{"id":234427,"date":"2026-10-30T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/?p=234427"},"modified":"2026-10-29T12:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T11:13:06","slug":"sacerdote-lawrence-kawagga-sacerdote-uganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/sacerdote-lawrence-kawagga-sacerdote-uganda\/","title":{"rendered":"From selling firewood in Uganda to becoming a priest in the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"

Father Lawrence Kawagga lost his father when he was nine years old and from a young age helped his mother raise her twelve children. He sold firewood, banana leaves, and food to continue his studies. His priestly vocation began when he was an altar boy, and thanks to the help of several people, he was able to train in Uganda and Spain. Today he serves as a priest in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Father Lawrence's story is defined by one word: perseverance. He was born on April 27, 1993, in Uganda, into a large, devoutly Catholic family. There were twelve of him. When he was just nine years old, his father died, and his mother, Annet, had to raise the family alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab90% of my Catholicism is due to my family,\u00bb Father Kawagga acknowledges in this interview with the CARF Foundation. He received his first teachings of the faith at home, even before attending catechism classes. His older brothers helped him read the Bible and discover how to integrate his spiritual life with his other responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But family life wasn't easy. His father's absence forced everyone to pitch in. From a young age, Lawrence began looking for different ways to earn money to help at home and continue his studies. He sold firewood and banana leaves in town, carried water from the ponds, sold food\u2014mangoes, corn, and avocados\u2014and did construction work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes he would travel up to ten kilometers between his home and the city to sell these products. "My family used to help me with my studies, and some friends helped me too," he explains. He, for his part, did everything he could to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lawrence<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The importance of being an altar boy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amidst those difficulties, his vocation also began to emerge. Lawrence was an altar boy, and his proximity to the altar and the priests awakened in him a restlessness that, in time, would become a life decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"My vocation arose when I was young, when I became an altar boy. I helped at Mass and the example of the priests made me want to be like them," he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, when he was still very young, Lawrence already knew he wanted to enter the seminary. The problem was financial: "I wanted to enter the seminary, but the cost was very high," he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason, he had to continue his studies at a Protestant school. But even there, he refused to renounce his faith. One day, he asked the headmaster to allow a Catholic priest to celebrate Mass for the Catholic students. The headmaster agreed, and in this way, Lawrence was able to continue receiving the sacraments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years passed, but that flame continued to burn within him. In 2011, he finally found the help he needed. "A priest helped me financially to enter the seminary," he recounts. Later, his bishop and others continued to collaborate so that Lawrence's vocation could flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the seminary of the Diocese of Kasana-Luweero, in his native Uganda, he studied Philosophy for three years and, subsequently, Theology for two years. His path to the priesthood was beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Uganda to Pamplona<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was then that his bishop sent him to Spain to continue their studies<\/a> at the International Ecclesiastical College Bidasoa<\/a> and at the University of Navarra. He arrived in 2018 and remained in Spain until 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"I was given a very warm welcome in 2018 and that continued until I left," she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Pamplona, he found not only a university where he could complete his academic training, but also an international community that would profoundly shape his experience. "I loved studying with seminarians from 39 countries. That gave me a lot of life experience," he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a young man from Uganda, living with seminarians from so many parts of the world was an opportunity to broaden his perspective on the Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"Being with people from various countries has helped me to be a more international priest and to have a better approach to each person," he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also had to face one of the biggest challenges of his arrival in Spain: the language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"It wasn't always easy, because I come from a country that speaks 45 dialects and whose national language is English. So it wasn't easy to learn Spanish," she admits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he ended up turning that difficulty into a tool for his future ministry. "I thank God because now I can speak Spanish well, which has helped me a lot in my ministry as a priest," he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lawrence<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A training that bears fruit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

His time in Bidasoa and at the University of Navarra was not limited to academic preparation. Lawrence especially emphasizes the spiritual growth he experienced during those years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abMy spirituality expanded greatly and remains so to this day,\u00bb he says. Among the memories he cherishes most is the way he experienced the liturgy: \u00abI loved the liturgy in Bidasoa, the reverence for the Holy Eucharist.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He adds that that experience has directly influenced his current ministry: "It's my strongest point when preaching now.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training he received in Spain has also helped him to connect with people from different cultures and to navigate an international pastoral context. The Spanish he learned during his years in Pamplona has even become a tool for his ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After returning to Uganda, Lawrence spent a year doing pastoral work in his diocese of Kasana-Luweero. He was later ordained a deacon and, on August 17, 2024, received priestly ordination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His first assignment as a priest was the parish of Katikamu, where he remained for a year. Afterward, his bishop sent him to the United States, to the Diocese of Grand Island in Nebraska. He currently serves at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Kearney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ as director<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The priestly life has taken Lawrence from Uganda to the United States, passing through Spain. Three countries, three cultures, and very different experiences have helped him to better understand the universality of the Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with the challenges of the priesthood, he believes that the essentials do not change: "Growing in faith in God and being prepared for what comes, putting Christ as our guide.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawrence knows he couldn't have made that journey alone. His family was fundamental. So were the priests who accompanied him, his bishop, and the people who made his formation possible. Among them, the benefactors of the CARF Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His gratitude towards them is especially expressive: "CARF's benefactors are angels sent from heaven to come to our rescue.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he explains why his help has a reach that goes far beyond each priest who receives a scholarship: "Many of us would not be what we are, but because of his generosity we are priests.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/h3>