The Vicar General of Kabale Catholic Diocese, Monsignor Dr John Vianney Sunday, has cautioned Christians against turning the Church into a marketplace, condemning the growing trend of using phones during Mass instead of focusing on prayer and worship.
Delivering his homily during this year’s Bishop’s Annual Appeal Fund (BAAF) celebration at Our Lady of Good Shepherd Rushoroza Cathedral in Kabale Municipality on Sunday, Monsignor Sunday urged the faithful to treat the house of God with reverence and purity.
“The Church of God should not be a place for business. Many of us fail to value the sacrifice of the Mass and misuse the sacred time that should be dedicated to prayer,” he said.
He expressed concern that some Christians have lost the sense of sacredness, choosing instead to take “selfies” and engage in unnecessary phone use during worship. He emphasized that such behavior disrespects God’s presence and distracts others from prayer.
Monsignor Sunday also reminded Christians of their spiritual and moral duty to support the Church’s mission of evangelization and charity. “The Church exists to serve and uplift the poor, and it is our duty as believers to contribute to its work and support the needs of our ministers,” he added.
He further warned against commercializing spiritual gifts or turning acts of faith into monetary transactions, urging believers to maintain purity of heart and spirit. “Our lives are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we live in sin, we become like muddy water that stains others. Let us invite the Holy Spirit to cleanse and heal us because God is the ultimate healer,” he said.
The cleric reminded the congregation that through baptism, every Christian is consecrated to God and becomes part of the universal Church, a community built on faith, love, and shared responsibility. “The Church is not just a building; it is a congregation of believers who gather for spiritual nourishment, to listen to the Word of God, and to strengthen one another in faith,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Parish Priest of Rushoroza Cathedral Parish, Rev. Fr. Christmas Austin, revealed that this year’s BAAF was decentralised to the parish level.
Rushoroza Parish dedicated its collections toward installing terrazzo flooring in the Cathedral, a project estimated at Shs129 million.
By the end of the event, the parish had raised a total of Shs137,789,800 Million in cash and pledges, alongside 100 bags of cement, marking a major step toward the renovation of the Cathedral floor.