By Fr. Lawrence Ssimbwa, IMC
BWEYOGERERE, OCTOBER 7, 2025 ( CISA) – The Parish of Our Lady Consolata in Bweyogerere, Uganda, celebrated a milestone on September 28, 2025, forty years of faith, service, and missionary presence. The solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Archbishop Augustine Kasujja, Apostolic Nuncio emeritus to Belgium and Luxembourg, who represented the Archbishop of Kampala, Most Rev. Paul Ssemwogerere.
The golden jubilee-like celebration drew Consolata Missionaries from across Uganda and Kenya, diocesan priests, and religious men and women from various congregations serving in the Archdiocese of Kampala and neighbouring dioceses. Among the concelebrants was the Regional Superior of the Consolata Missionaries for Kenya-Uganda, Fr. Zachary Kariuki, IMC, and members of the regional council, who joined the faithful in honouring the four-decade journey of evangelization, service, and growth.
In his homily, Archbishop Kasujja paid tribute to the Consolata Missionaries for their enduring witness and dedication.
“I thank you for bringing Christ to the people,” he said, adding “Thanks to all who have walked with the community and persevered alongside it. Thank you for bringing Our Lady Consolata to Uganda; we hope that her devotion will grow in this Church and in Uganda, and that in the future this parish church will become a shrine.”
His words resonated deeply among parishioners whose faith has been shaped by the missionaries’ quiet and consistent presence.
The Beginnings of a Missionary Legacy
The history of the Consolata Missionaries in Uganda is inseparably linked to the founding of Our Lady Consolata Parish in Bweyogerere. The parish was erected on March 19, 1985, by the late Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga, then Archbishop of Kampala, who entrusted it to the Consolata Missionaries. The first parish priest was Fr. Luigi Barbanti, assisted by Frs. Antonio Rovelli and Benedict Lubega Kiwotoka, the first Ugandan Consolata Missionary, ordained just weeks earlier on March 3, 1985.
What began as a small parish community has grown into a vibrant center of faith and human development. Over four decades, the Consolata Missionaries have left an indelible mark on the Archdiocese of Kampala through their pastoral work, social outreach, and promotion of vocations.
The Consolata presence in Uganda arose from the growing number of young Ugandans drawn to the missionary vocation in the early 1980s. To accompany these vocations, the General Council of the Consolata Missionaries authorized the establishment of a mission in the country. Cardinal Nsubuga warmly welcomed the initiative, offering a parish on the outskirts of Kampala, previously a chapel under the Comboni Missionaries’ Our Lady of Africa Parish.
On July 9, 1984, the General Council in Rome formally approved the mission and entrusted it to the Kenya Region under the leadership of Fr. Mario Barbero, IMC. Less than a year later, on March 19, 1985, the new parish was officially inaugurated on the feast of St. Joseph.
The pioneers faced enormous challenges: widespread poverty, illiteracy, and the devastation left by Uganda’s civil war and AIDS epidemic. Yet, amid these trials, the parish became a beacon of consolation, caring for the sick, comforting victims of war, and forming a new generation of believers grounded in hope and service.
It is worth remembering that the Consolata Missionaries arrived in Uganda only a few years after the country celebrated the centenary of Catholic evangelization (1879–1979), a mission initiated by the White Fathers. Their arrival thus marked a new chapter in Uganda’s evangelization story, one characterized by the spirit of consolation and accompaniment.
Expanding the Missionary Footprint
From Bweyogerere, the Consolata Missionaries expanded their presence across Uganda. In 1991, they established the Vocational Centre of Kiwanga in the Diocese of Lugazi, which has since nurtured many Ugandan Consolata vocations. In 2004, responding to an invitation from the late Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, then the bishop of Kasana- Luweero, they opened a mission in the diocese, a region scarred by the civil war, to bring healing and reconciliation.
Their missionary footprint widened further in 2018 with the establishment of Our Lady Consolata Parish in Buluguyi, Diocese of Jinja, a true mission ad gentes serving communities in the country’s eastern region. In 2022, one of the chapels under Bweyogerere Parish, St. Ponsiano Ngondwe in Bbuto, an impoverished suburb of Kampala, was elevated to a full parish.
Today, the missionary journey that began in Bweyogerere has borne remarkable fruit. The Consolata Missionaries now serve in four mission stations across Uganda, evangelizing and promoting the integral development of the people. The faith of the original Bweyogerere community has flourished, giving rise to three new parishes ,St. Gonzaga Gonza of Kamuli, St. Mary of Kireka, and St. Ponsiano Ngondwe of Bbuto, with the latter remaining under Consolata pastoral care.
A Celebration of Gratitude and Renewal
The 40th anniversary celebration was not just a commemoration of years gone by but a renewal of the missionary spirit that has defined the Consolata presence in Uganda. The faithful expressed deep gratitude to Archbishop Paul Ssemwogerere for his support and to the Consolata Missionaries for their tireless service in preaching the Gospel and consoling God’s people.
Their legacy is visible in the strong Christian communities, thriving families, and social institutions that have grown around the parish. As the parish looks to the future, the words of Archbishop Kasujja linger like a prayer, that Our Lady Consolata Parish may one day become a shrine of faith, healing, and consolation for all of Uganda.
This story was first published by ConsolataAfrica.org and written by Fr. Lawrence Ssimbwa, IMC, Ugandan missionary serving in Buenaventura, Colombia.
