Clergy

Born and raised in Fort Portal Western Uganda, Father Sam felt his first calling at the age of 16 when he found himself serving at the altar and /or frequently leading Morning Prayer at his home church.

He was ordained in 1996 at St. John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal and in 1997 came to the United States to complete his Master’s degree in Social Work at Bryn Mawr College. At this time, Father Sam began his service as an associate priest at several parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, including The Church of the Good Shepherd Rosemont, St. Luke’s Germantown, and All Saints Wynnewood. He was called to serve as Priest in Charge at Emmanuel Resurrection in Holmesburg in 2017 and in 2016 was called to be the Rector.

During these years of pastoral service, Father Sam continued his studies and was awarded his Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary. In 2017, Fr. Sam was appointed in 2017 as the Dean of the Pennypack Deanery which serves 12 parishes, including Emmanuel Resurrection, in the DIOPA.

Both in Uganda and the United States, Father Sam established two non-profit organizations (High Hope Development Foundation and High Hope International Mission) to help with cost of education for the youth of Fort Portal and help the widows become self-sufficient. One of the orphan helped through High Hope, is now the founder of Fort Portal International Nursing School as well as FINNS Medical University where Fr. Sam is Chancelor.

Fr. Sam is married to Yvonne Nyakaana Murangi with whom he has two daughters: Hannah Ester Murangi and Rebecca Jemima Murangi. In addition to spending time with his family, Father Sam enjoys praying, landscaping, reading History, Theology and Liturgy.