The Parish Priest and Executive of Uganda Martyrs Shrine Munyonyo Minor Basilica, together with the faithful of the parish, successfully held a fundraising event to support the construction of a 15-metre Divine Mercy Jesus statue, currently being fabricated in Rzeszów, Poland.

The statue, estimated to cost more than 1 billion shillings, will be shipped to Uganda upon completion and erected at the Divine Mercy Chapel at the Munyonyo Shrine.

The fundraising event, dubbed The Divine Mercy Encounter – Edition 2, attracted faithful from within and outside Munyonyo Parish.

At the start of the event, the Shrine Rector, Rev. Fr. Male, explained the origins of the Divine Mercy Chapel. He noted that the groundbreaking ceremony for the chapel was held in 2027 on Divine Mercy Sunday. At that time, there was no architectural plan or design for the chapel.

“But we just had an idea, to construct the Chapel of Divine Mercy. It took us a couple of years to conduct research, and when we finally got an architect, the work started in 2021,” Fr. Male said.

He applauded Munyonyo parishioners for believing in and supporting the project since 2021, when construction officially began. He also highlighted some of the challenges faced during the first phase, including a stream of water that flowed through the area where the altar was to be constructed.

The water was redirected underground, forming what is now the Mother Kevin Lake.

“Actually, what seemed like a curse turned into a blessing, because this beautiful lake would not exist if not for the water that flowed from the altar area. It took us roughly three years to construct the chapel,” he added.

The oval-shaped chapel features a rooftop space, allowing prayers to take place both inside and above the structure simultaneously.

The chapel will eventually be crowned with the 15-metre statue of the Divine Mercy, an image based on the vision of Jesus as revealed to St. Faustina. One hand of the statue is raised in blessing, while the other points to Christ’s wound, from which two rays, red and blue or white, flow, symbolising His passion, blood, suffering, conversion, baptismal grace, and the renewal of faith.

“We have a great dream that this Jesus will be visible to everyone who passes along the Expressway. We want Him to bless everyone. We want people to see that from His wound comes blood and water, and that through His suffering comes conversion and renewed faith. A 15-metre statue is hard to imagine, but if you convert it into floors, it is equivalent to between four and five storeys, and even taller with the pedestal,” Fr. Male explained.

He added that the statue requires a strong foundation, not only what is visible above ground, but also extensive structural elements that took a long time to design.

“It takes a lot of time. People keep asking me, ‘Father, when is the statue coming? Do we have the money?’ Money is not everything, though it is very important. We must be patient. There is a lot of work and research involved. But I’m happy to tell you that the physical work has already started,” he said.

The fabrication is being done in southeast Poland by a team of artists. The first six metres, the initial section, are currently being completed and polished.

“After the fabrication balance, we still need funds for transportation, containerisation, shipping to Uganda, and setting up the steel framework to support the statue. We are at 20%, but with God, nothing is impossible. Today, we are here to show that this dream is achievable,” Fr. Male said.

He encouraged continued support for the project through MoMo and Airtel Pay.