ARCHBISHOP KIWANUKA’S GRAVE TO BE REPOSITIONED AS LUBAGA CATHEDRAL REORGANIZES SACRED TOMBS

URN

The grave of the late Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka Nakabaale, the first African Archbishop south of the Sahara, is set to be slightly re-positioned as part of the ongoing facelift of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Lubaga.

The revelation was made by Eng. Pius Mugerwa Mugalaasi, head of the renovation committee steering the cathedral’s grand centenary celebrations. He explained that the move is part of a broader plan to realign and reorganise the resting places of prelates interred within the cathedral, ensuring a more dignified and orderly presentation of the sacred spaces reserved for the Church’s eminent leaders.

Archbishop Kiwanuka, who died in 1966, holds a monumental place in Uganda’s Catholic history as the first African to be appointed Archbishop, a trailblazer whose leadership inspired generations of clergy across the continent. His grave inside Lubaga Cathedral has long been a symbol of both national pride and spiritual heritage.

According to Mugalaasi, the adjustment will not only preserve the sanctity of Archbishop Kiwanuka’s burial site but also highlight the cathedral’s role as the spiritual home of Uganda’s Catholic heritage.

Mugalaasi further revealed that the re-organisation will also pave the way for three new crypts to accommodate future bishops. In a light-hearted moment, he noted that the current Archbishop has already “booked” one of the spaces, half in jest, but also with a touch of seriousness.

He explained that Archbishop Kiwanuka’s grave, originally laid out horizontally and occupying more space than ideal, will now be re-positioned vertically and lowered beneath the surface. This adjustment, he said, will ensure that the revered prelate’s final resting place remains dignified and central to the cathedral’s sacred heritage.

The Grave has always been a striking and memorable feature for visitors to the Cathedral. Raised above the ground, enclosed by a rail fence, and marked with a gleaming white marble reliquary bordered in cream, the tomb carries several inscriptions sharing the archbishop’s biography and inviting prayers for his soul. It stands in the right wing of the church, behind the choir area and beside the Uganda Martyrs’ Altar. The reliquary itself was imported from Italy.

For decades, his intact body dressed in episcopal vestments was visible to the faithful until 1994, when the Uganda Episcopal Conference ordered the coffin permanently sealed.

According to Robert Ssempa’s published works, the sealing was carried out by the Lubaga Cathedral National Foundation under the leadership of Henry Kibirige, with construction executed by the late architect Kagimu.

From the day of his burial in 1966, the open coffin became a magnet for pilgrims. At the requiem Mass, Bishop A. K. Ddungu delivered a 30-minute eulogy in both English and Luganda, telling mourners that the body would not be buried until five years later.

With powerful loudspeakers carrying his words some 60 meters outside the cathedral, even the overflow crowd heard every word. At the close of the Mass, thousands surged forward for a last glimpse of the Archbishop’s body.

The weeks that followed saw a steady stream of mourners, buses, Lorries, and private cars delivering people to Lubaga in droves, with Sundays drawing the largest numbers. To this day, pilgrims, tourists, and Catholics from across the world visit his tomb, which remains a symbol of faith and Uganda’s Catholic heritage.

On a recent visit, our reporters found groups of local and foreign tourists being guided at the site, listening attentively to the story of Archbishop Kiwanuka, a man remembered as the father of Uganda’s Church at a defining moment in history.

But the news of the planned adjustment has not sat well with everyone. Angelia Mukasa, 80, who has been a regular visitor to the cathedral for decades, expressed her reservations about the planned changes.

She argued that the grave is part of the Church’s history and should be preserved in its original state. In her view, altering it to create space sets a worrying precedent that could lead to future leaders relocating other significant features of the cathedral.

However, her view will not change the plan, as church leaders have already decided, and the project is underway. It has long been a tradition of the Catholic Church to bury bishops and archbishops in the cathedrals they served.

Bishop Edouard Michaud, the first to be buried there in 1945, and Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, laid to rest in 2021 after his sudden death, also lie within the cathedral. But in a 2021 interview with our reporter, Msgr. Gerald Kalumba, then Kampala Archdiocesan Vicar General, explained that a prelate’s wishes can alter tradition.

He cited Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga, who humbled himself by instructing in a will that he be buried at the Bakateyamba Home, a shelter for vulnerable children that he founded.

The concept of crypts beneath cathedrals, according to Catholic tradition, traces back to the persecution of early Christians, when believers buried their dead in underground caves. That tradition of resting places for prelates has been carried forward into modern times.

Yet even sacred cathedrals eventually run out of space. When Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa of Masaka died in 2021, there was no longer room at Villa Maria, the traditional site for Masaka bishops. He was instead buried at Bukalasa Minor Seminary, where the diocese later resolved to establish a permanent burial chapel for its bishops.

Quoted in The Observer newspaper, Rev. Fr. Edward Ssekabanja, the Masaka Diocesan Chancellor, said the chapel would henceforth serve as the final resting place for all bishops of Masaka and any bishops from elsewhere who wished to be buried there.

About Archbishop Joseph Nakabaale Kiwanuka (1899–1966)

Joseph Nakabaale Kiwanuka, born in 1899 in Mawokota, made history as the first native African Catholic bishop in modern times. After studying at Katigondo Seminary, he was ordained a priest in 1929. His intellectual promise led him to Rome, where he earned a doctorate in Canon Law before joining the Missionaries of Africa.

In 1939, he was consecrated bishop by Pope Pius XII and appointed Vicar Apostolic of Masaka. When the vicariate was elevated, he became the first Bishop of Masaka in 1953. He is remembered not only for his evangelisation but also for his fight against poverty and illiteracy, championing education and spearheading development projects across his diocese.

In 1961, he was appointed Archbishop of Rubaga, a role that placed him at the centre of Uganda’s Catholic life. He represented Africa at the historic Second Vatican Council in Rome between 1962 and 1965, and during the third session, he assisted Pope Paul VI at the canonisation of the 22 Catholic Martyrs of Uganda on October 18, 1964.