Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mbarara

Last updated
Archdiocese of Mbarara

Archidioecesis Mbararaensis
Location
CountryFlag of Uganda.svg Uganda
Deaneries 8
Statistics
Area10,980 km2 (4,240 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  •  
  • 3,650,770
  • 1,278,440 (35%)
Parishes42
Information
Denomination Catholicism
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman
EstablishedMay 28, 1934 (1934-05-28)
CathedralSanta Maria Nyamitanga
Secular priests 165
Metropolitan Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha
Suffragans Fort Portal, Hoima, Kabale, Kasese
Map
Uganda - Arcidiocesi di Mbarara.png
Location of the Archdiocese of Mbarara within Uganda

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mbarara (Latin : Archidioecesis Mbararensis) is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Mbarara, Uganda. [1] Elevated to archdiocese status on January 2, 1999, it serves as the metropolitan see for the Western Uganda Ecclesiastical Province. [2]

Contents

Territory

The archdiocese covers 10,980 square kilometers (4,241 square miles) and encompasses the following districts: Mbarara, Ibanda, Kiruhura, Isingiro, Bushenyi, Shema, Rubirizi, Mitoma, Buhweiju, and Ntungamo. [2] It shares borders with Fort Portal and Kasese Dioceses in the north, Bukoba Diocese in Tanzania to the south, Masaka Diocese in the east, and Kabale Diocese in the west. [2]

As of June 2025, the archdiocese is subdivided into 42 parishes, and has 165 priests altogether. [3] [4]

Suffragan dioceses

The Archdiocese of Mbarara serves as the metropolitan see for the following suffragan dioceses: [5]

The cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Mbarara.

History

The archdiocese dates back to the Vicariate Apostolic of Ruwenzori, which was erected on May 28, 1934 by splitting the Vicariate Apostolic of Uganda. On March 25, 1953 it was elevated to a diocese and renamed after its principal town Mbarara. 1961 territory was lost to the newly erected diocese of Fort Portal, and again in 1966 to the diocese of Kabale. On January 2, 1999 the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese. Before being an archdiocese the diocese was a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Kampala. [1]

Leadership

The current Metropolitan Archbishop is Lambert Bainomugisha, appointed on April 25, 2020, and formally installed on June 20, 2020. [5] Archbishop Bainomugisha was born on July 12, 1961, at Kashumba, Bukanga, Isingiro, and was ordained as a priest on July 13, 1991, at Mbarara Cathedral. [1] He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese from 2005. [2]

Archbishops of Mbarara

Source: [1]

Vicar Apostolic of Ruwenzori
Bishops of Mbarara
Archbishops of Mbarara

Coadjutor Bishop

Auxiliary Bishop

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mbarara (Archdiocese)". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Us". Archdiocese of Mbarara. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Archdiocese of Mbarara - Parishes". www.archdioceseofmbarara.org.ug. Archdiocese of Mbarara. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Archdiocese of Mbarara - Priests". www.archdioceseofmbarara.org.ug. Archdiocese of Mbarara. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Mbarara Archdiocese". Uganda Episcopal Conference. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Archbishop Paul Kamuza Bakyenga [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 24 June 2025.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.