By KT Reporter
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Lubaga, is buzzing with renovation works as the church and its surroundings are prepared for the centenary celebrations.
Consecrated in 1925, the cathedral, often called the mother of all cathedrals in Uganda, will this year mark 100 years since its official opening.
Eng. Pius Mugalasi Mugerwa, chairperson of the renovation committee, said they plan to complete all the works before October 26, the date set for the celebrations.
“We have a budget of 2.5 billion shillings for the centenary, and half of this will go into developments and renovations to give the cathedral its befitting glory,” Eng. Mugerwa said
Passersby can see technicians, landscapers, cleaners, and builders moving across the compound with their tools. The cathedral itself is surrounded by scaffolding and ladders, and some sections are covered in iron sheets.
Eng. Pius Mugalaasi Mugerwa said the committee, among other things, prioritised parking to handle the heavy traffic the cathedral attracts. A multi-storey parking facility is under construction opposite the cathedral.
The current parking space will also be upgraded, and the scattered signposts visible from Lubaga Road and the hospital side will be replaced with digital signage.
According to plans seen by URN, the iconic statue of the Virgin Mary in front of the cathedral will be renovated and given a refreshed design. The outer fence around the church will be upgraded, with two gates installed on the left and right, and a small walkway created as the main entrance in front of the Mary statue.
Other works include upgrading the front yard with new paving and adding seating for visitors and worshippers in the compound.
The inner fence surrounding the cathedral is being redeveloped with matching arches. Eng. Mugerwa said that once completed, it will feature the cathedral’s timeline and key dates in Latin, English, Kiswahili, and Luganda.
On the sides of the grand stairs leading to the main entrance, there is a plan to place monuments honouring Archbishop Kiwanuka, the first Black bishop in sub-Saharan Africa, and Archbishop H. Streicher, locally known as Sitensera.
At the entrance, the existing notice boards will be replaced with modern digital displays. Busts of the twelve bishops who have led the archdiocese will be mounted on the arches above the main entrance, standing above the existing busts of the pioneer missionaries who established Lubaga Parish, including Bishop Léon Livinhac, Br. Amans Antoine Delmas, Fr. Simeon Lourdel (Mapeera), Fr. Frédéric Grault, and Fr. Théodore-Adolphe Barrot.
Inside, the cathedral will receive modern lighting and a new sound system. The episcopal tombs will be reorganised, with three additional spaces added for future archbishops, bringing the total to six. The priests’ cemetery will also be upgraded, with all graves reworked as part of the broader renovation.
Speaking on the renovation and related works, Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere stated that the committee will undertake what is feasible for now, as the church has many desired projects. He mentioned that additional works will be addressed in the future, humorously noting that not everything can be completed in one day, citing the ongoing renovations and construction at St. Peter’s as an example.
Architectural designs seen by our reporter reveal that, despite its official opening in 1925, the church was not fully completed. For example, the front towers were left unfinished as per the original design.
Meanwhile, in addition to the renovations of St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga, ongoing projects include the restoration of the Archbishop’s house, priests’ offices, the presbytery, and the development of a community playground. About the cathedral
Construction of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Lubaga, began in 1914 and concluded in 1925, with its consecration on December 31, 1925. The twin-towered Romanesque cathedral stands on the site of a former palace of Buganda’s Kabaka Muteesa I, father of Mwanga. According to a book titled St. Mary’s Cathedral Lubaga by Fr. Yves Tourigny (WF), the current cathedral is the seventh to occupy Lubaga Hill. Between 1891 and 1914, six earlier “cathedrals” of varying structures stood on the hill, all lost to various circumstances.
The first church, built in 1891, was destroyed on January 24, 1892, at around 8 p.m. during religious conflicts. Within a year, two grass-thatched cathedrals were erected; one was demolished by an earthquake, and the other was burned down by Protestants (Anglicans).
Undeterred, the Lubaga Christians constructed a temporary church in 1893, replaced in 1894 by a more durable structure. This served until 1901 when, due to the growing Catholic population, a larger church was needed. The sixth church, built in 1901, was made of sun-dried bricks with a grass-thatched roof, measuring 71 feet long and 21 feet wide. Blessed by Bishop Henry Hanlon on March 19, 1901, it served for 24 years until the current cathedral’s construction began.
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