By Elvis Kintu Nsonyi
I don’t have the right words in my diction to eulogize Fr. Lawrence Yawe Mudduse. We last talked a day before his death!
It has always remained hard for me to get the true definition of life. I am heartbroken. I am sad. I can’t believe that my friend and uncle Rev. Fr. Lawrence Yawe is no more. It is mind-boggling indeed.
I pity whoever has known him after his demise, you don’t know what you missed!
My last memories with him were the previous two days. On Saturday, he had just celebrated mass at Kitovu Cathedral. We joked and made fun out of his classmate Master Patrick Ssenfuka.
I told him he was my Physics teacher who played his role only that I thrived to the passway in other fields, but not Sciences. With the use of emojis, Fr. applauded me for admitting that it was my fault, otherwise Mr. Ssenfuka was a great teacher. And yesterday he sent a message to wish me a grace filled Christ the King Sunday.
To me, Fr. Mudduse was a true Priest, in the order of Melkizedek. He loved preaching and his homilies were extra ordinary. I am heartbroken, the voice of a mesmeric preacher who employed all tribes and clans of proverbs, idioms and adages during his sermons has been silenced.
You would always see him appreciating the opportunity accorded to him to preach at various thanksgivings, anniversaries, weddings among others. Imagine, almost everyone always preferred him as a preacher. He has been everywhere fulfilling his special choral role of evangelizing.
Because of being humble and courteous, I must say the late Fr. Mudduse inhabited a totally different world from ours. He executed alot even at the great inconvenience of himself.
We shall greatly miss his fidelity. One time he responded to my message late, he sent an audio at night narrating how his 4WD skid and he ended up returning from his second Sunday mass at 7pm.
That aside, he was a great writer and analyst. You had to mind your words whenever communicating to him. He paid attention to detail and practically applied his Master of Science degree in Information Security and Journalism from Lewis University, USA. I have read his book; “The Strength of Meekness; Life, Leadership and Ministry of Cardinal Wamala” about three times.
He has authored several magazines and publications. I one time asked why he was awake in the wee hours, he told me he was finalizing the magazine for Fr. Kabuye’s Diamond jubilee. When Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere died, he offered to write the memoirs of Dr. PK Ssemogerere. I had already shared the little that was within my custody with him. We were to schedule meetings with the family, this project has suffered a natural death too.
He replied all my messages and responded to calls. We shared a lot privately, at times he sent audios. I remember he almost spent the entire month of July at Mengo Hospital when his mother battled aspiration pneumonia but he remained positive.
Fr. Mudduse was at the forefront of loving and promoting culture. No wonder he always had the Buganda lapel pin on his jacket.
November 02, was all Souls Days. I sent him mass stipend and he dedicated special prayers for my deceased friends. Little did I know, that he was going to join them before even the month ends. I feel bad that his death was intensely painful!
Fare thee well Fr., you never inspired any capital vices. May the Angels receive you.
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