Late Bishop Martin- Arua Diocese

"Arua Diocese celebrates the Life of Late Bishop Martin Luluga"

This morning's 11:30 Mass at Ludongo Minor Basilica in Arua Diocese was a solemn Requiem Mass offered for the gentle repose of Bishop Emeritus of Nebbi Catholic Diocese and for his family and all who mourn him, that they may be comforted. Christians of Arua Diocese together with the family and friends of Late Bishop Martin offered special prayers celebrating the life of Bishop Martin today 28th October 2022 at his birthplace parish at Lodonga Catholic Parish in Arua Diocese.

The Bishop of Arua Diocese, Rt.Rev.Sabino Ocan Odoki who was the main celebrant of the Eucharistic celebration reflected on the life of Bishop Emeritus as a truly humble servant of God who dedicated his life to serve the people. Rt. Rev. Martin Luluga (RIP) Bishop Emeritus of Nebbi Catholic Diocese, breathed his last on July 30, 2022 and was laid to rest at Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral-Nebbi on the 17th of August , 2022.

"We have come to stand in total solidarity with the family who raised Late Bishop Martin, the family who gave him to the church , and the family that continued to give him support in his pastoral ministry, from the start up to the end. We have come to support them with our prayers that they may remain firm with faith, hope and love which the late Bishop Martin lived without fear or favor. Bishop Martin lived a faithful life and he was very hopeful that at the end of his life , he would be with God. He was a very humble and loving person as his motto tells us. God is Love. As Bishops, we all have our motos . Mine is 'Rooted in Christ love. So let us all come and pray for his soul, we all should pray that nothing should hold his soul from reaching God and that one day, Bishop Martin is recognised as a Holy Servant of God." Said Bishop Sabino.

"We are celebrating the life of Bishop Martin, a life well lived. I started to witness this in the year 1983, when he joined the staff of Uganda Martyrs National Major Seminary Alokolum - Gulu. It was also the year when I was ordained as a priest. Late Bishop joined as a staff of Spiritual Theology and also as the General Spiritual Director, what i saw of him was a very humble person, it takes a lot to be humble, many people wish to be at the top, but Bishop Martin is a very humble kind person, and also he was very prayerful. Anytime he was free, he would be praying. Very often, we get distracted, when we do not have something to do, we go out there to look for something to do, and yet you could also spend time in prayer. This is what Bishop Martin is teaching us. When we finish our work and we don't have anything else to do, let us give that to God in prayer. That is what Bishop Martin is teaching us."

"Bishop Martin's heart was never running here and there, his heart was always composed on his work, and on God, something that we can all learn to do. Many times people say we don't have work. Is it possible to say you don't have work? If you feel you don't have work, pray. Pray to God. Spend some moments with God."

"When we come like this, we also come to pray for ourselves and to remind ourselves that nobody is permanent in this world. Time will come when we shall leave this world. But, how will it find us, what will the people remember about us, what will the people say about us." Said the Bishop.

In his remarks, Bishop Sabino also conveyed condolence messages from the other Bishops of Uganda. "The Chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Rt. Rev. Joseph Antony Zziwa whom we have been with during the meeting of the Board of Pax insurance sends his greetings and a word of condolence, Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama and other bishops are aware that today we are here praying for the repose of the soul of late Bishop Martin Luluga, they send greetings and their words of condolence , they could not all be present with us but we are not alone many are here with us in spirit, let us thank them for their prayers."

The woman member of parliament for Yumbe district in the 11th parliament of Uganda, Naima Melsa Gule Avako called upon the congregation to embrace the good life of Bishop Martin.
"Lord Bishop, You have challenged us that despite the challenges and problems imposed on us due to circumstances in life beyond our control as through the life of late Bishop Martin that you mentioned of in your homily; to a point of going to exile due to the insurgency of the rebel activity of the LRA, times of poverty when he could not manage to do a lot of things You said, he remained composed, resilient and focus on his work. My only appeal is that let us go back and meditate upon this word one by one and reflect upon who we are, what our families are, and what we intend to achieve in this time of uncertainty. Are we preaching the word of hard work, resilience , perseverance despite the challenges in the family, are we preaching forgiveness?" Said Avako