The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | It is a very quiet and somber mood at St Paul’s National Major Seminary Kinyamasika in Fort Portal Tourism City since Friday afternoon after the religious institution had received news of the death of the Vice Rector Fr. Francis Lubanga.
Although the students and some staff are away from the seminary for festive holidays, discernible sadness envelopes the environment over the campus.
According to the Ugandan Episcopal Conference, Fr Lubanga passed on in a car crash along the Kampala- Masaka highway on Thursday night.
Fr. Vincent Muhindo the Rector St Paul’s National Major Seminary who was at the institution told URN that the Vice Rector was responsible for upholding the code of students’ conduct, ensuring safe, conducive and enjoyable living environment for the students, a responsibility he performed with utmost dedication.
We, with deep sadness inform you of the death of our colleague and friend Fr. Francis Lubanga. The Late Fr. Francis unexpectedly succumbed to a car accident along Masaka road on Thursday, 29.12.2022 night. He was the Vice Rector of St. Paul’s National Major Seminary Kinyamasika. pic.twitter.com/2xEvzf3pwp
— Kampala Archdiocese (@KlaArchdiocese) December 30, 2022
Fr Lubanga who hailed from the Archdiocese of Kampala joined Kinyamasika Seminary in October 2016 as a lecturer and Later in 2019, he was appointed the Vice Rector, a position he has been holding till his time of death.
The Rector described Fr Lubanga as a very dedicated priest who had the zeal and passion of teaching. “Fr Francis liked teaching so much that he would never miss his lesson and even if he had to miss, he would try to fix time to compensate for the time he missed and students loved him for that,“he adds.
Fr Lubanga was teaching the History of the Church at the seminary.
Fr Muhindo said that the deceased was a very intelligent person who was good at keeping records and they had also given him a role of being the secretary of the school finance committee due to this character.
Fr Muhindo added that Lubanga was a very social and jolly person who would interact with everyone at school and knew every student by name.
He added “He was an interactive person and liked talking to people. Even at the dining when everyone would be quite, he would cheer up the mood by starting a conversation. you would never get bored around him. Away from priesthood and teaching, Fr. Lubanga has been a sports person. He loved jogging and walking for leisure. Every day, he would spend about 2 hours walking in and around the school or would be in the school gym doing physical fitness exercises.”
The Rector said that the Seminary will miss the charismatic leader who was dedicated to serving the church and helped in fostering leadership, accountability, responsibility and advocating for the needs of the students at the institution.
Fr Muhindo said that burial arrangements are on ongoing and soon the Archdiocese of Kampala will release the burial program.
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