A Labor of Love, Uganda

September 14, 2014

St. Julie Mission in Uganda is so blessed! For almost 20 years (1995-2014), the mission – a nursery, primary and secondary school deep in the Uganda bush – has educated hundreds of children because generous friends from the USA and Germany have provided personal and material resources for quality education. This summer‘s maintenance project is an excellent example.

From August 23 to Sept 7, seven men, skilled in the construction trades, came to Buseesa to do repairs on the aging buildings. Bob and Doug Simon, Jim and Michael Zilliox (two father-son combinations) Tom Rowe, and Don Young did an amazing amount of hard work. Bob organized the materials and made sure they were in place before their arrival. The men sanded and painted rusting railings; replaced rotten window screens, rehung ceilings damaged by leaking roofs after securing the roof etc. etc. Father Gerry Reinersman, a priest from St. Joseph parish, came along providing daily Mass and another pair of hard-working hands.

Much of the trip was funded by Father’s parish, St Joseph, Cold Springs, where SNDs had served for decades, and St. Mary Parish, where the Sisters withdrew recently after many years of dedicated ministry as well. The love and support that has characterized the Sisters’ relationship with the people of both parishes over the decades were obvious in their raising of almost $20,000.00 for the trip. The words of Scripture, “Whatsoever you do for the least of these, you do for me” came alive and St Julie Mission has taken on a new look.