Fr John had intentions of building Bishop Cipriano University

Father John Scalabrini, had intentions of building Bishop Cipriano University before his death, Campus Bee has learned. This was revealed at the requiem mass held on Tuesday afternoon at Bishop Cipriano Kihangire SS in Luzira, Kampala.

After constructing Bishop Cipriano Kihangire SS, Luzira, the first school in Uganda to have self-contained hostels, smart boards in all the classrooms and Bishop Cipriano Kihangire Primary School, the Italian priest from Limido, who died at the age of 83, had hopes of constructing a university to fully accomplish his vision of founding kindergartens, schools, colleges and a university.

Fr John, died on Tuesday morning at St Francis Hospital, Nsambya in Kampala, where he was admitted last Thursday. He had been battling cancer of the bone for the last five years.

Fr John is remembered for sponsoring many students mainly those who were affected by the LRA war. According to the school alumni, he wanted equality among students, that is one of the reasons why at Bishop Cipriano Kihangire SS, students are not allowed to take edibles; he thought some students would feel out of place because they had less edibles.

“On visitation days, parents had to leave their cars outside the school gate so that one would not be able to know, whose Dad or mum had which type of car, who came by taxi, foot, etc thus promoting equality among students,” Emma Otimong, one of the school’s alumnus says.

He was once accused of training rebels but was acquitted of the charges after the government realized that he was just rehabilitating and helping former child soldiers to reform and live a better life.