Catholics commemorate Mother Kevin with public lecture
Mateega lauded Mother Kevin for founding the religious institute of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, who have advanced her legacy by sustaining the institutions she founded as well as establishing new ones.
Mother Mary Kevin Kearney, the foundress of the Little Sisters of St. Francis who was commemorated with a public lecture at Silver Springs Hotel in Bugoloobi on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photos by Mathias Mazinga)
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Even after 69 years since her death, Mother Mary Kevin Kearney, the Irish Catholic nun who worked in Uganda for five decades, is still remembered with deep admiration owing to her immense contribution to the country through education, healthcare and charity.
Fondly referred to as Sr. Kevin, she is most remembered for founding highly reputable educational institutions such as Mount St. Mary’s College Namagunga, Stella Maris College Nsuube, health-care facilities such as St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, Naggalama Hospital, St. Francis Hospital Nkokonjeru, and religious institutes such as the Little Sisters of St. Francis and the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa.
A spectacle of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, and other Christians, praying the 'Franciscan Blessin' during the function. 
Mother Kevin’s attributes were pronounced with even deeper gratitude during her memorial lecture at Silver Springs Hotel in Bugoloobi on September 11, 2026. The lecture, the 4th of its kind, was delivered by Chevallier Anthony Nnaakirya Mateega, who spoke highly of the enormous contribution that Mother Kevin made to Ugandan society through her dynamic involvement in social work, which was driven by her unrivalled love and concern for the vulnerable and marginalised people.
Mateega said Mother Kevin deeply assimilated the manifesto of Jesus as given in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4, that is: proclaiming good news to the poor, announcing liberty to the captives, restoring sight to the blind and giving freedom to the oppressed.
Mateega further lauded Mother Kevin for founding the religious institute of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, who have advanced her legacy by sustaining the institutions she founded as well as establishing new ones.
In her message delivered by the Acting Minister of Education, Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, Vice-President Jessica Alupo lauded Mother Kevin, referring to her as an extraordinary religious woman who uplifted and made a positive difference to every person she encountered through her educational, health care and social service initiatives.
Alupo thanked the Little Sisters of St. Francis, their collaborators, benefactors, friends, and all the others who have supported them and enabled them to preserve Mother Kevin’s legacy.
Chevallier Anthony Nnaakirya Mateega receives a gift from the Superior General of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, Mother Rita Christine Nakitende. Mateega presented the Mother Mary Kevin Memorial Lecture at Silver Springs Hotel in Bugoloobi on Friday, September 11, 2026.
Dr. Martin Nsubuga Mulumba, a discussant during the lecture, called for the establishment of rural-based charitable institutions to cater for the needs of less-privileged people. He argued that many of the educational and healthcare institutions that Mother Kevin started had become unaffordable to many people.
Mulumba thus called for the establishment of new ones, which do not carry the opulence of modern infrastructure, but can still offer quality services to Ugandans of little or even no means. He also called for the teaching of soft skills such as humility, empathy, respect and honesty to the professionals, particularly those in health care.
Canonisation process
The Superior General of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, Mother Rita Christine Nakitende, briefed the congregation about Mother Kevin’s beatification process, which she said is currently underway. Nakitende said the respective committees at the Vatican are currently studying the many documents that were written about Mother Kevin, currently referred to by the title of “Servant of God.”
“If the committee is satisfied with the information in the documents, it will forward them to another committee for further scrutiny. If it also okays the documents, Mother Kevin will be given the title of Venerable. And if there is a proven medical miracle attributed to her intercession, she will be declared Blessed. So, we encourage you to pray through her intercession, and if you get a favour or miracle, please report it to the parish priest, or to the office for the beatification cause at Nsambya,” Nakitende said.
The medical students from St. Francis Hospital Nsambya Training School reciting a poem about Mother Kevin during the function.
Nakitende praised Mother Kevin, referring to her as a visionary woman of God, who demonstrated in practical action the ideals and spirituality of St. Francis. She asked members of the institute (Little Sisters of St. Francis) to commemorate Mother Kevin’s 69th death anniversary by renewing their zealous commitment to the Gospel. She also asked them to support the cause of her beatification.
The 4th Mother Mary Kevin Memorial Lecture was organised by the Association of the Friends of Mother Kevin and the Little Sisters of St. Francis. It ran under the theme: Mother Mary Kevin’s Legacy for the Vulnerable and Marginalised through the Social Service Ministry.