Father Nicholas Kayongo
By: Chase Muro
Every priest has a story long before he ever stands behind an altar.
For Father Nicholas Koyongo, that story begins in Kampala, Uganda, one of Africa’s great Catholic cities. According to Uganda’s 2024 national census, approximately 37.4% of Ugandans identify as Roman Catholic, making Catholicism the country’s largest single religious denomination (Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2024). Faith is deeply woven into everyday life, and for Father Nick, it all began at Christ the King Catholic Church in Kampala.
As a young boy, Father Nick served as an altar server, watching priests celebrate the Holy Mass and quietly wondering if God might someday be calling him to do the same.
That calling became much clearer when he was just 13 years old.
An American Holy Cross priest named Father Bob, originally from Michigan, came to Uganda as a missionary. Although he spoke English, Father Bob celebrated Mass and ministered primarily in Lusoga, embracing the local culture and language. More importantly, he encouraged young men to seriously discern whether God might be calling them to the priesthood.
His witness left a lasting impression.
For Father Nick, that encouragement became the beginning of a vocation that would shape the rest of his life.
When he was old enough, he entered seminary in Masaka before continuing his studies at a major seminary in Kampala.
The first several years were devoted to philosophy. He studied the writings of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas while learning ethics, logic, metaphysics, and the philosophical foundations that have guided the Catholic Church for centuries.
After completing philosophy, he entered theology.
For another several years he immersed himself in Sacred Scripture, studying the Bible from beginning to end, along with Church doctrine, the sacraments, moral theology, canon law, and pastoral ministry. It was an intense period of intellectual and spiritual formation, preparing him not simply to preach, but to shepherd souls.
Before ordination, Father Nick spent a full year serving at St. Joseph Parish in Kampala.
That pastoral internship taught lessons no classroom ever could.
Each morning began with prayer and Mass before the day’s ministry unfolded. Some days meant visiting hospitals and praying with the sick. Other days involved schools, parish outreach, home visits, or helping wherever the parish needed him. It was there that he learned what daily priestly life truly looks like… Serving Christ by serving His people.
After years of preparation, Father Nick was ordained to the priesthood on August 11, 2014.
Ordination is unlike any other day in a priest’s life.
Before the bishop, he made promises of obedience and lifelong service to the Church. As the Litany of the Saints was prayed, he lay prostrate before the altar, entrusting his life completely to God. His hands were anointed with sacred chrism, he was vested in priestly garments, and for the first time he celebrated the sacred mysteries as a priest of Jesus Christ.
“It was a very long day,” Father Nick recalled with a smile.
His first assignment brought him back to serve in his hometown.
For seven years he ministered among the very people who had watched him grow up. Familiar faces filled the pews each Sunday. He baptized children, celebrated marriages, buried loved ones, and walked with families through every season of life.
Eventually, however, the Church called him halfway around the world.
Leaving Uganda also meant leaving behind his siblings and many of the foods he had grown up loving. Those are things he still misses today.
But God had another parish waiting for him.
Today Father Nick serves Sacred Heart Parish in Battle Ground.
One of the biggest adjustments wasn’t moving to America. it was celebrating Mass entirely in English.
Although fluent in English, preaching to an American congregation required him to slow down, pronounce words differently, and adjust to a new culture. Like any missionary, he learned that communication is about far more than vocabulary.
Thankfully, the people of southwest Washington made that transition much easier.
He now considers Battle Ground home and speaks warmly about the kindness and hospitality of his parishioners.
When I asked Father Nick what he loves most about being a priest, he didn’t hesitate.
“Celebrating the sacraments.”
Whether offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, hearing confessions, baptizing a child, witnessing a marriage, or bringing Christ to someone in their final moments, those encounters remind him why he answered God’s call all those years ago.
I also asked which saints have influenced him most.
Naturally, he smiled when mentioning his patron, St. Nicholas.
He also has a deep devotion to St. Lawrence the Deacon, whose feast day is celebrated each year on August 10.
But perhaps no saint holds a more special place in his heart than St. Charles Lwanga and the Uganda Martyrs.
In 1886, Charles Lwanga and his companions courageously gave their lives rather than deny Christ, becoming some of the greatest witnesses to the Catholic faith in Africa (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.). They were canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964, and in 1969 Pope Paul VI became the first reigning pope ever to visit Uganda, an event remembered with tremendous pride throughout the country (Vatican, 1969). Father Nick remembers hearing stories from his parents and seeing photographs of that historic visit.
Before concluding our interview, I asked Father Nick what he would say to someone who is curious about God or wondering where life is leading them.
His advice was beautifully simple.
“Reflect upon your life.”
Take time to slow down.
Find moments of quietness.
Step away from the noise and distractions of everyday life and honestly reflect on where you are and where God may be leading you.
Sometimes, he said, it’s important to find times of quietness to reflect on life.
I also asked Father Nick what gives him hope for the future of the Catholic Church.
Without hesitation, he spoke about the remarkable growth he has witnessed throughout his life.
Growing up in Uganda, he watched the Church continue to flourish. He also pointed to the tremendous growth taking place throughout many countries in Asia, where more people continue to embrace the Catholic faith.
That same hope is something he now sees here at home in southwest Washington.
At Sacred Heart Parish in Battle Ground, Father Nick has watched the OCIA program continue to grow year after year as more adults seek the Catholic faith and prepare to enter the Church. For him, those growing classes are a reminder that God is still calling people today, just as He called a thirteen-year-old altar server in Kampala many years ago.
It was a fitting way to end our conversation.
Father Nick’s story stretches from the bustling streets of Kampala to the quiet neighborhoods of Battle Ground, but at its heart, it is not a story about geography.
It is a story about saying “yes.”
Yes to God’s call.
Yes to serving others.
Yes to leaving behind what is familiar in order to bring Christ to people thousands of miles away.
Father Nick, thank you for taking the time to share your story with me. Thank you for your joyful witness, your faithful service to God and His Church, and for welcoming so many people into the Catholic faith through your ministry. It was truly an honor to hear your story, and I am grateful for your time, your wisdom, and your vocation.
Because everyone has a story.
Sometimes, that story begins with a thirteen-year-old altar server quietly wondering if God might have something greater in mind.
References:
Christ the King Parish Kampala. (n.d.). Christ the King Parish. https://christthekingkampala.org/
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Saint Charles Lwanga. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Charles-Lwanga
Uganda Bureau of Statistics. (2024). National Population and Housing Census 2024. https://x.com/StatisticsUg/status/1841788958146998421
Vatican. (1969). Homily of Pope Paul VI in Kampala. https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/homilies/1969/documents/hf_p-vi_hom_19690731.htm