Celebrating 75 years of faith, growth and peace in Gulu Archdiocese

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The Gulu Archdiocese in Uganda's north is organising a major celebration to mark 75 years since it was officially established as a diocese, with the main event set for March 17, 2027.

This diamond jubilee honours the growth of the Catholic Church in northern Uganda and its journey from a small mission to a metropolitan archdiocese.

Monsignor Martin Agwee, who is chairing the committee organising the anniversary celebration, announced that the festivities will take place at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Gulu city.

Monsignor Martin Agwee, the chairman of the organizing committee for the Jubilee celebration explained the different steps being taken to organise the celebration. (Photo by Claude Omona)

He said it was launched by the Archbishop Raphael P’Mony Wokorach on December 1, 2025, when the diocese of Gulu made 75 years.

The Archdiocese of Gulu was originally founded as the Apostolic Prefecture of Northern Uganda in 1911. Thirty-nine years later, it was elevated to the Diocese of Gulu in 1950 and subsequently established as an Archdiocese in 1999.

The spiritual theme for next year's event is ‘Rooted in the Eucharist, united with St. Joseph’, highlighting the importance of the body of Christ and the archdiocese's patron saint.

“We chose St Joseph because he is the patron of our archdiocese and, by good luck, he is also the patron of the Universal Church," said Agwee.

To prepare the faithful, Archbishop Wokorach launched a pilgrimage of two sacred items: a monstrance for the Eucharist and a statue of St Joseph.

These icons began their journey on Saturday (April 11) and will travel through all 35 parishes in the archdiocese, starting with Christ the King Church in Kitgum.

“This will be for the Christians to adore throughout the preparation to mark the 75th years of the archdiocese”, said Agwee.

Growth

The church has seen massive growth over the last seven decades, moving from its first priest (Rev. Fr. John Baptist Ongom Oniri) to a current total of over 100 ordained priests.

“We now have over 86 living priests in the archdiocese," said Agwee.

Monsignor Cyprian Ocen Pa Akech, who also doubles as the parish priest of St Joseph’s Cathedral in Gulu city, said there are 35 parishes in the Archdiocese of Gulu and that the Catholic population in the area has grown to one million people.

The Archdiocese of Gulu, which was previously led by Archbishop John Baptist Odama, played a critical, multifaceted role that evolved from providing emergency humanitarian aid to actively mediating peace, advocating for non-violent solutions, and facilitating reconciliation.

"The archdiocese was central to the formation of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) in 1997, which brought together different faith leaders to engage in peace-building and conflict transformation," said Rev. Fr. Samuel Norbert Ocaya Moi, the pastoral coordinator in the archdiocese.

"Archbishop Odama, who served as chairman of the initiative from 2002–2010, led efforts to persuade the government and LRA to choose dialogue over military action."

Historical journey

Originally, Gulu was part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa, a mission started in 1846. The mission struggled early on because many missionaries died from disease, leading to a temporary halt in activities.

It was later revived by St Daniel Comboni, whose followers were already working in the region. Comboni wanted to expand south into Uganda, but Roman leaders did not allow it at first.

After he died in 1881, new official rules changed the borders, and the Uganda Vicariate was finally created in July 1894.

Gulu’s own official church history truly started on June 12, 1923. At that time, it was named an independent Apostolic Prefecture led by Monsignor Antonio Vignato. The area's name changed a few times, including a period where it was called the Equatorial Nile.

On December 1, 1950, it was officially raised to the status of a diocese under Bishop John Baptist Cesana.

As more people joined the church, Gulu’s large territory was divided to create the new dioceses of Arua, Moroto, and Lira between 1958 and 1968.

Leadership of the diocese was later held by Bishop Cipriano Kihangire starting in 1969, followed by Bishop Martin Luluga through the late 1980s and 1990s.

The most significant milestone happened on January 30, 1999, when Pope John Paul II elevated Gulu to a Metropolitan Archdiocese.

Now, Gulu archdiocese is an Ecclesiastical Province that comprises the dioceses of Arua, Lira, and Nebbi.