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KAMPALA - Rev Sr Jacinta Gloria Kabuleeta, one of the Catholic Sisters of the Religious Institute of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph (locally referred to as the Bannabiikia Sisters of Bwanda) has one unique attribute which makes her a very interesting nun.

She is the first girl mass server at Lubaga Cathedral. 

Before her, no girl or woman had the privilege of standing in the sanctuary of the glorious Cathedral to serve mass. And why was this so?

Well, according to the Rt Rev Msgr John Waynand Katende, mass servers (in the Catholic Church) are a substitute for an instituted acolyte. But in several Christian Churches, women have traditionally been excluded from approaching the altar during the liturgy.  

In fact, in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the former rule was that “women may not enter the sanctuary at all.” Women in girls’ schools and convents could nonetheless enter the altar area (at other times) for cleaning and decorating purposes.

Things were later changed by the 1983 Code of Canon Law which declared that service at the altar is one of the other functions open to lay persons in general. This allowed female mass servers, based on the discretion of the respective diocesan Bishop.

It is interesting to note that Kabuleeta was not aware of this privilege when as a little girl she went to Lubaga Cathedral to serve mass. 

What actually drew her to the sanctuary was the desire of becoming a Catholic priest that was burning within her. She naively thought that being a mass server was the gate-way to Catholic ministerial priesthood.

Sr Gloria Jacinta Kabuleeta delivers her remarks during her thanksgiving function at Rubaga Cathedral. (All Photos by Mathias Mazinga)

In any case, being accepted as a mass server did not come so easily for her. In the first place, Msgr Katende had to seek permission for her from Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala who was then the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala. 

But even when permission was granted, Kabuleeta still faced opposition from some Cathedral volunteers who did not know much about the feminine privilege of the 1983 Code of Canon Law.

Sacristan Melesiane was one of the volunteers who were irritated by Kabuleeta’s presence at the sanctuary. On one occasion she confronted Kabuleeta at the end of mass and almost blew her up accusing her of going to an area that was a no-go area for girls. 

It took the intervention of Fr Achilles Mayanja, who asked Melesiane to leave the little girl alone because she had the clearance of the Pope and the Archbishop.

But still there was another challenge. Kabuleeta thought she was going to become a priest! Well, the priests and the nuns at the Cathedral did the needful and eventually managed to convince Kabuleeta to give up her priestly aspiration. 

They assured her that while the Catholic Church doesn’t accommodate women priests, there are certain ecclesial ministries through which women can serve the Church with even greater honour. 

Msgr Katende gave the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was not a priest but got the honour of being the Mother of Jesus the Archpriest, King, Prophet and Son of God.

Through sustained counselling, sensitization, guidance and prayer, the clerics and nuns of Lubaga successfully enabled Kabuleeta to change her aspiration from Catholic ministerial priesthood to religious life. 

She joined the Catholic religious institute of the Bannabiikira Sisters and after going through the respective formation stages (aspirancy, postulancy, novitiate), she became a Catholic nun after pronouncing her religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

On January 8, Sr Kabuleeta became a life member of the congregation after taking her perpetual vows.

On Friday (April 19, 2024), Lubaga Cathedral parishioners, together with the relatives and friends of Sr Jacinta Kabuleeta organised a thanksgiving function in celebration of her perpetual profession. 

The thanksgiving mass at the Cathedral was presided over by the Bishop of Lugazi Catholic diocese, the Rt. Rev Christopher Kakooza thanked Sr Kabuleeta for listening and obeying the voice of God who called her to work in His Church as a religious sister.

The Mother General of the Bannabiikira Sisters, the Very Rev Sr Noeline Namusoke thanked Sr Kabuleeta for forsaking the pleasures of this world in preference for the service of God.

The function climaxed with a reception (at the Cathedral’s presbytery square). The presence of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kampala, the Most Rev Paul Ssemogerere gave the reception added dignity.

Kabuleeta Gifted

The representative of the family, Kizito Matovu spoke highly of Sr Kabuleeta’s humble disposition and commitment to the service of God. 

He announced that members of the family had agreed to sponsor Sr Kabuleeta for a pilgrimage to Rome.

Lubaga Cathedral parish (through Fr Mayanja) then offered to give Sr Kabuleeta the shopping cash and pocket money she needed for the privilege.

The parish also gifted Kabuleeta with a modern keyboard, a laptop and, a refrigerator.