St. Mbaaga’s Major Seminary Ggaba celebrates 50 years

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The long-awaited celebration of the 50th anniversary of St Mbaaga’s Major Seminary Ggaba was finally held at the seminary on Ggaba Road in Makindye Division on February 21, 2026.

The celebrations began with a Pontifical Mass presided over by the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala, Paul Ssemogerere.

The concelebrants included the chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, who is also the Bishop of Kiyinda Mityana Diocese, Rt Rev. Prof Joseph Antony Zziwa, the Bishop of Lugazi Christopher Kakooza, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Dr Augustine Kasujja, Bishop Francis Aquirinus Kibira of Kasese, the Bishop Emeritus of Lugazi Dr Mathias Ssekamaanya, the Bishop of Kotido Dominic Eibu, Bishop Serverus Jjumba of Masaka, the chargé d’affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature Msgr Georges Kwami Kouwonou, and over 600 other priests, including visiting clerics from Germany.

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere delivers his homily during the 50th anniversary celebration of St. Mbaaga's Major Seminary Ggaba on Saturday, February 21, 2026. (Photo by Mathias Mazinga)

Delivering his homily during Mass, Archbishop Ssemogerere paid glowing tribute to the seminary’s founder, the late Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga, for his prophetic vision, faith and courage.

He said the seminary began humbly as a diocesan major seminary in modest buildings with very limited resources and only 16 students, but had grown steadily through God’s guidance and providence.

Ssemogerere noted that the seminary had acquired a regional character, admitting students not only from the Kampala Archdiocese but also from other dioceses in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, as well as from some religious institutes.

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere (holding a crosier) and other Catholic prelates/clerics in procession for the pontifical mass of the 50th anniversary celebration of St. Mbaaga's Major Seminary Ggaba on Saturday, February 21, 2026. (Photo by Mathias Mazinga)

The Rector, Fr Dr Joseph Sserunjogi, attributed the remarkable growth of the seminary to divine providence. He thanked people of goodwill and local and international organisations such as the Pontifical Society of St Peter the Apostle, Aid to the Church in Need, Missio Austria, Missio Munich and Friends of the Bishops for supporting the seminary over the years.

Fr Sserunjogi also thanked the alumni for their contribution to infrastructure development.

Bishop Christopher Kakooza, an alumnus of St Mbaaga’s Seminary, called for the establishment of new seminaries in response to the increasing number of priestly vocations. He said many seminaries were operating at full capacity, making the establishment of new institutions an urgent necessity.

Another alumnus, Joachim Masagazi, urged fellow former students who did not become priests to develop practical ways of supporting the seminary, which he said had given them a strong moral and intellectual foundation.

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere shares a light moment with Gen. Katumba Wamala (centre) as other dignitaries look on. (Photo by Mathias Mazinga)

In a message delivered by Buganda’s minister of culture, Anthony Wamala, the Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga paid tribute to St Mbaaga’s Seminary for its steadfast commitment to producing exemplary priests devoted to the service of God and humanity. He said that if all institutions were like St Mbaaga, the country would probably not be facing the challenges it is grappling with.

Works minister Gen. Katumba Wamala thanked St Mbaaga’s Seminary Ggaba for shaping the moral consciousness of Ugandans through its priestly and human formation programmes. The secretary to the Nunciature, Msgr Georges Kwami Kouwonou, delivered the congratulatory message from Pope Leo XIV and the apostolic blessing imparted upon the seminary.

The function attracted many dignitaries, including entrepreneur Charles Mbire, Justine Kasule Lumumba, Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, Fred Omach, the former Katikkiro of Buganda Joseph Mulwanyammuli Ssemogerere, and the kingdom’s county chief of Kyaddondo, Ahmed Magandaazi, among others.

Earlier, before Mass, Archbishop Ssemogerere blessed and officially opened the seminary’s golden jubilee monuments, including the new students’ dining hall and the main gate.

The celebration was also attended by the Good Samaritan Sisters of Nalukolongo, who were founded by Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga.

The celebration ran under the theme: The Favours of the Lord I will recall (Is 63:7).

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere (holding a crosier) shares a photo moment with some of the prelates/clerics and political leaders who graced the 50th anniversary celebration of St. Mbaagas Major Seminary Ggaba on Saturday, February 21, 2026. (Photo by Mathias Mazinga)

St Mbaaga’s Major Seminary Ggaba, was founded in 1976 by the late Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga as a diocesan seminary to provide an opportunity for priestly aspirants who had not studied in minor seminaries, or those who discerned their calling as adults, to pursue priestly formation.

The seminary began in 1976 with 16 students and the late Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa as its first Rector. Its first nine priests, including the current Archbishop of Kampala, Paul Ssemogerere and the Bishop of Lugazi, Christopher Kakooza, were ordained on June 3, 1983.

Since its inception, the seminary has produced over 400 priests and several hundred responsible laymen serving the Church, the country and humanity with admirable professionalism. The number of students has steadily increased to over 300.