Clare
A cloud of grief and deep sorrow earlier on Saturday Jun 6, 2026 engulfed Kyange Village in Kinoni Parish, Masaka Catholic Diocese, as thousands gathered to bid farewell to Rev. Seminarian Mathias Ssali whose untimely death on Thursday came just days before his long-awaited Diaconate ordination. Ssali had just concluded Theology III at
Presiding over the funeral Mass, Rt Rev.Serverus Jjumba the Bishop of Masaka Diocese who described Ssali ‘s death as a shock to himself, urged the congregation to trust God even in the hardest moments like this, saying Man’s ways are not God’s mysterious ways.
Unfortunately, Mathias’s death at the age of 29, the same age his mother died when he was just one year old, and also the exact age he lost his elder brother, Lukwago,carries painful echo of family tragedy.
Reflecting on Life
In his homily, Rev. Fr. Dr. Leonard Ssettaba, a formator at St. Paul’s National Major Seminary Kinyamasika, urged mourners to reflect deeply on the meaning of life and the purpose of human existence. He encouraged them to live according to the reason for which they were created.
Fr. Ssettaba praised the large and orderly turn up of mourners, describing the late seminarian Ssali as one of the most reliable, obedient, neat, trustworthy, and prayerful students at the seminary. He noted that Ssali had truly understood his purpose in life and lived it through his humility, calmness, respectful character and prayer.
Emotional mesage
Speaking on behalf of his classmates, Rev. Seminarian John Vianney a close friend to the deceased Ssebutemba delivered an emotional speech when he revealed that when his illness intensified briefly, Ssali noted that his dream of priesthood had failed of him but encouraged his friend not to give up, adding that when he becomes a priest, Ssali himself would have become one in heaven.
The Rector of St. Paul’s Kinyamasika, Msgr. Vincent Muhindo, disclosed that the seminary had already confirmed Ssali’s readiness for ordination to the diaconate to Bishop Jjumba at a time of his convenience, only to be shocked by news of his death.
He commended the parents for raising a disciplined, prayerful, and intelligent young man whom God has called at a time when the world greatly needed him.
According to the postmortem report, Rev. Seminarian Mathias Ssali succumbed to anemia and leukopenia, conditions related to weakened blood cells.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.