Introduction

St. Joseph's Cathedral is the only Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 Cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

 in Gulu

Gulu

Gulu is a city in Northern Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The city is located at 2˚46'48N 32˚18'00E, on the metre gauge railway from Tororo to Pakwach. Gulu is located approximately , by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city...

, Gulu District

Gulu District

Gulu District is a district in Northern Uganda. The district is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial center, the town of Gulu.-Location:...

, Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

. It operates the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu and is the seat of Archbishop

Archbishop

An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 John Baptist Odama.

History

The Cathedral is a monument to the faith of the first Christians, and to the skills of the Comboni Missionary Brothers. The work was started in the year 1931 and completed in 1941.
The Brotherhood made and baked 800 000 bricks at the Oyitino River, from where Christians and Catechumens

Catechumen

In ecclesiology, a catechumen , “‘down’” + ἠχή , “‘sound’”) is one receiving instruction from a catechist in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism...

every Sunday after the Mass carried bricks on their heads to the site of building. The Cathedral was consecrated on 13th June 1947. Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
On 24th December 1938, while the work was still in progress, the first two priests from the Northern Region were ordained: Rev. Frs John Oῃom and Donasyano Bala.
The remains of Bishops Angelo Negri and Cipriano Kihangire were laid to rest in this Cathedral.
In 1994 the original roof with iron sheets was replaced by a roof of copper.
On the 6th of February 1993, Pope John Paul II entered the Cathedral to adore the Holy Eucharist.
In the year 2000 the original floor was replaced by a new one. The interior and the exterior were redecorated in 2000 and 2001