Father Augustine Lukenge

Father Augustine Lukenge was born in central Uganda in the kingdom of Buganda in the district of Mityana. He hails from the Catholic Diocese of Kyinda-Mityana.

Fr. Lukenge was ordained a priest on Aug. 9, 1987. He served as a parochial vicar in Uganda for two years and a chaplain at a high school for girls who aspire a religious life. He also served as a pastor of Our Lady of Assumption, Buyambi Parish in Uganda.

Later, he was sent to Sacred Heart in Mubende where he served for four years.

Fr. Lukenge was then appointed by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples as National Director of the Pontificator Mission Societies, popularly known as PMS. Additionally, the Bishop’s Conference of Uganda appointed him Deputy Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference.

Fr. Lukenge served in these two capacities for a total of eight years.

In 2007 when he finished his term there, Fr. Lukenge went back to his diocese and was appointed rector of the Cathedral Parish of Mityana.

In 2016, he was appointed by the bishop to serve in the Diocese of Richmond. 

Fr. Lukenge arrived in the Alleghany Highlands in July 2018 from South Hill, where he served churches in South Hill, Clarksville and South Boston. Fr. Lukenge serves as administrator of the Clustered Catholic Parishes of the Alleghany Highlands. Those parishes include Sacred Heart in Covington, St. Joseph in Clifton Forge and the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Hot Springs. In addition to his duties with the church, he also serves as co-chaplain at LewisGale Hospital-Alleghany.