Catholic Church glorifies Fr. Simon Peter Kawooya
"He fulfilled his ministry so well. He served God's people with joy and love. All of us, particularly we priests, should emulate his good example," Ssemogerere said.
The devotees of St. Jude Thaddeus praying for Fr. Kawooya. (Photos by Mathias Mazinga )
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Tributes have been paid to Fr. Simon Peter Kawooya, the celebrated pastoral theologian and former lecturer at St. Mbaaga's Major Seminary, Ggaba, who died of heart-related complications at Rubaga Hospital on August 3, 2026, aged 70.
Prior to his passing, Kawooya served as curate of Kamuli Catholic Parish in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala.
Kawooya's admirers paid glowing tribute to him during his funeral at Kisubi Minor Seminary on Entebbe Road in Wakiso District on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere (wearing a mitre) places a chalice on the casket containing the remains of Fr. Simon Peter Kawooya during the requiem mass at Kisubi Minor Seminary on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. 
"He fulfilled his ministry so well. He served God's people with joy and love. All of us, particularly we priests, should emulate his good example," Ssemogerere said.
Ssemogerere moved mourners when he revealed that Fr. Kawooya had buried his mother just a month earlier, unaware that he would soon follow her.
"We were with him at his mother's funeral. He looked well. He did everything normally. We could not even tell that he had a problem," Ssemogerere said.
The Archbishop nonetheless urged Christians not to fear death because Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord, had conquered it and turned it into a bridge through which believers pass into eternal life.
Kawooya's contemporaries, including Bishop Lawrence Mukasa of Kasana-Luweero Diocese, Msgr. Dr. Richard Kayondo of Lugazi Diocese and Fr. Dr. John Baptist Busuulwa of Katigondo National Major Seminary, also praised his priestly commitment, pastoral zeal and deep sense of responsibility. Fr. Busuulwa paid special tribute to Kawooya for promoting the Catholic pastoral and evangelistic model of Small Christian Communities.
A spectacle of mourners during the funeral mass.
Fr. John Baptist Matovu, a curate at Kamuli Parish, highlighted Fr. Kawooya's deep commitment to children and Catholic lay movements, particularly the Legion of Mary and the St. Jude Thaddeus devotion. He also praised the late priest's friendly and warm disposition.
A brief profile of Fr. Kawooya
Fr. Simon Peter Kawooya was one of the most respected pastoral theologians in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala. He was an alumnus of the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium and the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA).
Born in 1956, Fr. Kawooya attended Kikajjo Primary School, Kisubi Minor Seminary (O-Level), St. Mary's College Kisubi (A-Level), Katigondo National Major Seminary (Philosophy) and St. Mary's National Seminary, Ggaba (Theology). He was ordained a priest on August 15, 1984, by Bishop Joseph Mukwaya (RIP).
He later served in several parishes and institutions, including Nandere Catholic Parish (curate), Lubaga Cathedral Parish (curate), Kisubi Parish (parish priest), Ndeeba Parish (parish priest), Kiwaatule Parish (curate) and, most recently, Kamuli Parish (curate).
Kawooya also served as a lecturer in pastoral theology at St. Mbaaga's Major Seminary, Ggaba. May his soul rest in eternal peace.