The Archdiocese of Kampala is the Metropolitan See for the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical province of Kampala in Uganda.
The present Kampala Archdiocese is the result of territorial changes:
Victoria Nyanza Vicariate (1883). It was established by the Holy See in 1883 and was entrusted to the Missionaries of Africa commonly known as the White Fathers. Rubaga became the seat of the Bishop.
Upper Nile Vicariate (1894). On July 13, 1894 the Holy See erected the Upper Nile Vicariate dividing it from Victoria Nyanza Vicariate and entrusted it to the Mill Hill Missionaries. Nsambya became the seat of the Bishop. The name of Vicariate Nyanza Vicariate was also changed to Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Victoria Nyanza.
Vicariate of Uganda (1915). After the erection of vicariates in territories beyond the Nile on the southern side, the name of Northern Victoria Nyanza Vicariate became the Vicariate of Uganda on January 15, 1915.
Vicariate of Kampala. On June 10, 1948, the name of Upper Nile Vicariate was changed to the Vicariate of Kampala which later became the diocese of Kampala in 1953.
Archdiocese of Rubaga (1953-1966). The Catholic hierarchy in Uganda was established on March 25, 1953. The former Vicariates of Uganda became the dioceses of Uganda. Rubaga became the Archdiocese with 5 suffragan dioceses namely : Gulu, Masaka, Kampala, Mbarara and Tororo
Archdiocese of Kampala (1966-). On August 5, 1966, the Holy See joined together what was part the Diocese of Kampala and the Archdiocese of Rubaga and created the Archdiocese of Kampala. It was covering most parts of Central Uganda. Since, three other new dioceses have been carved out of it: Kiyinda-Mityana (July 17, 1981), Kasana-Luweero (December 16, 1996) and Lugazi (December 16, 1996).
Ordinary: The Most Reverend Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga
Size: 3.644.75 square km
Total Population: 3,592,053
Catholic Population: 1,505,053 (42%)
Parishes: 51
Sub-stations (sub-parishes) 389
Number of Priests: 324
Diocesan Priests: 261
Priests belonging to Religious Inst. 63
Professed non-Priest Religious: 186
Professed Women Religious 410
Catechists 428
Number of Seminarians (major): 173
Catholic Universities 1
Vocational Institutions 5
Catholic-Founded Secondary schools 45
Catholic-Founded Primary Schools 222
Catholic Hospitals 4
Health Centers and Dispensaries 20
When the Catholic White Fathers came calling in 1879, they were allocated land near Lubaga Hill. In 1889, the reigning monarch, Mwanga II of Buganda, donated them land on Lubaga Hill itself where they built Saint Mary's Cathedral Rubaga, beginning in 1914 until 1925, with the assistance of monetary contributions from Roman Catholic congregations abroad. The early missionaries had problems pronouncing the word Lubaga. They instead pronounced it with an "r" as in Rubaga. In Luganda, there is no word that starts with an "R". (Other Bantu languages from western Uganda and the African Great Lakes Area have words starting with "R".)
Later, the missionaries built a hospital and a nursing school on the hill. Today, Lubaga remains the seat of the headquarters of the Catholic Church in Uganda. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala.
The remains of the first African Catholic bishop in Uganda, Bishop Joseph Nakabaale Kiwanuka and those of the first African Catholic Cardinal, Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga are kept in the Catholic Mission on the hill.
Church landmarks
St. Mary's Cathedral Rubaga
Administrative centre of the Kampala Archdiocese
Residence of the Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese
Lubaga Hospital: A 300-bed community hospital administered by the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala
Lubaga Nurses School
Pope Paul VI Memorial Community Center
Headquarters of Lubaga Division: One of the five administrative divisions of the city of Kampala.
Lubaga Campus of Uganda Martyrs University, whose main campus is at Nkozi in Mpigi District.
Kisubi Mapeera Secondary School
The seat of the Archbishop is Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Lubaga Division, in western Kampala. There is also a Minor Basilica, the Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs at Namugongo in Wakiso District. Other important churches in the Archdiocese include (a) Lady of Africa Church in Mbuya and the Former Cathedral of Saint Peter at Nsambya and Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine
Vicars Apostolic of Northern Victoria Nyanza
Bishop Henri Streicher, M.Afr.: 1897-1915
Vicars Apostolic of Uganda
Bishop Henri Streicher, M.Afr.: 1915-1933
Bishop Edouard Michaud, M.Afr.: 1933-1945
Archbishop Louis Joseph Cabana, M.Afr.: 1947-1953
Metropolitan Archbishops of Rubaga
Archbishop Louis Joseph Cabana, M.Afr.: 1953-1960
Archbishop Joseph Kiwánuka, M.Afr.: 1960-1966
Metropolitan Archbishops of Kampala
Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga: 1966 - 1990
Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala: 1990 - 2006
Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga: 2006–Present
