The Catholic Church has revealed that it will formally install Archbishop-elect Paul Ssemogerere as the new head of the Archdiocese of Kampala on Tuesday 25 January. The revelation was made by the Rev. Fr Pius Male Ssentumbwe the Chancellor, Kampala of the Archdiocese.
“That day will have two events, installing the Archbishop and marking the conversation of Saint Paul. A convoy of people will receive him at Matugga Parish. The installation service will be led by the representative of the Pope in Uganda, The Most Rev. Luigi Bianco,” Fr. Male said.
The archbishop-elect has been acting as the apostolic administrator for eight months, having assumed office after the death of his predecessor Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga in April last year. Pope Francis later appointed Bishop Ssemogerere on 9th December 2021 to replace Archbishop Lwanga.
Paul Ssemogerere was born on June 30, 1956 at Kisubi, along Entebbe Road. He attended Kigero Primary School before transferring to Kisubi Boys Primary School. He then studied at St. Maria Goretti Senior Secondary School Katende, where he completed his O-Level studies.
In 1976, Ssemogerere and seven other young men became pioneer students at St Mbaaga Seminary at Ggaba. This was the first class of this seminary, which specializes in admitting men to train as priests when they are older than usual, and without attending minor seminary.
In 1978, the late Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga sent Ssemogerere to the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 1982. On 21 November 1981, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Rembert George Weakland, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
He was ordained a priest on June 3, 1983 at Kampala, by Cardinal Nsubuga. He served as a priest in the Archdiocese of Kampala, until 4 June 2008 when he was appointed bishop of Kasana-Luweero. He was consecrated as bishop on August, 23 August 2008 at Kasana-Luweero by the late Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, who was assisted by Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, Sant’Ugo Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam, Titular Archbishop of Amantia and Papal Nuncio to Uganda at that time.
