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Feb 03, 2015 | Carol E. Barnwell

Prayer Vigils Set for Ahimbisibwe Family

Prayer services for the Ahimbisibwe family, found dead in their west Houston apartment February 2, will be held Tuesday evening in Austin at 6 p.m. in Christ Chapel at the Seminary of the Southwest (501 East 32nd Street, Austin, TX 78705) and at the University of Houston in the chapel of the A.D. Bruce Religion Center (3800 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, TX 77004) at 7:15 p.m.

 

Additional services are planned at: Rice University Chapel at 2 p.m. and at St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, 77019 at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 5.

 

Police have not released further details in the deaths of the Rev. Israel Ahimbisibwe, his wife, Dorcus and their five-year-old son Jay. The bodies were found Monday after repeated attempts by church members to contact the family went unanswered. Ahimbisibwe had failed to show up for church services on Sunday.

 

A prayer vigil was held Monday evening at Holy Spirit, where Ahimbisibwe had served as assistant rector and taught Christian education in the school. Across town, at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, where Ahimbisibwe was vicar, a diverse congregation of more than 150 friends and parishioners gathered to remember the family. Funeral arrangements are pending.

 

Bishop Andy Doyle led the Redeemer congregation in prayer and asked for people to share their thoughts about the family. One young girl remembered Ahimbisibwe praying for her Girl Scout troupe, a mother wondered how she would tell her five year old child that his best friend was dead and another prayed for the “gift of tears” because she “felt frozen” by the tragedy.

 

A University of Houston student who had worked with Ahimbisibwe in campus ministry talked about the plans they had made. “There was so much we wanted to do and Israel was so excited about it,” he said.   Yet another spoke of the desire Israel and Dorcus had for their sons’ educations. Others gave thanks for having “a priest who was so full of love and knowledge.” And others asked for prayers for Emmanuel and Isaac and for the family in Uganda who were just learning of the tragedy.