Laurean rugambwa biography of mahatma

Laurean Rugambwa (12 July 1912 – 8 December 1997) was the Catholic Church’s first contemporary native African Cardinal. He often narrated on how interesting the pastoral work was; he was fortunate to have a bicycle with which he travelled up to 50 kilometers to give services.

He was baptized with his parents at the age of eight.

Background

Laurean Rugambwa was born on July 12, 1912, at Bukongo in north-west Tanganyika in an aristocratic but pagan family. He was created Cardinal on 28th March 1960. In Rome while lodging at St. Pater's College he studied Canon law at the PontificalUrbanCollege both belonging to propaganda Fide.

The New Vicariate

In 1948 Bishop Burchard Huwiler of Bukoba reached the age of 80 and as his health was not good he retired.

He was ordained on 10th February 1952. He served as Archbishop of Dar es Salaam from 1968 to 1992, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1960. On February 10, 1952, he was consecrated as Africa’s youngest bishop by Archbishop David Mathew, with Bishops Joseph Blomjous, Joseph Kiwanuka, MAfr acting as co-consecrators. He built its first catholic hospital at Ukonga.

Both parents were converted to Christianity when he was nine.

His Bukoba diocese comprised of the then district of Bukoba while the new diocese of Rulenge under Bishop Alfred Lanctot comprised of the districts of Karagwe, Bihamulo and Ngara. By 1969 he had developed the diocese both spiritually and materially through hospitals and schools. Here he introduced religious from different congregations both men and women.

He is remembered for his simplicity, pastoral concern especially for the spiritual and social needs of the people, and his solicitude for the pastoral workers. He was consecrated to the priesthood on December 12, 1943, by Bishop Burcardo Huwiler, MAfr, after training at Katigondo National Major Seminary in Uganda. His father, a Batista, was descended from the Kings of Kiyanja and his mother from the royal Bayinga family.

At the end he founded a women religious congregation for Dar es Salaam, the Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.

Both in Bukoba and Dar es Salaam, he was the undisputed leader of all religious denominations, the Catholics, Protestants and Moslems. They managed with little financial support as they had little outside contacts.