Kampala Catholic Archbishop Ssemogerere calls for prudent expenditures during ordination parties
During the function, Christians from the various parishes (in Wakiso Vicariate) donated shs170m in cash and pledges.
Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere (holding a crosier) shares a photo moment with Catholic priests who concelebrated the thanksgiving mass for the launching of SAAFU (Wakiso Vicariate Chapter) at Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Credit: Mathias Mazinga)
By Mathias Mazinga
Journalists @New Vision
Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere delivers his speech during the launching of SAAFU (Wakiso Vicariate Chapter) at Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Credit: Mathias Mazinga)
Kampala Catholic Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere has cautioned Christians against lavish ordination parties.
Although it is right and just to be happy when a minister of the Church is ordained, Ssemogerere said, Christians should not be extravagant and wasteful when celebrating ordinations.
“Next month we shall ordain 25 priests at a go, at Lubaga Cathedral. It will be a remarkable event. Pray for the priestly candidates, two of whom belong to missionary institutes. But please don’t organize extravagant parties. Be prudent in your spending. Avoid wastefulness. What does it benefit you to spray a bottle of champagne? It costs shillings 500,000, and you waste all that money in just a few seconds?! Give our young priests good examples that can help them to be responsible ecclesial ministers, good stewards of the temporal goods if the Church,” Ssemogerere said.
He made the remarks during the launching of the Ssabasumba Annual Appeal Fund (SAAFU) for Wakiso Vicariate at Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo, in Wakiso district on July 19, 2025.
SAAFU is a special fund, contributed voluntarily by the Christians of Kampala archdiocese, to enable the archbishop implement ecclesial, pastoral and social development programmes that benefit all Christians in the archdiocese.
During the function, Christians from the various parishes (in Wakiso Vicariate) donated shs170m in cash and pledges.
The major donors
Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Parish Namugongo (sh30m)
- Our Lady Consolata parish Bweyogerere (shillings 11m)
- St Joseph’s Parish Nansana (shillings 16m)
- Bbuto Parish (shillings 3.5m)
- Kireka Parish (shillings two million)
- Nabitalo Parish (shillings five million)
- Matugga Parish (shillings five million)
- Kiziba parish (shillings one million)
- Kamuli parish (shillings five million)
- Kitagobwa Parish (shillings six million)
- Mwereerwe Parish (shillings two million)
- Kawanda Parish (sh4.5m)
- Mount Sion Prayer Centre Bukalango (sh3m).
According to the Fund’s chairperson, Edward Kanyike, this year’s campaign aims at generating shillings 20 billion, which will be used to construct a modern home for elderly /sickly priests at Bweya, in Wakiso district.