Archbishop John Odama from the Diocese of Gulu, Uganda presented the annual Trocaire lecture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth on Monday 13 February. Archbishop Odama is a key figure in the peace process which brought a vicious civil war in Uganda to an end. The Archbishop expressed the thanks of the people of Ireland for their support of Trocaire’s work in his homeland.
The forthcoming Lenten Campaign will focus on conflict resolution and how making peace is central to providing a future of hope for people everywhere.
One of the central organisers of the event was Mullingar native Hannah Evans who has been working with Trocaire since September. She visited Uganda last month as part of a Trocaire delegation to see at first hand the work of building peace in the country.
Also taking part in the Maynooth gathering were three parish catechists from the Diocese of Meath: Mags Healy, Therese McCullagh-Melia and Helen Kiernan. The catechists will be helping during Lent to bring Trocaire’s message to children and young people in schools and in parishes. Helen Kiernan has a keen interest in Uganda as her son David is working in the province of Gulu where Archbishop Odama is based.
