Bukalasa National Minor Seminary (also Holy Family Minor Seminary Bukalasa), is a National Minor Seminary for the

Uganda Episcopal Conference The Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) or Episcopal Conference of Uganda is the local conference of Roman Catholic bishops in Uganda, established in 1960. The UEC acts primarily through the Uganda Catholic Secretariat in an effort to promote and ...

under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Masaka The Roman Catholic Diocese of Masaka () is a diocese located in the city of Masaka in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, Kampala in Uganda. History * May 25, 1939: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Masaka ...

. The institution is a training facility and House of Formation for middle and high schoolers aspiring to become catholic priests in future. Students primarily come from

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

but the school has trained students from

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, and other neighboring countries.

Location

Bukalasa Seminary is located in Villa Maria, a suburb of the municipality of Kalungu in

Kalungu District Kalungu District is a district in Central Uganda. It is named after the main town of the district, Kalungu, where the district headquarters are located. Location Mukoko North Kalungu District is bordered by Gomba District to the north, Buta ...

in the Greater Masaka sub-region in the southwest of the Buganda Region in Uganda. This is approximately , northwest of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of Masaka City.

History

Holy Family Seminary was established on 9 June 1893, by Bishop

John Joseph Hirth John Joseph Hirth (; 26 March 1854 – 6 January 1931) was a Catholic bishop in German East Africa, known as the founder of the church in Rwanda. Early years John Joseph Hirth was born on 26 March 1854 at Spechbach-le-Bas (Niederspechbach), near ...

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Nyanza, on the instructions of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. "The seminary started at Villa Maria and it operated in grass-thatched huts". It was moved to

Lubaga Lubaga is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The name comes from the Luganda word ''okubaga'', describing a process of "planning" or "strengthening" a structure while constructing it. For example, ''okubaga ekisenge'' means t ...

in 1894 and then to

Kisubi Kisubi is a neighborhood in the Central Region of Uganda. Location Kisubi is located in Busiro County, Wakiso District, on Kampala-Entebbe Road, about northeast of Entebbe International Airport. This is approximately south of Kampala, the cou ...

in 1895. When the Catholic Church obtained a large piece of real estate in the 1900 Uganda Agreement, the seminary was permanently relocated to its place of foundation; at Bukalasa, Villa Maria. The work started by Bishop John Joseph Hirth, was continued by Archbishop Henri Streicher, Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of Uganda.

Overview

Bukalasa National Major Seminary, established in June 1893, is the oldest Catholic seminary in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

. Some of the notable alumni include the following: * Joseph Nakabaale Kiwánuka, Archbishop of Rubaga, Uganda (Deceased) *

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga (5 November 1914 – 20 April 1991) was a Catholic Church in Uganda, Uganda Catholic prelate who served as the first Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, Archbishop of Kampala from 1966 to 1990 and as a Cardinal (Ca ...

, Archbishop Emeritus of Kampala, Uganda (Deceased) * Cardinal

Emmanuel Wamala Emmanuel Wamala (born 15 December 1926) is a Ugandan Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Kampala from 1990 to 2006. He was made a cardinal in 1994. Background and education Wamala was born on 15 December 1926 in Kamaggwa Village, ...

, Archbishop Emeritus of Kampala, Uganda *

Adrian Kivumbi Ddungu Adrian Kivumbi Ddungu (15 July 1923 – 30 December 2009) was a Ugandan Catholic priest who served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Masaka, in Uganda, from 11 November 1961 until 10 January 1998. Background and priesthood He was born ...

, Bishop Emeritus of Masaka, Uganda (Deceased) *

Paul Lokiru Kalanda Paul Lokiru Kalanda (27 February 1927 – 19 August 2015) was a Catholic priest who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Moroto from 1980 until 1991 and as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal from 1991 until 2003. Background and ...

, Bishop Emeritus of Fort Portal, Uganda (Deceased) * Paul Kamuza Bakyenga, Archbishop Emeritus of Mbarara, Uganda (Deceased) * Henry Apaloryamam Ssentongo, Bishop Emeritus of Moroto, Uganda (Deceased) *

Raphael S. Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki Raphael S. Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki (25 December 1931 — 30 March 2020) was a Kenyan bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who served as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi in Kenya. He also served as the bishop of Machakos and ...

, Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi, Kenya (Deceased) * Cardinal

Laurean Rugambwa Laurean Rugambwa (12 July 1912 – 8 December 1997) was a Catholic Church in Tanzania, Tanzanian Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam, Archbishop of Dar es Salaam from 1968 to 1992. He was made a Cardinal (Ca ...

, Archbishop Emeritus of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania (Deceased) * Father Basilio Lumu (Deceased), one of the first two Catholics to be ordained priest in sub-Saharan Africa on 19 June 1913. * Father Victor Mukasa Womeraka (Deceased), one of the first two Catholics to be ordained priest in sub-Saharan Africa on 19 June 1913.

References

External links

Bukalasa Seminary: 125 Years Grooming ‘Priests’: An insight of Bukalasa excellent service
As of 25 September 2017. {{Authority control Roman Catholic Diocese of Masaka Seminaries and theological colleges in Uganda Educational institutions established in 1893 Catholic seminaries in Africa Catholic Church in Uganda 1893 establishments in the British Empire