KAMPALA, UGANDA: Bishop Paul Ssemogerere has Tuesday been installed as the fourth Archbishop of the Kampala Archdiocese in a function held at St. Mary’s Cathedral Lubaga, Kampala. He replaces the late Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga who passed on last year in April 2021.
The installation exercise of Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere started from the Dioceses of Kasana-Luweero as the canonical law stipulated that a bishop transferred from one diocese to another must make a procession to the new Diocese.
The newly installed Kampala Archbishop was seen off by hundreds of believers who handed him over to Kampala Archdiocese at Matugga, the border of Kasana-Luweero Diocese and Kampala Archdiocese. His convoy later made its way to St. Mary’s Cathedral Lubaga.
The function in Kampala unction off with him standing at the inner doors of the Cathedral with a mallet and was welcomed by the representative of the Pope in Uganda, The Most Rev. Luigi Bianco, and other Catholic Bishops.
Rev. Bianco presented to him a holy crucifix a symbol of his authority, aspergillum; he then made a sign of the cross and sprinkled it to believers around him. He then other Bishops proceeded to alter. He was vested in the Cathedral and given a crosier before he led the service.
In his remarks, Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere said the Catholic Church in Uganda will always remain indebted to the Buganda Kingdom because of the generosity of Kabaka Mutesa I who generously donated land where the Cathedral was built.
“I thank the Pope for entrusting me with the responsibility to lead Kampala Archdiocese. I pray that he can guide me to take on this responsibility with humility. We pray for the fallen Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga to continue resting in peace,”
The Archbishop applauded Apostolic Nuncio for the support and guidance especially when he was appointed the apostolic administrator of the Kampala archdiocese.
Basing his preaching on the conversation of Saint Paul, Ssemogerere urged believers to learn from St. Paul and change to become compassionate and be accountable to each other.
He urged Ugandans to protect their land noting that where there is no land, we have no base. He decried the continuous corruption, unemployment, moral decadence and the derailing levels of patriotism in the country.
Short Background:
Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere has been acting as the apostolic administrator for eight months, having assumed office after the death of his predecessor Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga in April last year. Pope Francis later appointed Bishop Ssemogerere on 9th December 2021 to replace Archbishop Lwanga.
Ssemogerere was born on June 30, 1956 at Kisubi, along Entebbe Road. He attended Kigero Primary School before transferring to Kisubi Boys Primary School. He then studied at St. Maria Goretti Senior Secondary School Katende, where he completed his O-Level studies.
In 1976, Ssemogerere and seven other young men became pioneer students at St Mbaaga Seminary at Ggaba. This was the first class of this seminary, which specializes in admitting men to train as priests when they are older than usual, and without attending minor seminary.
In 1978, the late Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga sent Ssemogerere to the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 1982. On 21 November 1981, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Rembert George Weakland, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
He was ordained a priest on June 3, 1983 at Kampala, by Cardinal Nsubuga. He served as a priest in the Archdiocese of Kampala, until 4 June 2008 when he was appointed bishop of Kasana-Luweero. He was consecrated as bishop on August, 23 August 2008 at Kasana-Luweero by the late Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, who was assisted by Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, Sant’Ugo Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam, Titular Archbishop of Amantia and Papal Nuncio to Uganda at that time.
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