Reverend Father Bonaventure Bosco Katusiime Gubazire, the newly appointed Bishop of Kabale Diocese, has described his appointment by Pope Leo XIV as a moment that left him questioning his own worthiness before ultimately accepting the call in faith. In a six-minute message read to priests, religious and lay faithful gathered at Rushoroza Cathedral shortly after the Vatican announced his appointment on Wednesday afternoon, Bishop-elect Gubazire said his first response was one of surprise and prayer.
“When I received the news of my appointment as the Bishop of Kabale, I asked myself in prayer, ‘Lord, why me? Is this not a mistake?’ Like Moses, I questioned, ‘Who am I?'” Quoting Luke 1:38, he said he chose to embrace the appointment in the spirit of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” The message, written from Ghana, where until now he has been serving as rector of the St. Martin of Tours Formation House in Ejisu, was read in near silence as clergy and faithful listened to the words of the man who will become their next shepherd.
The appointment was announced by the Vatican at 12:30 p.m., alongside the acceptance of the resignation of Bishop Callist Rubaramira, who reached the canonical retirement age last year after leading Kabale Diocese for 23 years. Accepting the responsibility, Bishop-elect Gubazire thanked Pope Leo XIV for entrusting him with the diocese. “I receive this responsibility in a spirit of faith, obedience and communion with the Universal Church, trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen me in this ministry,” he said.
The 52-year-old paid special tribute to Bishop Rubaramira, who ordained him to the priesthood on August 10, 2003. “It was Bishop Callist Rubaramira who ordained me to the priesthood. I have known him as a father whose wisdom, simplicity, devotion and pastoral care have shaped my own priestly journey,” he said. He also thanked the Missionaries of Africa, commonly known as the White Fathers, fellow priests, religious men and women, catechists, parents, relatives, friends and the lay faithful whose support, he said, prepared him for the responsibility of leading the diocese. He will become the second Missionary of Africa to lead the diocese.
Addressing Catholics in Kabale, the bishop-elect described himself as “your brother, your fellow pilgrim and your servant,” calling for a ministry built on partnership rather than individual effort. Quoting an African proverb, he appealed for unity between clergy and the faithful in advancing the Church’s mission. He said the diocese should continue building a community rooted in faith, nourished by the Eucharist and committed to evangelisation, justice, peace, reconciliation, hospitality and charity.
He concluded by entrusting his episcopal ministry to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, especially his patron, Saint Bonaventure, and asked the faithful to keep praying for him. Who is Bishop-elect Bonaventure Bosco Gubazire? Bishop-elect Gubazire becomes the fourth bishop of Kabale Diocese after years of missionary, academic and formation work across Africa and Asia. According to the CV shared by the Holy See Press Office, Reverend Fr. Bonaventure Bosco Gubazire, M.Afr., was born on March 3, 1974, in Kitumba, Kabale Diocese, and he is a missionary priest, academic and formator with more than two decades of service across Africa and Asia.
His early education began at St. Mary’s Primary School, Rushoroza, where he studied from 1981 to 1987, before joining St. Paul’s Minor Seminary, Rushoroza, from 1988 to 1994. In 1994, he entered the Postulancy of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), beginning his journey in religious formation. Fr. Gubazire pursued studies in philosophy, theology, and ethics in Uganda, France, and Ireland. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the Philosophy Centre Jinja in 1997, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse, France, in 2003.
He later earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy, specialising in ethics, from the Milltown Institute of Philosophy in Dublin, Ireland, in 2010. In 2013, he obtained a Diploma in ICT System Support from Andiamo Educational Institutions in Balaka, Malawi, before completing a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) from the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines, in 2020. He made his perpetual vows as a member of the Missionaries of Africa on December 7, 2002, and was ordained a priest on August 10, 2003, at Rushoroza Cathedral Parish in Kabale. After his ordination, he began his pastoral ministry in Mozambique, where he served as Assistant Parish Priest at Paroquia da Nossa Senhora de Fátima in Murraça from 2003 to 2007.
During the same period, he worked as Director of the School of Adult Literacy at the Catholic Mission of Murraça and Caia and served on the Council of the Missionaries of Africa in Mozambique. His ministry later focused on priestly formation and education. Between 2010 and 2013, he served as Professor and Dean of Studies at Lechaptois Formation House of the White Fathers in Balaka, Malawi. From 2011 to 2016, he served as Child Protection Delegate for the Missionaries of Africa in Malawi, and between 2013 and 2015, he was Acting Rector of Lechaptois Formation House.
From 2017 to 2020, he served in the Philippines as Coordinator and Chaplain of the Friends of the Missionaries of Africa and as a member of the Council of the Missionaries of Africa Asia Section in Cebu. Between 2019 and 2020, he served as Rector of Our Lady of Africa Formation House Seminary in Cebu. Since 2021, Fr. Gubazire has served as Dean of Studies at Spiritan University College in Ejisu, Ghana. In 2023, he was appointed Rector of the St. Martin of Tours Formation House in Ejisu, Ghana, while also serving on the institution’s Academic Board. Since 2025, he has been a member of the Provincial Council responsible for ongoing formation of the Missionaries of Africa in the Ghana-Nigeria Province.
A multilingual priest, Bishop-elect Gubazire speaks English, French, Portuguese, Kiswahili, Chisena, Chichewa, Cebuano, as well as local Ugandan languages including Runyankore, Rukiga and Luganda. Bishop-elect Gubazire becomes the fourth bishop to lead Kabale Diocese since its establishment in February 1966. He succeeds Bishop Callist Rubaramira, who was appointed on March 15, 2003, and served the diocese for more than two decades. Kabale Diocese was previously led by Bishop Robert-Marie Gay, M.Afr., who was appointed on January 11, 1996, and retired on March 15, 2003.
The first ordinary of the diocese was Bishop Barnabas Rugwizangonga Halem ’Imana, who was appointed on May 29, 1969, and served until his resignation on July 15, 1994-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
