President Yoweri Museveni has congratulated the newly installed Archbishop of Archdiocese Kampala Dr. Paul Ssemogerere. The Archbishop was installed earlier today at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Rubaga.
The Archbishop 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.
In his speech delivered by the Vice President Jessica Alupo, Museveni applauded Dr. Ssemogerere for serving as apostolic administrator following the demise of Archbishop Kizito Lwanga.
“You have been installed as the leader of the Archdiocese of Kampala. Leadership is the best ingredient which spearheads the growth of the society. I urge you to offer leadership and foster unity within the Church,” he said.
Museveni said as a shepherd of God’s people, you have a purpose of gathering souls, through preaching, counseling, peace and a duty of passing righteousness.
“Besides spiritual duties, you are tasked to promote social and economic transformation in the Archdiocese. Most of the religious leaders ignore it and instead prepare believers to go to heaven. Jesus participated in formal work. He helped his father, Joseph at the carpentry,” he said.
The president said the government remains committed to providing social services to the believers in terms of education and medical services. The vice president later handed a brand new Toyota Prado gift to the Archbishop.
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.
