St.Joseph the Worker, Bukondo Parish Community in Bunda Diocese in Tanzania

This Parish is situated in Ukerewe, Ireland, on Lake Victoria. The Missionaries of Jesus the Divine Master are serving in that Parish. St. Joseph the Worker Primary School is a Primary School in the Parish of St. Joseph the Worker, Bukondo Parish. The Missionaries of Jesus the Divine Master are serving as teachers in this Primary School in Ireland, shaping the future of the young stars.

History of the Parish of St. Joseph the Worker Bukondo

Initial plans and preparations to give Bukondo Sub-Parish the status of a parish began in 2012. His eminence Bishop Leonard Nkwande, the first Bishop of the catholic diocese of Bunda, now the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mwanza visited Bukondo sub-parish. The faithful of Bukondo Sub-Parish and the faithful of Busumba Sub-Parish submitted a request to be given the status and the bishop agreed and said that preparations for the construction of a priest’s house should begin from now on. At that time Bukondo Sub-Parish was under Itira Parish, under the supervision of father peter Dotto kabu (Parish Priest) now deceased.

On 01/05/2014, Bukondo Sub-Parish was made a designated parish by the proclamation of the Bishop Leonard Nkwande. Refer to his letter ref. JB/060/2014. That the patron saint of this parish is St. Joseph the worker. And the administrative areas included the following Sub-Parishes;

1.Busumba 2. Selema 3. Chankamba 4. Busiri 5. Igalla 6. Bwasa 7. Bukondo.

Itira parish continued to be given the responsibility of nurturing the chosen parish of St. Joseph the worker Bukondo under the presiding priest, father peter Dotto kabu.

On 14/08/2016, it was the day that father Leonard Mapendo was ordained a priest and was sent to be the general administrator of the chosen parish of St. Joseph the worker Bukondo, until it reached the status of a full parish. On 01/05/2018. St. Joseph the worker parish was made a full parish and father Leonard was appointed as the first Parish Priest.

The parish priest, in collaboration with the faithful, did a great deal of work including the construction of father’s house, the establishment of the St. Joseph the workers school, purchasing of the parish investments, a grinding machine, commercial buildings for the parish as well as a hostel, etc. He also helped people live a life of faith and the sacraments. On 21/11/2022, father Leonard Mapendo was officially transferred from our parish and transferred to the Bunda Diocese in Nyendo Parish for other duties.

Father Leonard Mapendo was replaced by father Thomas Mzee Kweka and immediately began his official work as a new parish priest of our parish. Father kweka has done many things including strengthening the faithful spiritually and giving sacraments and has also participated in the continuation of our school’s infrastructures, improvement to the priest’s house inside and out, initial steps in the construction of a brick face in the father’s resident, preparations for the ordination of frater Sarapion Shukuru, initial preparation for the maintenance of modern church benches.

On 30-08-2025, father Thomas Mzee Kweka was transferred from our parish and was assigned to other duties at the university of Jordan-Morogoro. On that same date we received a new parish priest father Charles Mugonza from Uganda (Member of Missionaries of Jesus the Divine Master). He officially began his duties that day as the parish priest of St. Joseph the worker Bunda Diocese

Parish Properties

• Christians
• Parish church and sub-Parishes
• Parish school
• Father’s House
• Grinding machine
• Investment properties/hostel/ rentals
• Trees planted on the parish land
• Land for the parish

Catechists

Our parish has only four catechists which are not enough; there is a need of getting more catechists.

The Sub-Parishes and their Small Christian Communities

Our parish is made up of sub-Parishes and Small Christian Communities and these are the following;

• The sub-parish of St. Joseph the worker Bukondo has 13 small Christian communities
• The sub-parish of St. Charles Lwanga Lelema has 6 small Christian communities
• The sub-parish of St. Charles Lwanga Busumba has 7small Christian communities
• The sub-parish of St. Peter Rubya has 1 small Christian community
• The sub-parish of St. Peter’s Kunene has 1 small Christian community