The Cathedral is located on Lubaga Hill, in Lubaga Division, in the western part of the city of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in that East African country.

Lubaga is located approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi), by road, west of the central business district of Kampala.

In 1914 the missionaries began constructing a modern cathedral at Lubaga (Rubaga).

Construction was completed in 1925 and St. Mary's Cathedral Rubaga was consecrated on 31 December 1925.

[4] The remains of the late Archbishop Joseph Kiwanka (June 25, 1899 — February 22, 1966), the first African Catholic Bishop and the first African Archbishop of Kampala Diocese, are housed inside the cathedral.