Busoga King Commends Holy Cross Family on Humanity, Development

His Majesty William Gabula Nadiope, IV, Isebantu Kyabazinga of Busoga has applauded the Holy Cross Family for addressing issues of humanity in all their works.

Speaking as Chief Guest at the Thanksgiving ceremony of Rev. Fr. Dr. Fred Jenga, CSC at Nakasedere Village, Kyanvuma Town Council in Luuka District over the weekend, the Kyabazinga noted that the Holy Cross Fraternity has done a lot in feeding the souls of its beneficiaries.

“The Holy Cross Family emphasizes integral development whereby wherever their establishments are the world over, it’s inevitable not to find a church, health center and school. In other words, the organization promotes education of both the mind and heart”, the King revealed before encouraging his subjects to promote unity of purpose, spirituality that is anchored on discipline, good relationships, good upbringing and the biblical scriptures.

The Monarch who congratulated Rev. Fr. Dr. Fred Jenga for enduring all the academic challenges that come with being a student overseas among others, tasked his audience to always prioritize the education of their children since it’s the best offer a parent can give to their little ones whose return on investment is guaranteed. The Kyabazinga also thanked Counsel Jonah Kajja (LLB UCU, Dip LDC), Joy Kisakye (B.Com Finance MUBS) and Dan Kajja (BA Human Resource Ndejje University) for their academic acquisition.

Describing Dr. Jenga as one of Busoga’s global ambassadors by virtue of the different dockets he currently occupies, the King noted that the PhD in Communication will help in sensitizing people about their mindset which is a serious challenge to the promotion of unity and development. At the same function, Dr. Jenga celebrated 18 years of uninterrupted service as a Catholic Priest and his recent appointment as the President of the Holy Cross Family globally.

The Kyabazinga also referred the quadruple’s academic success to Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”

On his part, Rev. Fr. Dr. Fred Jenga attributed his success to God who has always been by his side throughout.

“I want to thank all of you for gracing this thanksgiving ceremony and all the necessary support but above all, I treasure God for his divine providence throughout my entire life. I also thank the Holy Cross Family for all the support”, he said before giving out presents to his former teachers led by Ms. Taaka among others.

Earlier on, the Kyabazinga commissioned one of the buildings at Atanansi Junior School before planting a Mango tree at the same school. Prior to these activities, there was mass led by Rev. Fr. Richard Kayaga Gonza.

The function attracted several dignitaries who included Supreme Court Justice Mike Chibita, Prof. Monica Chibita, Eng.George Inhensiko (Chief Prince of Luuka Chiefdom), MUBS’ Dr. Eva Mpaata, Makerere University’s Dr. Lukanda, Owek. Richard Mafumo (Kingdom Culture Minister), Luuka LCV Chairperson, Buyende District LC5 Chair Hon. Michael Kanaku,members of the Busoga Chiefs Royal Council led by the Chief Prince Samuel Menha Zirabamuzaale Kakaire among others.

Who’s Dr. Fred Jenga?

He’s the current President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, a worldwide family of Catholic ministries founded by Fr. Patrick Peyton CSC in 1942 as Family Rosary and later in 1947 as Family Theater Productions. Rev.Fr.Dr. Fred Jenga leads and oversees all ministries of this international organization focused on promoting prayer life and family prayer. With 27 ministry centers in 17 countries, the organization helps families pray as is reflected in the founder’s famous credo, “The family that prays together stays together.”

Born in 1975 in Jinja District, he speaks English, Luganda, Kiswahili and Rutooro on top of his native Lusoga. He is currently learning Spanish. He belongs to the Congregation of Holy Cross and made his solemn vows in 2005 and was ordained a priest in the same year. He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy from Pontifical Urban University in Rome in 1999, Bachelor of Theology from Catholic University of East Africa in 2005, Master’s in Journalism and Communication at Makerere University,Kampala in 2013, Master’s in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2016 and a PhD in Communication Studies from University of Texas at Austin in 2020.

Passionate about helping families pray and grow spiritually, Father Fred serves with a team of professionals pioneering innovative ways to benefit 21st century families. Guiding all of Holy Cross Family Ministries’ efforts is the recognition that “the family that prays together stays together” and “a world at prayer is a world at peace.”

Building on Father Peyton’s rich legacy, Holy Cross Family Ministries uses mass media, social media and live events to accomplish its mission across five continents. Father Fred is committed to helping to accomplish this one family at a time. He believes that Pope Francis’ bold statement in calling the family “God’s Masterpiece” echoes Venerable Patrick Peyton’s belief about the family as “our most prized possession.”

Father Fred has served as a teacher in Africa, China and the United States. Prior to his current role as President, Father Fred served seven years as the East Africa Region Director of Holy Cross Family Ministries, where he developed a cross-cultural competence that is an asset in guiding this worldwide ministry. Within the district, he established full-time teams of lay people who continue to work as effective collaborators. For the past five years, Father Fred has served as a Corporate Board Member of Holy Cross Family Ministries, where he worked with the Executive Team at the world headquarters in North Easton, Mass. He lived in the United States for seven years while pursuing advanced studies at several universities.

Father Fred has taught at Tangaza University College in Kenya and Shanghai University in China, as well as University of Texas at Austin, San Francisco State University and University of California Berkeley in the United States. In addition, he has earned certificates in Research and Writing Skills from the Centre for Basic Research in Kampala and Training in Human Rights from the Uganda Human Rights Commission.

His knowledge and expertise in communications has resulted in several academic awards and appointments, including Research Fellow in the Project on Conflict Resolution at the University of Texas at Austin, Distinguished Achievement Award for Academic Excellence at the College of Liberal and Creative Arts with San Francisco State University, the Routledge, 2018 Francis & Taylor Award from the National Communication Association and Outstanding Graduate Student in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University.

In addition, Father Fred serves or has served on the Lions Club of Austin, the Awards Committee for Rhetoric Society of America, the Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin; and is a member of the leadership team of the Congregation of Holy Cross in East Africa.

Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM) is a family of Catholic ministries that inspires, promotes and fosters the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world. HCFM has 27 ministry centers in 17 countries, including Family Rosary, Family Theater Productions, Catholic Mom, the Museum of Family Prayer, Father Peyton Family Institutes in Peru and India, and the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life in the United States.