The information on this website is a guide on where to find religious services when visiting or relocating to Bukoba Municipality and surrounding areas. Due to the street numbering system in Bukoba, the exact address for a building cannot be provided. The location information provided here refers to the closest intersection from where you can see the church, mosque, or temple. Telephone and email addresses for the institution are provided if available. Likewise, mass, service, and work hours are provided if available. When appropriate, religious institutions outside of Bukoba Municipality are included.

Bukoba Roman Catholic Cathedral

The Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) Roman Catholic Cathedral is the most beautiful, most visible, and the largest stand-alone structure in the Bukoba Municipality. It houses the tomb of Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa, the first Africa Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Location
Jamhuri Road & Barongo Road, Bukoba (map)

Office hours
Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm – 500 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am – 12:30 pm

Daily Mass times
Monday – Saturday: 6:30 am
Sunday Mass times: 6:30 am & 8:00 am (Swahili); 10:00 am (English); 3:00 pm (Children’s Mass)

Contact information
NOTE: The following contact information is cellphone number and changes with priest assignments.
Tel. (255) 766 397 638 (with WhatsApp)
Tel. (255) 625 914 913 (with WhatsApp)

Pictured: Cathedral Front and Side View

Pictured: Cathedral Sanctuary & Bishop’s Seat

Pictured: Cathedral’s Inside Front Wing

Pictured: Aerial View of the Cathedral’s Inside Front Wing

Pictured: Cathedral’s Inside South Wing

Pictured: The tombs of Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa (center), Bishop Nestor Timanywa (right), and an empty tomb for the burial of future bishops (left).

Bunena Roman Catholic Church

Built in 1914, Bunena Roman Catholic Church was the first Catholic Mission Church in Bukoba Municipality. It was a Cathedral from 1947 to 1968 when Laurent Tetrault, Alfred Lancton, and Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa were bishops of Bukoba.

Location
Shore Road, Bukoba (map)

Daily Mass times
Monday – Saturday: 12:30 am
Sunday Mass times: 8:00 am

Pictured: Bunena Roman Catholic Church

Ntungamo Major Seminary

St. Anthony of Padua Major Seminary (locally known as Ntungamo Major Seminary) educates and forms seminarians preparing for the Catholic priesthood. Seminarians are from Bukoba and across Tanzania. It is located on the hills overlooking Lake Victoria on the west side of Bukoba Municipality off Maruku Road.

Location
West side of Bukoba Municipality (map)

Pictured: Ntungamo Major Seminary

Pictured: Ntungamo Major Seminary Chapel

Kashozi Parish Church

Kashozi Parish is the oldest Roman Catholic Mission in the Bukoba Catholic Diocese. The present church is located at Kashozi, about 5 – 6 km from Bukoba Municipality along Kashozi Road. It is included on this site for historical reasons.

Pictured: Kashozi Parish Church

Annual Pilgrimage of Marian Shrine at Nyakijoga

Nyakijoga is a shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes where pilgrims may receive God’s grace through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The shrine is located in Mugana Parish about 29 km from Bukoba Municipality and is visited by many religious faithful from Kagera Region, across Tanzania and neighboring countries. The pilgrimage to Nyakijoga Shrine is on the first Sunday of October every year.

Location
Nyakijoga, Mugana Parish (map)

Pictured: Pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine at Nyakijoga

Rutabo Parish

Located about 45 – 50 km from Bukoba Municipality on the Kianja plateau is Rutabo Parish, which is the birthplace and home Parish of Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa. It was also the seat of the former Rutabo Diocese which was suppressed in 1953 to establish the present Bukoba Diocese. Although the church is a considerable distance from Bukoba Municipality to attract visitors, it is included on this site for historical purposes.

Pictured: Rutabo Parish