By Hillary Keingana
KABALE — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Fr. Gubazire Bosco Bonaventure, as the new Bishop of Kabale Diocese, bringing a priest with more than 20 years of missionary, academic, and pastoral experience back to his home diocese.
The announcement was received with joy across Kabale, where Fr. Gubazire was born and first answered the call to priesthood.
Ordained on 10 August 2003, Bishop-elect Gubazire is a member of the Society of Missionaries of Africa, widely known as the White Fathers. His ministry has taken him far beyond Uganda’s borders in service of evangelization and formation.
He currently serves as a lecturer and formator at Spiritan University College in Ejisu, Ghana. There he teaches philosophy and the social sciences and mentors seminarians. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy.
Throughout his priesthood, Fr. Gubazire has built a reputation for scholarship grounded in mission. His research and teaching interests include communitarian cultures, ethics, classical theism, and environmental stewardship.
His missionary assignments have spanned five countries: France, Mozambique, Malawi, the Philippines, and Ghana. That international experience reflects the White Fathers’ charism of crossing cultures to share the Gospel, while also focusing on education and human development.
Church leaders noted that his background in both the classroom and the mission field positions him to address the pastoral and social needs of Kabale Diocese today.
Originally from Kabale Diocese, Bishop-elect Gubazire now returns to shepherd the community where his vocation began. For many Catholics in the region, his appointment is seen as a homecoming that blends local roots with global experience.
“May God bless and guide him as he begins this new ministry,” was the message shared by well-wishers celebrating the appointment.
The date for his episcopal ordination and installation is expected to be announced by the Apostolic Nunciature in the coming weeks.
As Kabale prepares to welcome its new shepherd, attention will turn to how Bishop-elect Gubazire brings together his decades of formation work, academic depth, and missionary zeal to serve the diocese. End.
