The Uganda Martyrs Catholic Parish, Munyonyo Minor Basilica, marked its tenth anniversary on Friday, 23 October 2026, with the unveiling of a new Coat of Arms by the Archbishop of Kampala, the Most Rev. Paul Semogerere.
The unveiling formed part of the anniversary celebrations, which brought together clergy, government officials led by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, and the faithful to give thanks for the parish’s growth and to reflect on its mission in the years ahead.
The Coat of Arms has been developed in accordance with Catholic ecclesiastical heraldic tradition. It brings together the spiritual heritage of the Uganda Martyrs and the dignity of the Minor Basilica, and incorporates traditional basilica insignia, including the papal crossed keys and the ombrellino, the ceremonial umbrella associated with the title of Minor Basilica.
The new emblem will be used alongside the existing Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine logo, each serving its appropriate purpose in the worship, communication and identity of the Basilica and Shrine Celebrating Mass, Archbishop Ssemogerere urged the faithful to measure the parish’s success not by its buildings or growing numbers, but by the strength of its faith, unity, charity and commitment to Christian values. The Mass coincided with the memorial of St John of Capistrano, a Franciscan pre chemended the Franciscan Friars for transforming Munyonyo into a magnificent place of prayer and pilgrimage over the past decade. He also paid tribute to the late Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, whom he credited with the vision and determination to establish the parish and entrust its development to the Franciscans.
Reflecting on Munyonyos place in the Archdiocese, the
Archbishop described it as a source of spiritual strength and unity, drawing people from different backgrounds together through prayer, pilgrimage and devotion to the Uganda Martyrs.
In his remarks, the Rector of Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine, Fr Male, thanked God for the parish’s progress, noting that its history reaches well beyond its establishment in 2016 to the martyrdom of Christians during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga Il in 1886. Munyonyo holds a special place in Uganda’s
Catholic history through its association with St Andrew Kaggwa, St Denis Ssebugwawo and St Pontian Ngondwe, whose witness continues to shape the Shrines spiritual iden “Munyonyo is built upon the blood of the martyrs,” Fr Male said, attributing the Shrines development to God’s grace rather than to human planning alone
The site was entrusted to the Conventual Franciscan Friars in 2013, and construction of the church began in May 2015 following a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala. Pope Francis’s visit to Uganda in November 2015 further raised the project’s profile. The parish was officially inaugurated on 23 October 2016 by the late Archbishop Lwanga,

the church was consecrated in 2017, and it was elevated to the status of Minor Basilica in 2019. Its twelve pillars, representing the apostles, are arranged in the shape of a cross, reflecting the Church’s apostolic foundation.

The chief guest, Rt Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, noted that the parish was inaugurated on 23 October 2016 in honour of Pope Francis’s historic visit to the site in November 2015.

“What was then a growing shrine has, within a decade, become a minor basilica, a place of national and international pilgrimage, a centre of sacramental life, and a living memorial to the courage of the Uganda Martyrs,” he said. “On this ground, we stand in a very sacred place.