1879 - Arrival of the Catholic Christian Missionaries to Buganda/ Uganda – 1879
Arrival of the Catholic Christian Missionaries to Buganda/ Uganda – 1879:
This was the third foreign religion to arrive in Uganda
The first Roman Catholic missionaries came from France and arrived at Kigungu landing site on the 17th of February 1879. The two white fathers were:
- Father Simon Lourdel, nicknamed Mapeera by the Baganda after failing to pronounce the French word Monpere which means Father.
- Brother Amans Delmas, nicknamed Amansi.
On their arrival at Kigungu, they were received by the natives of the area. Later they made a stop at Bugonga village and planted a tree at the current Catholic church. The missionaries went to Lubaga on 21st February 1879 where the current Lubaga cathedral is located. And they visited Kabaka Mutesa I at his palace, in Banda-Kampala who gave them Lubya hill to build churches, schools and hospitals.