Ggaba National Major Seminary

Not to be confused with Saint Mbaaga's Major Seminary Ggaba.

Ggaba National Major Seminary, (also Saint Mary's National Major Seminary Ggaba) is a National Seminary of the Catholic Church in Uganda. The institution is a training facility and House of Formation under the auspices of the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC). The institution is also accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education to teach some non-religious academic courses. The seminary is affiliated with both the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Italy and with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Saint Mary's National Major Seminary Ggaba

Type	Private, Seminary
Established	1970; 55 years ago (1970)
Founder	Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga
Accreditation	Uganda Episcopal Conference Uganda National Council for Higher Education
Affiliation	Catholic Church in Uganda
Religious affiliation	Catholic
Academic affiliation	Makerere University Pontifical Urban University
Rector	Father Lazarus Luyinda (2022)[1]
Location	Ggaba, Makindye Division, Kampala , Uganda 00°15′43″N 32°37′45″E
Website	library.gns.ac.ug
Location in Uganda

Location

The seminary is located in Ggaba, in Makindye Division, in the south of the city of Kampala. This is approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) southeast of the central business district of Kampala.^[2]

History

St. Mary's National Major Seminary was opened at the present location at Ggaba in 1970. In 1970, all four classes of Katingondo's theology students were transferred St. Mary's National Seminary. Since then, "more than 2,754 seminarians have been enrolled, of whom more than 1,990 have been ordained priests and more than 19 of them have been raised to bishops and archbishops".^[3]

Academics

The seminary is primarily a school of theology, which instructs seminarians in Theology before they are ordained priests. The seminary awards the Diploma in Theology on its own letterhead. It also awards a Bachelor of Theology degree in corroboration with the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. It also awards a Master's degree in Theology and Religious Studies in conjunction with Makerere University.^[3]

Overview

As of March 2025, this seminary is one of four national major Catholic seminaries in Uganda.^[3]

• St. Thomas Aquinas Katigondo Major Seminary: Teaching Philosophy.
• Uganda Martyr's National Major Seminary Alokolum, Archdiocese of Gulu: Teaching Philosophy.
• Saint Paul's National Major Seminary Kinyamasika, Diocese of Fort Portal: Teaching Theology.
• Saint Mary's National Major Seminary Ggaba, Archdiocese of Kampala: Teaching Theology.^[3]

Rectors

As of November 2022, the Rector of the seminary was the Reverend Father Lazarus Luyinda.^[1]