
Pope Francis’s pastoral letter, Laudato Si, which encourages the faithful to care for Mother Earth, forms the foundation for the establishment of Bethany Land Institute in 2019 as an ecology training and restoration center under the Kasana-Luweero Diocese. A previously degraded natural forest at the center is currently undergoing rehabilitation under Nandere Parish in Nyimbwa Subcounty, Luweero District.
The Church-based integral ecology center at BLI has numerous outreach programs focused on regenerative agricultural practices and environmental conservation. Approximately 612 acres of natural forest have been restored as part of the environmental awareness campaign in Luweero District.
Kampala Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere was among the first environmental caretakers to graduate with a certificate in integral ecology in 2022 at Bethany Land Institute, alongside 11 other caretakers.
The 2024 graduation class included seminarians from Kampala Archdiocese, Kasana-Luweero Diocese, and non-priest students who previously enrolled in a two-year integral ecology and agriculture course.
