Rev. Canon Christine Shimanya: The priest of parliament

Rev Can Christine Shimanya’s Liteside

Any three things we don’t know about you?

I am a very loving person to the extent that when I get into people’s lives, they are just the other part of me. It’s the reason I always gift people; for instance this Christmas, I have already lined up many people to give gifts. This has to do with prayer because you can’t pray for people when you don’t love them.

Apart from the gift of the Holy Spirit, I like to see the end result when I engage in people’s problems. I also talk against anything that I don’t like.

I have always loved children because even as a child, my work was to carry children. I learnt tailoring from my mother as a young girl so I could take my clothes to the maternity ward and offer them to the mothers.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

If you want to make me happy, provide me with prayer programmes and you will see me at my best. I am always happy to wake up in the night or at any time to pray.

What is your greatest fear?

I am not sacred of anything because when you pray, there are so many attributes you get along the way and fear is not of God. I am also a very bold person.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I know that I can push too much; especially when I need to see things but I know that it may not go well with some people.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

There are some people I don’t like to associate with; for instance witches, sorcerers and wicked people. However, if the purpose is to lead them to Christ, I don’t mind bringing them to my side.

Which living person do you most admire?

I admire anyone whose hands are not soiled in anything that blurs their Christian life. Some of them are not popular figures and others are gone, but I admire anyone in that caliber. Most of these are women because they are not so crafty. I want to grow old like them.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I am a generous person so I spend most on offerings to churches; especially those in the villages to uplift them. But I also gift people a lot which translate into money.

What is the greatest thing you have ever done?

Praying for people and witnessing them get out of their problems. There are some people I get in a very desperate stage but through prayer, we always find solutions.

What is your current state of mind?

I am happy

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Many Ugandans are lazy and not creative; we like to copy or find already made things. I have not seen that creativity in us. We are also easily taken up or carried away by anything.

What does being powerful mean to you?

Power comes with the fear of God and knowing that we derive everything from Him so He is in charge always.

On what occasion do you lie?

Since childhood, I have tried to stay away from telling lies.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I am wonderfully made in the image of God.

Which living person do you most despise?

Anyone who is a liar.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

There are some attributes of God that should be seen in a Christian man. They are fruits of the spirit; for instance being loving, compassionate, and a peace maker.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Women are peace makers.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

I love anyone who responds to their calling or one who is a change agent and can put a footmark wherever they step.

When and where were you happiest?

I love weddings and when I am wedding a couple, it’s like I am also a bride which is why I get so excited and that is one of my happiest moments. I have also been told that I am happy congregating people to the extent that I create meet-ups or parties to make people happy.

I am also happy doing my work as a teacher and priest so I put all my effort in my work .

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I want to do my work until I am very old and just go.

Where would you most like to live?

I will never leave Uganda because it is home. My prayer is that Uganda will be transformed in terms of the economy, social and spiritual life.

What is your most treasured possession?

Not any materialistic but family life because I like to belong to a family. I am always inclined to talk about family ties.

What is your favorite occupation?

As a priest, I am just in the best place.

What do you most value in your friends?

Honesty, truthfulness, and living a prayerful life.

Who are your favorite writers?

I read any Christian material that keeps me grounded in my work.

Who is your hero of fiction?

I am a person of the real world.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I have read about all the women in the bible and my favourite are those who followed Jesus to the cross, tomb, and resurrection. I want to be consistent and persistent like them.

What is your greatest regret?

I regretted my country during Amin’s regime because of the several events that traumatized me and others. I even wrote a poem about Uganda’s worst state.

How would you like to die?

I know that one day I have to die but I don’t want to go in a disorganised way. So I want to sleep and go.

What is your motto?

Excellence in whatever I am doing.