Who is Reverend Father Deogratius Kiibi Kateregga? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, family, age, tribe, relationship with Dr Augustine Kateregga and Teddy Nabayunga, career achievements and controversies, church ministry, early life and education of the current parish priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish in Mpigi, Uganda.
Reverend Father Deogratius Kiibi Kateregga is a Ugandan Catholic priest of the Kampala Archdiocese. He is currently the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish in Mpigi Town Council.
He has been a deacon of the Catholic Church at St. Mary’s National Seminary Ggaba since September 2010 and many other secondary schools in the parish.
Early life and Education
Father Deogratius Kiibi Kateregga was one of nine children — three girls and six boys — born to Dr Augustine Kateregga and Teddy Nabayunga on July 8, 1986, in the modern-day Kyotera District.
While his father was a physician at Kaliisizo Hospital, for 20 years he oversaw Kabuwoko Health Center IV. His mother Nabayunga, on the other hand, is a nurse who operates a clinic out of her home.
Father Kateregga was raised in a devoutly Catholic household which resulted in two of his sisters becoming nuns and one of his younger brothers, Bonny Rogers Muteekanga becoming a student at Kinyamasika Seminary pursuing a career as a priest.
For two terms, his father served as the dean of the laity in the parish and deanery of Biikira. At the Catholic Church in Kabuwoko, he also takes readings.
Father Kateregga completed his primary leaving exams at Mbuye Primary School owned by the Catholic Brothers congregation “Bannakalooli”.
He then attended a succession of seminaries for the remainder of his studies.
They include Bukinda Seminary in Kabale, Kisubi Seminary in Entebbe, Katigondo National Major Seminary in Masaka, and Ggaba National Major Seminary before enrolling in Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Italy, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies.
In addition, Father Kateregga holds a master’s degree in religious and theological studies from Makerere University, a certificate in guidance and counselling, a certificate in project planning and management, and diplomas in social and religious studies, religious and philosophical studies, and social and religious studies.
He also enrolled at Makerere University to pursue a master’s in journalism and communication.
Career and Professional Work Experience
After receiving his priestly ordination from Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga in 2014, Father Kateregga was immediately sent to Mpigi district’s Ggoli parish, where he served until 2015 when he was moved to Lubaga parish.
He oversaw the Ggoli Catholic Parish’s youth chaplaincy there. While there, his tendencies towards workaholism were discovered, leading to his relocation to the Catholic Church’s headquarters.
Only after he was appointed the archdiocese’s information coordinator in Lubaga did Kateregga decide to return to school to earn a master’s degree in Journalism and Communication.
He oversaw the Catholic Charismatic Renewal at the cathedral in addition to serving as an assistant cathedral administrator.
Except for Lubaga Girls SS and Uganda Martyrs High School, which have resident chaplains, he serves as the chaplain of the choirs and all secondary schools in the parish.
For important events, he also serves as the cathedral’s master of ceremonies. Typically, he gives sermons at Maria and Sapientia, two Catholic radio programmes.
In August 2019, Father Deogratius Kiibi Kateregga was however transferred back to Mpigi from Lubaga Cathedral as the Parish Priest.
Achievements and Awards
In 2018, Father Deogratius Kiibi Kateregga presided over the funeral mass at Lubaga Cathedral for the deceased musician Moses Ssekibogo, better known by his stage name Mowzey Radio.
At that service, he cemented his reputation as a celebrity priest by humorously denouncing the lifestyle of celebrities.
Nonetheless, he remained humble throughout his fame. He attributed it to the training from the Seminaries that taught him not to be proud.
Controversies
Father Deogratius Kiibi Kateregga was detained by the police in March 2020 for reportedly disobeying President Museveni’s order not to host religious gatherings to stop the coronavirus from spreading.
He was discovered on Sunday morning, streaming live on Facebook, along with five other persons.
Fr. Kiibi, who called the behaviour unprofessional, claimed that he was following the aforementioned COVID-19 worship and prayer standards and had not broken any laws.
Editor’s Note: Please contact flashugnews@gmail.com if you find any of the content to be inaccurate or outdated.
