Father Ssebalamu says being present to people ‘is my purpose’
While growing up in central Uganda, a boy named Charles witnessed how his parents, George and Immaculate, planted seeds of faith in their eight children by serving their Catholic parish and walking with their family to daily Mass.
That child, their eldest – now known as Father Charles Ssebalamu, pastor of St. Jude, Christiansburg – celebrated 25 years of priesthood on Aug. 3.
Besides the powerful faith example of his parents, Father Ssebalamu said, the community spirit of his hometown of Kyotera guided him toward his vocation.
“In Uganda, a child doesn’t belong to just one family; many people support the child,” he reflected. “I was no exception. I was supported by many people.”
He recalled the family’s daily walks to church, about two miles away, and how that taught him the importance of making time each day for worship.
“I developed a special admiration for priests and the priesthood at an early age,” recalled Father Ssebalamu, now 55.
After three years of specialized training, his father, a farmer, also is an assistant to the parish priest as a catechist — “the next best thing to being a priest,” Father Ssebalamu said. Both of his parents had once hoped to enter religious life when they were younger.
“By taking us every day to Mass, that helped me to love it,” Father Ssebalamu said. “They instilled in me a love for that vocation that they missed.”
‘This is my purpose’
Young Charles eventually became an altar server, often returning home to “play Mass” with his siblings. “I would make pretend vestments and altar cloths out of plantain leaves and would gather my siblings to be my congregation for Mass,” he recounted.
He was deeply impressed by the parish priests who visited people near and far, often by motorcycle.
“When I was very young, I wanted to be a priest so I could ride a motorcycle,” he said with a laugh. “They would ride to different places, anointing people.”
As he got older, he watched how the priests cared for people, a holy way of life that became more important than motorcycles.
“They were very loving, and that touched me,” he said. “Also, they were friendly to us kids. They took care of people, visiting and comforting them. To watch someone give their time to people is inspiring, even to children.”
For the past 25 years, Father Ssebalamu said, he has tried to emulate those priests.
“Being present with people is critical,” he said. “Even if you are tired, when you are with someone, you find the energy to listen to them. This is my purpose.”
Pastoral life: ‘the zeal to serve’
Since his ordination in 1996, Father Ssebalamu has served in a variety of places. He began in the rural Ugandan parish of Lwebitakuli for two years, followed by 13 years as priest secretary for the late Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa.
He was then asked to come to the United States, to join Father John Kazibwe and Father Matthias Lusembo in the Diocese of Richmond. Father Francis Xavier Musolooza, now pastor of Christ the King, Abingdon, and Bishop Kaggwa accompanied him to Virginia.
His first assignment was as parochial vicar for the cluster parishes of Good Shepherd, South Hill; St. Catherine of Siena, Clarksville; and St. Paschal Baylon, South Boston, working with Father Kazibwe as his pastor.
“It was a lot of fun,” Father Ssebalamu said.
Following that, he was assigned as parochial vicar at St. Bede, Williamsburg, working with Msgr. Michael McCarron and Father Sean Prince. He later became pastor of the cluster parishes of Good Shepherd, Lebanon; St. Therese, St Paul; and St. Mary, Coeburn, while serving as chaplain for the Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Virginia – Wise.
Since 2016, Father Ssebalamu has been pastor of St. Jude, Christiansburg, as well as chaplain for the Catholic Campus Ministry at Radford University. He also was recently appointed chaplain for St. John Neumann Academy in Blacksburg.
“St. Jude and the CCM are known for their welcoming spirit, and they welcomed me and accepted me,” he said, adding that the students have inspired him with their dedication to the Catholic faith and their eagerness for the sacraments. They have kept him energized with “the zeal to serve.”
After 25 years, he noted: “I owe it all to God’s graciousness and to all the people who have journeyed with me.”
God’s help in difficult times
Throughout the years and through many changes, Father Ssebalamu’s faith has been his rock.
“In any walk of life, even the priesthood, Father Ssebalamu you find challenges,” he said.
One dark time was when news of the abuse scandals in the Catholic Church began to emerge.
“Those were such challenging moments for me, but God helped me to be strong and to remember who I am serving,” he said. “There are so many holy priests in the Church, and people were very supportive.”
Another difficult time was during the shutdown due to the COVID pandemic.
“I had never been by myself, celebrating Mass on a Sunday and being in the church all alone,” he said. “That was so strange. But I felt God was there with me, and I felt the faith of all the people who were watching Mass from home.”
In good times and bad, he said, “It has always been God’s love and mercy that have held me up.”
‘Always pray’
His main piece of advice to everyone: “Always pray.”
Prayer gives people strength and encouragement in all things, he said. Most of all, it’s a way to simply be with God.
“It’s a conversation with the Lord,” he said. “Even if you don’t pray traditional prayers, you talk with your God as you talk to a friend.”
A rich prayer life, his own and others’, helped lead him to his vocation.
“A strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the Uganda Martyrs have really helped me in my greatest joy of serving the people,” he said, noting that he was named after Charles Lwanga, one of the 22 Ugandan Martyrs who died in 1886.
“We must always remember that God has a plan for our life,” he said. “We may not always know what it is, but God knows. He has a plan.”