Before creating this Major Seminary
Uganda Martyrs’ Alokolum National Major Seminary has a rich history. It is located in northern Uganda, some 11 km west of Gulu city, on Alero off juba road. The area was called Alokolum because the predominant clan that emigrated from Anaka in 1920s by the order of the colonial government due to the prevalence of sleeping sickness there. There also households of other clans such as the Alero, Ayom, Ariya and Patuda. Many others would later enter from the nearby clans. All these indigenous people were of the Acholi tribe.
Alokolum under the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Uganda
The congregation of the Sacred Heart Brothers was founded in 1821 by a priest, Andre Coindre in Lyon (France) from where the brothers have spread too many parts of the world. They constituted houses or communities where the brothers live in a particular locality. The houses or communities grouped together to form a district attached to a province.
The Brothers came to Gulu (Uganda in 1931, in response to the “urgent plea” of Msgr. Vignato who was the then Prefect Apostolic of the Equatorial Nile. Msgr. Vignato called the Brothers “to fill in the serious need for Christian educators”. The first group consisted of four volunteers including Br. Norbert who stood as a replacement for Br. Julius who fell ill before the journey. All the brothers came from the New Orleans province of the USA. They arrived in Gulu on August 19th 1931. In the subsequent years, other Brothers added to their number.
Upon their arrival, they taught in St. Louis middle school located where what is now Negri College and University of Sacred Heart (formerly St. Joseph’s Catechists Center). The students of the brothers also included seminarians among whom were Cypriano Kihangire and Caesar Asili (future bishops of Gulu and Lira respectfully).
During the Second World War, (1939-1945) the Brothers were to take more responsibilities as all the Comboni Missionaries were interned at Katigondo seminary. Conditions worsened when the British government found Gulu mission ideal with its ample space and numerous buildings to be used as a post for Australian, New Zealander and South African troops being transported along the Great North Road to the North African deserts. The schools the Brothers taught in were relocated to St. Aloysius College Nyapea in 1940, a place that the brothers only left for a while in 1973.
In 1944 some of the Brothers decided to move back to Gulu. In subsequent years they taught )in many schools in northern Uganda. These include: St. Thomas Moore (normal school 1944-1945); St. Joseph’s Gulu (1946-1961); Comboni College Lira (1968-1972); Kitgum Secondary (1969-1971); Lacor Seminary (1973-1989). But nowhere has the work of the Brothers left a significant mark as the work they did in Alokolum where they lived and taught from 1952-1973. The work of the brothers was greatly appreciated by the Church hierarchy of the time as well as the colonial government. On Dec. 3rd 1947, the Apostolic Delegate based in Mombasa Msgr. David Matthew wrote to Br. Provincial (Br. Gilbert at New Orleans) requesting for more Brothers to be sent to Uganda (Gulu). The letter read in part:
The truth is that your Brothers are wonderfully qualified by training and character for working in these territories and the government appreciates their specifically American quality…..you can rest assured that we can find well equipped schools for as many Brothers as you will be able to send….
Alokolum: Site for the House of Formation of Brothers of Sacred Heart
One of the principal aims of the congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart was to crown their work by establishing a permanent group of devoted African Brothers of the Sacred Heart to ensure the sowing of the seed of Christian education and love for the way of the Lord to flourish and multiply in East Africa.
At the beginning of January 1948, Br. Norbert, the then Director General of the Brothers in Uganda, wrote to Bp. Angelo Negri, to solicit approval and grant permission for the establishment of a House of Formation (Aspirancy, Postulancy, and eventually Novitiate and a Scholasticate) for the native Brothers. Bp. Negri gave his support in his letter to Brother Norbert of January 25th 1948. The aspirants were recruited from many primary schools and at first they were kept at St. Joseph’s. It was in early 1952 that they were moved to Nyapea. As the number of the aspirants increased, decision was made to commit resources to a more definite program and on a permanent site. The place chosen was ALOKOLUM, the very site where the National seminary is. In 1952 the Brothers made a survey of several possible sites near Gulu. Of these, most residents remember a place called Tumpili – te got lalur, about 6 miles from Alokolum, and Alokolum itself. In the choice of Alokolum one of the persons who played a great role in influencing the decision for Alokolum was Mr. Philip Acaye (who passed on in 1997). He was a former student of the Brothers who also was teaching with them at Nyapea. Besides, his residence was very close to the location of Alokolum Seminary.
Consultations were held with the local people. The elders were consulted and agreement made to give the Brothers the place. The Brothers marked out the area they wanted. The affected people had to leave their homes and move to the outskirts of what is later to become Alokolum Seminary. Application was made for the use of the land (land lease title) and it was approved, obtained finally in 1955. The grant was to for 49 years.
The construction work at Alokolum: From 1952 – 1968
Upon the selection and approval of the use of the Alokolum land, the Brothers set about to work to clear the land (Br. Blaise) and to set about a kiln to fire the bricks (Br. Raphael). The local people remember of this period that many workers were brought from West Nile for the brick making.
In 1953 the granary was constructed with a ground and the first floor. The construction of the main buildings started at the beginning of 1955 and was completed on June 5th 1956. The next construction was of two dormitories: St. Denis and St. Gonzaga. The second phase of the construction work was of the classrooms, laboratories as well as more bed rooms for the Brothers. This block was the section that was burnt on the night of June 11th 1988. The chapel was erected by Br. Lionel, who was called to Alokolum for the work in 1962. This is the chapel the seminary has although there have been modifications and repairs here and there.
Alokolum: Uganda Martyrs’ College for H.S.C. Course
The brothers of Sacred Heart suspended recruitment for their formation house at Alokolum in 1968.
With the turn of events Alokolum was to be turned into an institution that offers Higher School Certificate for seminarians and candidates to the religious life. Previously, the education system in Uganda was that students with their Cambridge Overseas Certificate could enter a course at Makerere College that included preparatory courses that lasted for 2 years at the end of which they obtained HSC and so enter the degree programs. In 1960s the ministry of education established/developed higher schools to take this burden off Makerere.
The move by the Ministry of Education meant that the religious and the Seminarians who were to be brought to the university level would have to be provided an opportunity to have the two extra years of study. Hitherto, Seminarians from the Minor Seminaries, having completed senior four were in position to go to the Major Seminary for their philosophical and theological courses. This could not continue long because even the Church hierarchy demanded the seminarians who qualify for the Major Seminary should be at least educated academically to the level of university entrance.
The Bishops of Uganda and the superiors of different religious congregations for men then discussed and deliberated the possibility of establishing an inter-community and inter-diocesan H.S.C. School. In 1968, at a meeting held at Kisubi on Tuesday of October 8, chaired by Bp. James Odongo as acting chairman, particular details were suggested and discussed. These concerned the subjects to be taught, staffing, and the location of the college, intake and selection, governing bodies as well as the name of college. The subjects were to be both Sciences and Arts. The staffing was to include members of the different religious communities such as the Brothers of the Christian instruction, the White Fathers, the Sacred Heart Brothers, the Jesuits and the Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga (Banakaroli). Benedictine and some lay persons were also considered to be on the staff. The site earmarked was to be at Mt St. Teresa, Kisubi.
This was to be the site for 1969, while a permanent site near Kampala would be sought. This first intake was shared equally between the Brothers and the seminarians. Five names were proposed for the college, out of which Uganda Martyrs College was approved in the next meeting of Dec.19th 1968. In this meeting, Br. Arthur Greenwood of the Brothers of Christian instruction was chosen as Headmaster/Principal. The governing body was to include: 4 members of the Episcopal Committee for Seminaries, representatives of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, the Ssenkulu (Superior) of the Banakaroli Brothers, of De la Sales and three other persons among whom was Mr. Philip Acaye. During the meeting the Regional Superior of the Sacred Heart (Br. Barry) informed the members that facilities were available for H.S.C and the course could start even in 1969 with little or no alteration of buildings. However, the meeting decided that the H.S.C. was to start in Kisubi in 1969 while other sites including Alokolum were to be visited and assessed.
From Kisubi to Alokolum
December 28th 1968 is a significant date in the history of Alokolum. On this date the standing committee headed by Bp. Joseph Willigers visited Alokolum to assess its suitability for H.S.C. College the committee members were “deeply struck” and impressed. They recommended that the H.S.C. be housed at Kisubi only in 1969 and in Alokolum from 1970 onwards. They also recommended that the Sacred Heart Brothers remain the legal owners of the property and building at Alokolum and noted that the brothers go on using part of buildings for their students until the end of 1970. This would necessitate the building of additional dormitories and classrooms.
From that time Alokolum became Uganda Martyrs’ College. A contract was signed between the Sacred Heart Brothers and Gulu diocese with respect of the use of Alokolum as H.S.C. program. Gulu diocese represented the foundation body since neither Uganda Martyrs College nor the Episcopal Conference was a legal body. The Uganda Martyrs College was only registered with the Ministry Of Education in 1970. In the registration, its special status and preference for candidates for priestly and religious life was specified. According to the contract, the founding bodies had no right to decide on any change in the future use of Alokolum.
As a College, Alokolum was officially opened on May 15th 1970 by His Excellency, Msgr. Bellotti, the then Apostolic Pronuncio in Uganda.
The Students at Uganda Martyrs’ College
The first intake for the U.M.C. consisted of the 23 candidates that had their form five in Kisubi and continued with their form six at Alokolum. Later candidates joined Alokolum U.M.C. for form five. The students admitted in 1970 came from the 10 out of the 12 dioceses of Uganda and from Ruhengeri diocese (in Rwanda). Lira and Moroto dioceses were not represented. There were also Sudanese seminarians who were day scholars coming from Lacor seminary. The religious institutes who had students were the Jesuits, Banakaroli Brothers, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and Brothers of Christian Instruction from Uganda and Tanzania. By the middle of 1972, the students were from seven dioceses only and the 3 congregations of the Brothers. They numbered to 53, and of whom 26 were from the Brothers of Christian Instruction.
The Integration of the H.S.C. in the Seminary Formation
H.S.C program did not immediately fit well with the seminary formation program. Before the introduction of Uganda Martyrs’ College, there were some seminarians who, upon completion of senior four, opted to go for H.S.C., while others went directly to the Major Seminary. Now that there is official college to carter for H.S.C. courses, the modality for its implementation and integration with the seminary formation were to be stipulated. In his letter of April 22 1969 the Bishops conference with its chairman of the committee for the Seminaries, Bp. Adrian K. Ddungu informed U.M.C. authority that only students who had completed one year initiation course at Katigondo would be sent to the H.S.C course to Uganda Martyrs College. Later, however, the Episcopal committee for the seminaries decided that the seminarians be sent immediately after senior four, but those who did not qualify for the course be sent to the Major Seminary at once.
The committee also debated whether the U.M.C. was to be part of the National Seminary (since it was training seminarians). In such a case, it would have to have pro-Rector. This view was not accepted by the Board of Governors of U.M.C.
The Collapse of U.M.C. Alokolum
The inter-congregation and diocesan H.S.C. College at Alokolum was not to continue for long. Already by 1970, the principal, Br. Greenwood expressed concern for its future. A lot of money has been spent to prepare for 70 new students, but only a few candidates showed up. Besides, some Ordinaries were reluctant to send their students due to high costs (fees and other expenses). The Board of Governors reluctantly agreed that students other than seminarians and candidates for Brotherhood be accepted so as to fill the vacant place. This decision was opposed by some various people whose interest was vested in the College. There was also the problem of adjusting the seminary formation so as to integrate the H.S.C. program. Moreover, a number of bishops opted to provide for “A” level courses in their Minor seminaries. Besides, there was dissatisfaction with the College from the fact that many of the students who completed at U.M.C. did not continue with their Seminary formation. The loss of vocations, attributed to the College was very discouraging. The following letter sent by the Rector of Lacor Seminary, Fr. J. Volpetti, to the bishop of Gulu diocese illustrates the point:
… On behalf of Lacor Staff I have to declare that we have no confidence on the present situation of Alokolum which cannot be called a seminary and has proved the tomb of many vocations. Hence, we express our desire that none of our boys be sent there for the higher studies.
Consequently, the intake of U.M.C.-Alokolum became very low. The closing of the U.M.C. was imminently fixed after discussion in a meeting by the Board of Governors on October 25 1972 to be on November 30. 1973. This marked yet another chapter in the history of Alokolum. Alokolum was now open yet for another transformation, the change into a National Major Seminary.
The Creation of Third National Major Seminary
National Seminaries are a product of the cooperation of the Bishops of Uganda under the Uganda Bishops’ Conference. This kind of cooperation is one of the challenges posed by the Second Vatican Council. Before the establishment of the National Seminaries, there were seminaries that catered for particular regions. Katigondo in Masaka catered for Western Uganda and Northern Tanzania; Ggaba catered for Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya; and Lacor in Gulu catered for Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan.
In the implementation of the regional cooperation, the Bishops of Uganda established the National Major Seminaries. On February 1st 1967, by the decision of the U.E.C. Katigondo became the first National Major Seminary, the Major seminarians from Lacor and Ggaba started to arrive at Katigondo. By 1968, the U.E.C. decided to separate the philosophicum from the Theologicum and in 1970 St. Mary’s National Major Seminary was opened for Theology. And in 1973, Alokolum entered the scene as the third National Major Seminary.
The reason for another National Major Seminary was the high number of candidates to the Major Seminary that was beyond the capacity of Katigondo. The increase of vocation to the priesthood, in general is a great blessing, but also poses a challenge to the formation program. In general by 1970 the intake of Katigondo was as follows: 1970=140; 1971=138; 1972=131.
The decision to separate the Theologicum from philosophicum which led to establishment of Ggaba National Major Seminary was in part to address the increasing population at Katigondo Thus, after considering the reasons for the need of another National Major seminary, the conference agreed that Alokolum become the second seminary as a counterpart of Katigondo, basically like Katigondo, offering philosophical courses.
The choice of Alokolum was partly influenced by the involvement of the Bishops of Uganda in creating Uganda Martyrs’ College at Alokolum, and the availability of facilities for beginning the National Major Seminary. Bishop J. Willigers is one of the people who worked very hard for the establishment of Alokolum Seminary. He was the chairman of the Episcopal Committee for the Seminaries at the founding of the Seminary. The choice of Alokolum was partly influenced by the desire of the bishops to distribute the National Seminaries within the country.
The Brothers later were to leave Alokolum and all other communities in 1973 and move to Lacor Seminary. In 1993 they moved to a place adjacent to the seminary (Alokolum). This is a place that they later gave to the Brothers of Apostles of Jesus. From 1996, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart moved to Kampala so as to be in a better location in order to carry out effective recruitment for the whole of Uganda.
Difficulties, Challenges and Problems
Right from the start, Alokolum National Major Seminary has had to cope up with several difficulties, challenges and problems. Some of this can be seen here below:
- The difficulties of the beginning. There was anxiety of a new venture. It was, therefore, difficult to get initial staff. Not many were willing to be pioneering staff; for these matters, some bishops and religious superiors found it difficult to release personnel for Alokolum Seminary.
- For some, there were also initial concerns of discomfort situation at Alokolum posed by the climate and diet.
- Another ongoing challenge right from the beginning due to increasing enrolment over the years has been the inadequacy of basic facilities, accommodation, transport and utilities
- Umeme – Power cuts in Gulu
- Diversified sources of energy for the students’ kitchen – (Cooking stove and Bio-Gas)
- Inadequate space/room to accommodate the annually increasing number of seminarians at Alokolum National Major Seminary-Gulu.
- Digital library and access to online libraries
- Maintenance of the Old students’ Costa Bus and tipper Lorry
- None existence of the Land Title of Alokolum Seminary Campus site
- Rain harvest – too much rain water during rainy season not harvested
- No trained liturgist for years
Call to transition from Major Seminaries to Institute of Philosophy by CCE
Development and Self-Reliance Plans.
- Repayment / recovering the outstanding debt or writing it off (bad debt)
- Furnishing of the new Assembly Hall
- Reconstruction and renovation of St. Matthias Mulumba Hall of students’ residences. Reconstruction and renovation of Staff Dining House.
- Construction of students’ new dormitory
- Construction of a Perimeter Wall Fence
- Reconstruction of two Lawn Tennis Courts and a Basketball Court.
- Light industry: Re-establishment of the Seminary Grinding Mill- initiated and is in the process.
- Soil profiling and pavements on compound
- Rain water harvesting
- Solar power energy
- New Cooking Stove and Bio-Gas installations for the students’ kitchen
- Computer laboratory and internet connectivity
- Acquisition of Recent Publications of Philosophical books
- Training a Liturgist for Alokolum Seminary