For nearly six decades, worshippers entering St Mary’s Cathedral Lubaga have been greeted by a raised tomb behind the choir on the church’s right wing. Enclosed by a rail and capped with a white marble reliquary edged in cream, it marks the resting place of Archbishop Joseph Nakabaale Kiwanuka, the first African Archbishop south of the Sahara and a transformative figure in Uganda’s Catholic history.

This week, that historic landmark was quietly opened and carefully repositioned as part of a broader reorganisation of burial sites within the cathedral, driven by ongoing renovations and preparations for Lubaga’s centenary celebrations.

A ceremonial yet restrained reburial

On Wednesday evening, Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere led a requiem Mass and oversaw the reburial of Archbishop Kiwanuka’s remains. The tomb was moved only a few inches from its original site, but the symbolic significance of the act was far greater than the physical distance covered.

Rev Fr Richard Nyombi, a church historian and parish priest at Nabulagala, said the grave was opened on Sunday under the Archbishop’s guidance. “The intention,” he explained, “was not exhumation for removal elsewhere, but alignment, bringing historic tombs into a coherent layout that respects both liturgical function and heritage considerations.”

“When the coffin was opened, the body was found intact,” Fr Nyombi said, noting that this mirrored observations made in 1994, when church authorities permanently sealed the coffin. While episcopal vestments had deteriorated over time, the remains themselves remained well-preserved.

Following the inspection, the Archbishop’s remains were placed in a wooden coffin and transferred to the newly prepared resting place. In contrast to the monumental crowds that attended his burial in 1966, Wednesday’s ceremony was marked by restraint and solemnity.

White vestments as a symbol of hope

During the Mass, Archbishop Ssemogerere addressed a question that had puzzled some worshippers: why white vestments were used despite the liturgical season traditionally associated with purple. White, he explained, symbolizes Christian hope in the resurrection.

“This is not a denial of grief,” he said, “but a proclamation of faith that death does not have the final word.”

He praised Archbishop Kiwanuka as a visionary churchman whose ideas often ran ahead of his time, leaving him misunderstood during his lifetime but vindicated by history. His influence, the Archbishop said, extended beyond ecclesiastical leadership to shaping the moral and intellectual foundations of Uganda.

Archbishop Kiwanuka’s enduring legacy

Archbishop Kiwanuka, who passed away in 1966, had already marked a turning point in Uganda’s Catholic journey with his appointment as Archbishop of Rubaga. His leadership inspired African clergy across the continent and redefined church governance in a hierarchy long dominated by missionary bishops.

For decades, his tomb inside Lubaga Cathedral has served as both a national and spiritual landmark. Positioned near the Uganda Martyrs’ Altar, the raised grave bears inscriptions detailing his life and calls for prayers for his soul. The marble reliquary, imported from Italy, reflects the esteem in which he was held.

Fr Nyombi recalls that from 1966 until 1994, the faithful could view the Archbishop’s body dressed in episcopal vestments. Following a church directive, the coffin was permanently sealed, ending public viewing.

Historical context of the original tomb

Historian Robert Ssempa notes that the Lubaga Cathedral National Foundation oversaw the original tomb’s construction, led by Henry Kibirige, with architectural work by Kagimu.

The burial rites in 1966 were extraordinary in scale. Massive crowds filled and overflowed the cathedral as Bishop A.K. Ddungu delivered a lengthy eulogy in both English and Luganda, broadcast by loudspeakers to the surrounding area. After the Mass, thousands queued for a final view, and pilgrimages continued for weeks. Buses and lorries arrived daily, with Sundays drawing the largest numbers.

A quiet ceremony for a new generation

Wednesday’s reburial, by contrast, was intimate. Attendance was sparse, with only a small portion of the cathedral occupied. Silence, rather than crowds, defined the moment. At one point, Archbishop Ssemogerere asked who among those present had seen Archbishop Kiwanuka in life.

No hand was raised. Among the clergy, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja recalled glimpsing him from a distance while still a seminarian, while Archbishop Ssemogerere himself remembered being a primary school pupil during Kiwanuka’s era. The generational gap was unmistakable, underscoring that the Archbishop’s legacy now resides in history, memory, and ongoing church life.

URN