KAMPALA – Monsignor Joseph Kizito, a Ugandan priest, was on Saturday, February 15, ordained Bishop of South Africa’s diocese of Aliwal North in a glamorous ceremony at Sauer Park Stadium, South Africa.
Msgr Kizito was appointed Bishop of Aliwal North Diocese by Pope Francis last November. Aliwal North Diocese is part of South Africa’s Ecclesiastical province of Eastern Cape.
The chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Bishop Joseph Antony Zziwa of Kiyinda-Mityana diocese, Kampala Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, and Bishop Serverus Jjumba of Masaka diocese, among other priests and members of the laity from Uganda were present.
Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka of South Africa’s Umtata Diocese, in his homily, urged the newly ordained bishop to guard against erroneous ways of worship.
“Dear Msgr. Kizito, having taken the commitment to teach, sanctify and govern the people of God and to guard against erroneous ways of worshiping in Aliwal North Diocese, we are sure that you will not be setting up golden calves in Aliwal North and seduce people to worship them as Jeroboam did in Northern Israel,” Bishop Sipuka said.
“But you can be sure that you will find existing erroneous ways of worship, which as a bishop you will have to correct,” Bishop Sipuka added and explained, “First of all, you will find that the worship of God is weak, and in some situations nonexistent because the worship of God today competes with the worship of selling and buying. People are not satisfied to buy and sell from Monday to Saturday morning, they also want to do the buying and selling on Sundays as well, so that Sundays in terms of business are just like any day.”
Bishop Kizito was incardinated in Aliwal North at his diaconate ordination and later ordained priest in September 1997.
Born in Wakaliga within the Archdiocese of Kampala in Uganda, Bishop Kizito had his basic education in Uganda. While in primary school at Christian Brothers’ School and Achilet Banakaloli Brothers’ School, he enrolled as an altar server and became a youth leader at Rubaga Cathedral.
He later joined the Order of the Servants of Mary at (OSM) in Kisonga and one year later he went to join St Augustine Major Seminary Roma Lesotho where he obtained his Cum laude Probatus degree in Philosophy.
