29 June 2026
The Catholic faithful of Rokon gathered in large numbers today to celebrate a historic double milestone: the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul and the 25th anniversary of the parish’s return to its ancestral home. The mass was presided over by the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, Most Rev. Santo Loku Pio Doggale.
During the homily Bishop Witness of Two Pillars:
Preaching on the liturgical theme, “You are Peter, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven,” Bishop Doggale detailed the transformative journeys of the two foundational apostles.
He described Saint Peter as a professional fisherman called from the shores of Galilee who, despite his human weaknesses and denying Christ three times, was chosen as the trusted leader of the Church. Saint Paul, conversely, was a brilliant lawyer trained under Gamaliel who turned from a fierce persecutor of Christians into the Church’s greatest defender among the Gentiles.
The Bishop emphasized that keys are entrusted only to servants of deep integrity:
“Keys of any given institution are always given to the most trusted individuals, who will not open at will any gate, door, or safe unless authorized,” the Bishop noted. “You need to know as well that keys are given to servants, meaning those holding the keys are not the owners; they are servants, trusted for their integrity of heart.”
He reminded the congregation that both men lived lives of active faith and died as martyrs in Rome—Peter crucified upside down on Vatican Hill and Paul beheaded on the Ostian Way.
A Quarter-Century of Resilience for the Yangwara People:
For the local community, the feast carried immense emotional and historic weight, marking exactly 25 years since the parish was restored to its original grounds following years of displacement.
Bishop Doggale utilized the occasion to honor the resilience of the Yangwara people, acknowledging the heavy sacrifices and losses experienced by the community over the last quarter-century.
“We too remember the martyrs of this land, the people of Yangwara, killed in cold blood for the last twenty-five years in their own land,” the Bishop expressed. “You have the faith, the zeal, the courage, and the strength for this land and for the Republic of South Sudan. You are the pillars of this nation; one day God will free you as he did to Peter, your patron.”
A Call to Action:
Drawing from Saint Peter’s first public miracle in the Acts of the Apostles, where he commanded a lame man to “rise and walk,” the Bishop challenged the local congregation to be agents of spiritual and communal transformation.
“Yangwara can make miracles by being faithful to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he urged. “May this day inspire each and every one of us to be good servants… We too can be trusted with the keys of our lives, our families, our community, our state, and our Nation.”
The celebration concluded with a traditional blessing offered in the local language, invoking divine peace and unity over the Yangwara community across South Sudan:
“Yanwara wörö ko mok!!! Ti gun ‘Borone Yanwara ling, I jur, Juba, I jurön ti kak ‘bukulun ko Yanwara ti paradiso. Ti gun ‘Borone ta lig; I Karen ti Monye, ko ti Tore, ko ti mulökötyo Loke. Amen.”