Karugaba Aloysious: A priest built by mystifying family beliefs.

Karugaba Aloysious Edgar is a Ugandan youthful catholic seminarian doing pastoral experience at St. Lawrence Catholic Parish in Kamwala south, Lusaka Zambia under the society of Missionaries of Africa, a White Fathers mission.
The Scribe went to find how he gained God’s favour to become one of the candidates awaiting ordination into priesthood amidst the high failure rate in catholic seminaries. Elizabeth Koshaba Nabuma did this article featuring his as the Scribe Personality of the Week to celebrate the life of young men in cloak.
Growing from a seminarian to a priest is not an easy journey. “Many are called but few are chosen”, Karugaba told the Scribe. He recalls how many people have dropped out of seminaries making the failure rate too high. He however attributes this to God whom he says personally handpicks the people he works with.
Born in Rukiri village, Buyanja in Rukungiri a western district of Uganda, Karugaba is the first born of ten siblings.
His parents Mr. Byamukama Edward and Mrs. Nshabaruhanga Emily Byamukama are highly devoted Catholics and local entrepreneurs in Rukungiri dealing in milling and electricity distribution.
Going through the test.
Karugaba has passed through a number of tests before his childhood dream of becoming a priest could be fulfilled.
“The wish of my father to make me the heir was the biggest challenge I encountered. I at one point thought of leaving formation in order to make my father happy”, Karugaba admits. A formation is a Catholic church academic training centre for priests and members of the religious order.
“My father’s nagging about my being his heir weakened me at one point. I however took to prayer for God’s guidance and luckily I managed to convince my father out of the idea”.
In many Ugandan culture, the first born boy is always made the heir. He is however expected to marry and have kids in order to multiply the family contrary to oarth celibacy catholic priests make during ordination. Also most parents would wish their sons to be priests, this however remains the major obstacle among many families.
The dialogue Karugaba had with his father helped his parents to accept the fact that the family will still exist even with Karugaba as a priest and infact this will instead cause more blessings in the family.
Schools attended
Karugaba went to Rukungiri Modern for his pre-school, later went to Nyakibale Upper Primary School, Kebisoni Parents Primary School. With his first grade in primary leaving examinations, was called to start formation at St. Pauls’ Seminary Rushoronza where he did his Secondary education and Kitabi Seminary Mbarara where he had his high school.

Karugaba Aloysious with his fellow priests at the formation. PHOTO/Elizabeth Koshaba
He went to Tanzania for pre first phase of formation. After one year, he then came back to Uganda and did a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Social and Philosophical studies at the Philosophy Centre in Jinja. The centre is affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University and Uganda Martyrs’ University.
Upon graduation with a bachelor’s degree, he went to Zambia for a pastoral experience where he is serving up to today.
Getting inspired
Inspired by Fr.Ambrose Kibuuka currently the bursar at St. Adrian seminary in Kabale, Karugaba says he grew up admiring Fr. Kibuka’s conducts and the simplicity by which he lives his life. “Fr. Kibuuka’s smartness and niceness inspired me to join priesthood”, Karugaba revealed.
The passion for evangelism in foreign countries pushed Karugaba to become a missionary priest contrary to being a Diocesan priest.
“I wanted to be like the Europeans who came to Africa and evangelized the continent. Just like a man and woman would leave his parents home and start a home in a different area, I also did this for christ”, Karugaba told the Scribe.
He wants to be remembered as a charismatic pastoral agent promoting peace and justice by reaching out to places where people think are unreachable.