Katigondo National Major Seminary


Katigondo National Major Seminary, is a National Seminary of the Catholic Church in Uganda. The institution is a training facility and House of Formation under the auspices of the Uganda Episcopal Conference. The institution is also accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education to teach some non-religious academic courses.

Location

The seminary is located in Villa Maria, a suburb of the municipality of Kalungu in Kalungu District in the Greater Masaka sub-region in the southwest of the Buganda Region in Uganda. This is approximately northwest of the central business district of Masaka City.

History

Katigondo Seminary was opened at the present location in 1911. In 1913, it graduated two Ugandan priests; Father Basil Lumu and Father Victor Mukasa Womeraka, the first sub-Saharan Africans to be ordained Catholic priests in the modern era. Over the first 100 years of existence, the seminary has trained 4,000 to 5,000 seminarians. Of these 1,900 were ordained priests. Of these, 29 were appointed bishops and at least three were created cardinals.

Academics

The seminary is primarily a philosophical school, which instructs seminarians in philosophy before sending them to Ggaba National Major Seminary, in Ggaba, Kampala, where they study Theology and then are ordained priests. In addition to religious courses, the seminary in accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education to provide non-religious courses, including the BSc in Business Accounting and Financial Management.

Rectors

In July 2023, Pope Francis appointed Father David Ssenkaayi to succeed Father Herman Kituuma, who had served as rector for over 12 years. Father Tamale Mugagga was appointed by the Uganda Episcopal Conference as the vice-rector.

Alumni

Prominent alumni of Katigondo Major Seminary include the following.