The origin of Soroti Catholic Diocese, which till 1981 was part of Tororo Diocese (now known as Tororo Arch-Diocese), can best be traced from the history of the Catholic Church in Uganda in general and Tororo Diocese in particular. The advent of the first Catholic Missionaries to Uganda in 1879 is seen as the beginning of the local Church in Uganda with the establishment of the Vicariate of the Upper Nile in 1894 and the creation of Tororo Diocese in 1953. Tororo Diocese has evolved in 4 major phases, with Soroti Catholic Diocese being created in the fourth phase.

Phase I (1894 – 1925)

The Mill Hill Missionaries spearheaded the establishment and development of the Church in the Vicariate of the Upper Nile, an area that stretched from the present St. Peter’s Nsambya Parish in the Archdiocese of Kampala to St Patrick’s in Naivasha Kenya, Bukedi, and Teso. Bishops Henry Hanlon (1894 – 1911)and John Biermans (1912 – 1924) oversaw and laid the foundation of the Church by spreading the Gospel, teaching and establishing parishes. The establishment of the first parishes in Teso (the current Soroti Catholic Diocese) was as follows: