..... cfr sudan mission

New Blog!

2011-09-18T06:00:00.001+03:00

Please continue to follow us at the new

Franciscan Mission Outreach Blog:

http://franciscanmissionoutreach.blogspot.com/

Fr. Herald's New Missionary Assignment

2011-09-12T06:00:00.001+03:00

Many of you know that we concluded our missionary presence in South Sudan shortly after the referendum on independence in January of this year. For the past six months I have been residing at St. Crispin Friary in the Bronx and helping at the St. Anthony Shelter for Renewal. A few weeks ago I received final word on a new assignment that begins this month, that of being a missionary preaching friar. I will continue to be based at St. Crispin’s , but will be able to travel regularly to mission sites in developing countries, especially where our friars have an existing relationship of collaboration with local friends. This includes visits to places where I have served previously in Honduras and Africa, which makes me very happy. The purpose of these journeys is to encourage the local church through efforts of evangelization and formation, and when possible to offer assistance to those in need. I will also do some limited preaching in the United States, especially for mission-related purposes.

This new assignment is supported by Franciscan Mission Outreach, a non-profit organization that helps to sponsor missionary endeavors of the Friars of the Renewal. Donations made to Franciscan Mission Outreach will assist in providing for the international missionary efforts I will undertake, as well as for the life and ministries of the CFRs. I will be sharing experiences from this new assignment on the Franciscan Mission Outreach Blog at: http://www.franciscanmissionoutreach.blogspot.com/. Please continue to follow us there.

My first missionary journey of this new assignment will be to head back to Africa in mid-September for a seven-week trip to four countries on the eastern side of the continent. I will have Maynor Ballesteros and Dr. William Stallings of Missioners of Christ as missionary companions. In Kenya planned activities include a visit to the Somali refugee camp in Dadaab, a week of faith formation for older students at Our Lady of Grace School in Kisumu, and combining with the Missionaries of Charity for youth evangelization in Nairobi. It will be a great joy and a privilege to visit the new Republic of South Sudan, catch up with lay missionary Dennis Kiyimba and reconnect with the missionary youth and other friends in the Diocese of Torit, especially now as Bishop Akio Johnson Mutek has returned from successful medical treatment abroad. The team will be making a brief stop in Uganda to spend a few days at Emmaus Center for Catholic Evangelization and Discipleship and see Dennis' wife Agnes, due with their first child in November. From there I will meet up with Fr. Donald Haggerty of New York, working in priestly formation in Addis Ababa, to explore future possibilities for outreach in Ethiopia.

In November I will travel to Honduras to assist Missioners of Christ in preparing a group of older Honduran youth to embark on a week of evangelization, and then accompany the youth into the mountains where they will be sharing their faith and inviting the villagers to participate more fully in the life of their local parish. I will also have the chance to see good friends like the young men and staff at Jesus of Nazareth Farm. Being in Central America will also afford the opportunity to make a short trip to neighboring Guatemala to see some friends and missionary contacts in Guatemala City, Jalapa and Esquipulas. Future plans include journeys to Haiti (in January) other African and Latin American countries and perhaps Asia. As my schedule permits, I will be doing limited mission-related preaching in the US.

When not on the road, and for a total of at least 12 weeks a year, I will be at St. Crispin Friary in the Bronx, participating in the life there as a member of the local fraternity, and helping out as I’m able at the St. Anthony Shelter for Renewal and in the friary’s other activities. I plan to do a little local preaching as well, and do some spiritual formation with the YOUTH 2OOO New York team, joining them for retreats in the metropolitan area when our schedules coincide.

Great Short Video about the New Republic of South Sudan

2011-08-19T18:35:00.001+03:00

I thought you might like to see this mini-documentary produced by my Polish filmmaker friends whose visit to the Diocese of Torit I helped to coordinate in the fall of 2009. It really gives you a sense of how momentous the reality of independence is for the Southern Sudanese. It also highlights the role of faith, prayer and the Church in this process.

I also wanted to give you a little advance notice that after six months of living at St. Crispin Friary in the Bronx and helping at St. Anthony Shelter for Renewal, I've received a new assignment as a "missionary preaching friar," which will enable me to travel to mission areas (especially where our friars already have a relationship with people in that location) and to encourage missionary service. The assignment will begin on September 1st. More information to come...

It's Official - South Sudan to Become an Independent Nation!

2011-02-08T12:00:00.001+03:00

Icon of Our Lady of Sudan by Sallie Thayer
(http://salliesart.blogspot.com/2011/01/our-lady-of-sudan.html).

Today is the feast of St. Bakhita of Sudan, and it seems to be a fitting occasion to post what may be the concluding entry for this blog. In God's providence, yesterday - February 7th - the official results of the referendum on the independence of Sudan were formally announced. The final tabulation listed 98.83% voting for separation and 1.17% in favor of unity. Sudanese President Omar al Bashir has been quoted as saying that he will accept the results and respect the decision of the people of South Sudan to separate and form their own nation. The United States has expressed its intention to recognize South Sudan as an independent sovereign state in July on the date specified for the inauguration of the new country.

We can only give thanks and praise to God for the amazing way in which these historic events have unfolded, and will of course continue to accompany this new nation and it's beloved people in prayer.

St. Bakhita, pray for us!
Our Lady of Sudan, pray for us!

Farewell Photos

2011-02-08T05:19:00.001+03:00

Priests of the Diocese of Torit at the farewell gathering in Sudan.

The evening before Fr. Sylvester and I left Sudan, Vicar General Fr. Celestino Murras hosted a farewell gathering for us on behalf of the diocese at which local priests and the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth participated. It was a bittersweet occasion for us, one mixed gratitude and sadness. The youth came for Mass early the next morning and insisted on staying till we left for the airstrip. To our surprise the missionary flight arrived two hours ahead of schedule and we had to say a rushed, tearful goodbye to the young people and race to the airstrip to catch the plane.

St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth with Fr. Sylvester and me.

While in Kenya, before departing the continent of Africa, my good friends of Communion and Liberation in Nairobi hosted a farewell celebration at St. Joseph Parish in Kahawa Sukari on the outskirts of the city after the 11:00 am Mass at which I presided and preached. As always there was lots of singing and laughter, including the humorous action song led by Chrispine and the children below. Porzia is playing the guitar in the background.

A warm CL goodbye in Nairobi.

I was also grateful for the opportunity to make a final trip to Kisumu to say goodbye the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who have so graciously welcomed me for times of rest and prayer at St. Catherine's Home.

Left to right: Sr. Mae, Sr Teresa Marie, Fr. Herald, Sr. Patricia, Sr. Mary Thanh.

A Parting Gift of Water... Almost!

2011-02-08T05:06:00.000+03:00

One of the last projects Fr. Sylvester and I tackled in Sudan was to arrange a water connection to the Mercy House compound. The entire time we've been there we've hauled water pumped from wells for both drinking and bathing. But a number of weeks ago, someone alerted us to the fact that a water line from the small town water system passed within a few blocks of Mercy House. It took a lot of phone calls (Sebastian at the town public works office was extremely helpful)and the assistance of a variety of people with different skills and abilities (plumbers, electricians, welders), and in the end a submersible pump ordered and delivered from Nairobi and installed by a technician based in Juba.

In the end, our in-ground cistern was being filled with water from the large town tank (top photo), which was itself filled with treated water from the Kinati river. And the submersible pump is primed and ready to move the water from the cistern to our above-ground tank (bottom photo). The only thing left to be done (once the skilled laborers return to Torit after the referendum) is to seal the connection from the tank to the pipe that feeds the water system of the house. Then Mercy House will have indoor running water for the next group of religious or missionaries who will reside there.

Our Last Mass in Helio

2011-01-17T08:00:00.002+03:00

Yesterday morning we celebrated our last Mass in Helio, the small community about 15 minutes outside of Torit heading toward Katire. It was beautiful, but also a little sad for us. It's been wonderful to see this community become more and more alive each Sunday in the past three months we've been visiting regularly.

Right after Mass the results from local polling centers were announced. It's beyond a landslide; it's a total blowout. Again there was 99%+ turnout of registered voters, 99%+ of whom voted for secession.

Both on the way to and from Helio we encountered vehicles that were part of a UN caravan bringing IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), who had been refugess in the north since wartime, to resettle them in the south. They will be temporarily sheltered at a UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) reintegration base just outside Torit, where the Red Crescent (a counterpart of the Red Cross that works in countries where there is a strong presence of Islam) is assisting, until they can be relocated near their original homes.

Beyond Amazing!

2011-01-15T22:00:00.003+03:00

The referendum voting has concluded in South Sudan, and the results are staggering. Many polling centers reported a 100% turnout of those registered there, and others were only a few votes shy.

One center returned these figures:

total votes: 2669
secession: 2654 (99.44%)
unity: 12 (less than 1%)
invalid: 1
missing: 2

Yesterday there was very encouraging news from Khartoum. A senior National Congress Party (Bashir's party) official made the statement that voting in the south was "broadly fair," and indicated the north would accept the result.

It's beyond amazing. It's absolutely a God event!

Random Market Photo

2011-01-15T09:00:00.003+03:00

Unusual visitors that showed up in the Torit market shortly before Christmas and are still around.

Referendum Turnout Surpasses Validity Threshold

2011-01-14T12:17:00.000+03:00

It was officially reported earlier this week that the percentage of those who registered for the referendum last month and have already turned out to cast their vote since the polling stations opened on Sunday has surpassed the 60% required by the referendum act for a valid outcome.

South Sudan Referendum Commission Eastern Equatoria State High Committee Office in Torit.

Yesterday I happened to be walking by the local referendum committee office, and one of the staff there told me that they expected to confirm by the end of the day that Eastern Equatoria State (where Torit is located) had exceeded an 80% turnout of those registered, and there are still two days of voting to go! That figure is also expected to be reached or surpassed in many regions of the South. Some polling stations are reporting near 100% turnout, with just a small number short of a perfect score. A friend in the US wrote yesterday to say that she saw on the news that despite a huge snowstorm in Omaha, a very large number of Sudanese residing there turned out to vote.

Sadly, it was also reported that in the highly charged area of Abyei, more than 40 people had been killed in ethnic and referendum related violence, including several who died in an attack on a bus bringing southerners home from the north. The tragedy of these unnecessary deaths, however, have not marred the overwhelmingly peaceful and positive experience of the referendum.

A woman I met near the referendum committee office who wanted her photo taken.

Please keep praying that things continue to progress constructively, especially in the wake of the vote. The response of Khartoum and the rest of the international community to the results, once they are announced, will be crucial as to how things unfold.

Conclusion of CFR Sudan Mission Following Referendum

2011-01-11T15:30:00.000+03:00

As many of you know, I'm well into the third year of a special three year missionary assignment in Sudan, and Fr. Sylvester has been "on loan" from his assigned friary in Derry, Northern Ireland for the past several months. We just recently received the final word that we will be concluding our missionary presence in Torit shortly after the referendum. It's a little earlier than we had originally planned. But taking everything into account, both in terms of our community of friars and the local situation here in Sudan, it seemed to be the right time. Our departure will take place in the time of hope, celebration and transition after the vote on independence.

Mercy House chapel.

It saddens us to leave those whom we've come to know and love here. But it seems that it was part of the Lord's mysterious plan that we accompany our Sudanese brothers and sisters these past three years until they crossed the threshold of independence, and as they move forward as a new country, we move on to another mission. We've asked the diocese to please entrust Mercy House and the Mary Mobile (our vehicle) to another group of missionaries. Plans are in the works for a group of religious who've been wanting to come to the diocese for some time, but have been unable to do so for lack of a place to stay, to live in the residence and care for the chapel.

The new crucifix for the chapel we brought from Uganda.

We are immensely grateful to God for the many ways He has enabled us to serve here: the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth, parish missions, youth retreats, children's activities, public evangelization, Mass helpouts in mountain villages, hunger relief, supporting local clergy, the House of Mercy... We are also deeply grateful to you for your support and encouragement that made this possible. We remember you in prayer to the Lord with gratitude.

Detail of the face of the Jesus from the crucifix.

We ask for your continued prayers for South Sudan, for the Diocese of Torit, and in a special way for those whom we've worked with closely here. We also ask for your prayers for ourselves as we prepare to depart and take the next step the Lord is pointing out to us. We hope to share news with you soon of our next missionary endeavor, on which we hope you will accompany us with your prayers and support.

The Referendum Begins!

2011-01-09T17:35:00.000+03:00

There was something different, something special in the air this morning: a cool freshness, a subdued sense of excitement, and an almost palpable sense of grace. I think it was a combination of the human response to perhaps the most momentous day in the history of South Sudan and the presence of Christ accompanying the South Sudanese.

The polling station in front of Mercy House.

I had Mass this morning in Katire, and we left a little earlier than usual to try to begin Mass a little earlier than usual because of referendum voting. As soon as we rounded the corner onto the main street in Torit in front of Mercy House, I felt a jolt of excitement as I saw the line of voters who had turned out early to vote. Totally spontaneously I cheered out the window and they cheered back and waved. It was overwhelming to see the South Sudanese finally be able to do what they've waited decades, shed blood and sacrificed lives to do: determine their own future. I was overwhelmed by the incredible sense of dignity with which men and women, old and young alike lining up to take responsibility for and become protagonists in the history of their country.

The flowers blooming near Fr. Saturnino Ohure's tomb.

As we continued down the road, I was surprised to see how fully in bloom the boganvilla flowers were in front of the tomb of Fr. Saturnino Ohure (an early leader in the struggle for the independence of the South, killed in 1967 for his resistance to oppression from the north) - much more vivid and flourishing than I remember seeing them recently. I couldn't help but think how happy he must be to see and how much he must be praying for - even from heaven - what he laid down his life for finally coming to pass. It was almost as though his enthusiasm was bursting through the blossoms.

The memorial to the soldiers killed after the 1955 Torit uprising (above and below).

Further along we passed the site where the South Sudanese soldiers who had rebelled against their oppressive northern Arab commanders in Torit in 1955 were executed and buried after being promised amnesty in return for surrender. It was the site of a rally earlier this week when SPLM chairman Pagan Amun visited Torit. We stopped and prayed for a few moments, knowing that they, too, were praying and pulling for the south.

Polling stations along the route to Katire (above and below).

We cheered and waved at all of the polling stations we passed on the way to Katire, our hearts swelling with enthusiasm.

The Katire polling station.

At Mass I tried to connect the Baptism of Jesus (today's feast), the moment when He identified Himself with us sinners ("grasped [us] by the hand" - Is 42:6, first reading) to make things right between us and God; our Baptism, when we take hold of Jesus' hand and are called to work with Him to make things right in the world; and the referendum, which now calls the South Sudanese to work hard for a hope-filled future for their soon-to-be new country. Just as a new born baby needs to be reborn through Baptism, so the new-born South Sudan needs to be "baptized" by faith and evangelization in order to be a truly Christian country.

Please continue to pray throughout this week that what has begun with such an overwhelming sense of promise will continue peacefully to its fulfillment.

Seen in the Market in Torit!

2011-01-06T06:00:00.004+03:00

Uganda Afterthoughts

2011-01-04T06:00:00.004+03:00

Fr. Herald and Fr. Sylvester at the Padre Pio Shrine run by Indian Capuchins
on the road between Kampala and Entebbe

I have two memories of my last day in Uganda that stick in my mind: paying several million Uganda shillings (the exchage rate was 2300 to the US dollar) for repairs and replacement parts on our Land Cruiser, and a group of young boys catching grasshoppers to eat ("They're sweet!") under the street lights at the gas station.

But there was a passing encounter that took place earlier in the trip that has left a much deeper lasting impression.

I was checking out at the Uchumi supermarket in the Garden City shopping center just off Kampala Road, when I thought I detected a Spanish accent in one of the voices in a small group of people just behind me. I turned and saw what looked like a Latino face on the older woman in the group, and took the chance of greeting them in Spanish and asking them where they were from.

As it turned out, the mother (Carmen) and daughter (Valeria) were Puerto Ricans from the US, and the white young man with them was the Valeria's American boyfriend. The most interesting of the group, though, was Lawrence, the Ugandan teenager whom Carmen had come to adopt as her son.

"How did you make this connection?" I asked. It happens that Lawrence's best friend had been adopted some time ago by Carmen's neighbor in the US. He must have made such a positive impression on Carmen, and spoken so much and so sincerely about his best friend in Uganda whom he never forgot, that Carmen was inspired to look for the boy to adopt him.

Carmen is a Catholic, though not ostentatious about her faith. She simply allowed the evident goodness of her heart, enhanced by grace, to be moved by Lawrence and his friend. It's a really beautiful story, and even more beautiful because it's true. The witness of one young man's faithful unforgetting friendship with his childhood companion thousands of miles away eventually results in a totally life-changing shift for Lawrence. The prelude, of course, is the adoption of the first young man, which must be a story in itself.

It's a chain reaction of charity, and would make a great movie. Maybe someone will film it someday.

Happy New Year! 9 Days and Counting to the Referendum

2011-01-01T06:00:00.005+03:00

Today, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the World Day of Peace in the Catholic Church, marks the end of the 101 Days of Prayer for a Peaceful Referendum in South Sudan campaign, but hopefully doesn't mark the end of people praying for the referendum. The 101 Days of Prayer have ended, but the last leg, the novena ("novena" meaning "nine") of prayer begins today. So if you've been praying, please continue; and if you haven't, please start.

Fr. Sylvester and Fr. Herald with Linda and Phil Byler,
South Sudan coordinators of the African Inland Mission.

Yesterday evening we were invited for a wonderful New Year's Eve supper and prayer gathering with our good friends Phil and Linda Byler, regional coordinators for the (Evangelical Christian) African Inland Mission. At that gathering Phil shared, and I heartily agreed, that the prayers of many have made an amazing difference in this process. Just a few months ago there was a great deal of international skepticism as to whether the referendum could even take place. Now the UN is saying that the registration phase was completed successfully, and ballots have been printed and delivered, so there's every reason to go ahead with the vote. A very high percentage of eligible voters (one report said 96%) have registered, and a huge turnout for the actual vote is expected. Additionally, the Government of South Sudan has shown great restraint in not responding even to violent provocations from the north (attacks by northern forces on southern army bases) and real wisdom in collaborating with international partners and stakeholders. The Bashir regime in Khartoum, on the other hand, has come under heavy criticism - even from northern Arab neighbor Egypt, and has continued to lose credibility and support.

So please pray, and know that your prayers are making a difference!

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Christmas in Torit

2010-12-31T17:36:00.002+03:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sorry it's been so long since the last post. The marathon that started in Uganda continued in Sudan and Kenya! We arrived back in Torit on Sunday 12 December. There was a lot to catch up, including some small construction projects still being done on the property. I left for a brief trip to Kenya on Wednesday 15 December and returned the following Monday 20 December. The purpose of the trip was to make some preparatory arrangements in light of the upcoming referendum in Sudan, just in case of any "disruptions" that might occur. By the time I got back preparations for Christmas were in full swing.

Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Labong Lajore reading at Christmas Day Mass in Torit.

Christmas Day turned out to be a very beautiful celebration of the Birth of Christ for us. Fr. Sylvester was asked to be main celebrant at the English Mass in Torit Town. All the stops were pulled out for this celebration. Everyone was dressed in their finest. The shelter where Mass is celebrated was decorated beautifully. The choir had been rehearsing for weeks and were dressed in formal black and white. And the church was packed.

Fr. Sylvester celebrating Christmas morning Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish.

My experience was a little different, but no less beautiful. I celebrated Mass in the local prison in the context of a larger ecumenical gathering. The inmates were extremely attentive and very responsive. We had been able to pick up 250 bars of soap during our trip to Uganda, which were distributed to the prisoners later that day. A local benefactor made it possible for meat to be served at the main meal that day. Being in a setting like that was a reality check for me, and helped me to understand a little better the impact of the Incarnation.

Children at the orphanage watching an animated version of the Christmas story.

Later in the afternoon we went with five youth to an orphanage on the outskirts of town. An American couple, Kevin and Sheleen, are helping a local Evangelical pastor, Romano, build a home for 32 orphaned or neglected children who were in danger of becoming victims of human trafficking. The setting is beautiful and the atmosphere very peaceful. We showed the children an animated version of the Christmas story that the youth helped to translate, then colored pictures of Jesus and Mary and the Christmas angel.

Coloring a picture of Jesus and Mary.

Kevin and Sheleen told us a very moving story about the newest child who just come to the orphanage a few days before Christmas. He's from one of the border tribes, and apparently the child's father had killed his mother, then left the child behind to fend for himself at the border crossing. Kevin and Romano had made five trips with truckloads of construction supplies to build the orphanage in the preceding months, and the soldiers and officials at the border had been very helpful. Now it was their turn to ask a favor of Kevin and Romano: to take this abandoned child to the orphanage they were building. As it turned out there was one space left that they had been waiting to fill, and this was obviously the child for whom it was intended.

The little boy's name? Emmanuel - one of the names for Jesus, which means "God is with us" (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14).

We were very grateful to share a delicious Christmas dinner with Kevin, Sheleen, their infant daughter Abigail, and Pastor Romano and his family.

Using fire in Helio to dry the drums newly re-skinned for Christmas.

The day after, Holy Family Sunday, we travelled to Helio for Mass, where once again everyone was decked out in their Christmas finest. The Gospel focused on St. Joseph, so we were very glad to show the outstanding Italian-made film about him, Joseph of Nazareth. He's an incredible example of what it means to be a Christian man, husband and father.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

St. Bakhita, Patroness of Abused Children

2010-12-16T06:00:00.000+03:00

"O God, who looked on your servant Josephine Bakhita with pity and saved her body and soul from her abusers, grant that through her prayers abused children and vulnerable persons all over the world may be saved, and that those in danger of being abused may be miraculously protected and shielded. Amen."

I recently received an email from Sr. Gladys Chikere, OLA, of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles in Nigeria who works in the area of child abuse and protection. In reading the life of St. Bakhita of Sudan - who was kidnapped, enslaved and tortured as a child - Sr. Gladys felt inspired to promote her as a patroness and intercessor for abused children. She asked that the above prayer be circulated along with the image of St. Bakhita.

I'm grateful to Sallie Thayer of Toronto for permission to use her icon of St. Bakhita (above), and for her link to this blog. The icon and other examples of her work can be found at: http://salliesart.blogspot.com.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Dioceses of Torit's Radio Emmanuel Broadcast Mast Severely Damaged

2010-12-15T06:00:00.000+03:00

The broadcast mast before the accident.

On November 22 at 4:15 pm the broadcast mast of Radio Emmanuel was severely damaged during a rain storm when sheet metal roofing on a nearby building was torn off by powerful and hurled toward the mast severing its support wires and causing most of the structure to collapse against the studio building. Only 12 meters of the 60 meter high mast remain standing. Thank God no one was hurt.

The 12 meters of the mast that were left standing.

This accident comes at a critical time when Radio Emmanuel is doing a lot of coverage and programming related to the coming referendum on the independence of South Sudan on January 9th. Fortunately, with the help and expertise of Comboni Brother Alberto Lomana, antennas were able to be installed on the 12 remaining meters of the mast, but the broadcast range is now limited only to the immediately surrounding area of Torit. Fr. Lounoi Santino, director of Radio Emmanuel, is attempting to raise the nearly US $40,000 that will be necessary to reconstruct the mast and restore the previous broadcasting range.

The large portion of the mast that collapsed against the studio building.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Three Random Photos

2010-12-14T06:00:00.005+03:00

The market in Torit (photo by Carol Restaine).

The Kizito Dancers in Helio with their new St. Bakhita t-shirts.

Fr. Sylvester, the confetti-covered birthday boy, at Emmaus Center in Uganda.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Uganda Martyrs' Shrine

2010-12-12T06:00:00.001+03:00

Outside the main sanctuary at the shrine.

On Sunday, December 5th, the day after Dennis' wedding, we took the Sudanese youth and the lay missionaries on a pilgrimage to the Uganda Martyrs' shrine in Kampala. In our evangelization efforts in Sudan we have often showed a dramatized video which relates the inspiring story of the Uganda Martyrs, so I wanted the youth to have the opportunity to see first hand the site where these events took place.

At the altar which marks the site of the martyrdom of St. Charles Lwanga.

We arrived in time to join the 10:00 am Mass in English. Our visit happened to coincide with the harvest celebration of the four dioceses of the Mbarara Ecclesiastical Province, which made the Mass especially lively and interesting. A retired bishop was the main celebrant; and I learned a lot about the history of the Church in Ugand from his remarks. And there were three offeratory processions (one for harvested grain, one for financial offerings and one for animals - only the chickens made it into the church, though; the cows and goats stayed outside) as well as lots of beautiful music and dancing.

Sculpture depicting the martyrdom of St. Charles Lwanga.

After Mass we spent time in the church at the altar, which marks the exact spot where Charles Lwanga, leader of the martyrs, most of whom served at the court of the Buganda king. We also viewed the stained glass windows, statues and other images depicting the martyrs and other events in the history of the Chruch in Uganda. Several portrayed St. Charles Lwanga baptizing the youngest of the martyrs, St. Kizito - only 14 years old - on the very day they gave their lives in witness to Christ.

Sculpture of the other martyr's at the Anglican shrine.

Later we toured the grounds of the shrine, which include a sculpture garden depicting the martyrdom of Charles Lwanga and a large pond with a platform used during the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1993. Following that we visited and prayed at the nearby Anglican shrine (a number of Anglican Christians gave their lives in witness to Christ along with the Catholics), where most of the other martyrs were executed.

Our group showing the photo of the Uganda Martyrs on the back of their t-shirts.

Carol and the young Sudanese women at the lake on the shrine grounds.

Joe and Roger.

Fr. Herald and Fr. Sylvester at the site where Pope John Paul II
presided at the celebrations during his visit in 1993

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Dennis' Wedding in Kampala

2010-12-11T06:00:00.000+03:00

The Sudanese contingent attired in their African best for the wedding.

On Wednesday, December 1st, Fr. Sylvester and I, accompanied by six Sudanese youth and two other adult passengers drove from Torit to Katikamu, Uganda, just north of the capital city of Kampala. We were up at 4 am, had Mass at 5 and got on the road shortly after 6. Because they were to depart for the US and Honduras from Kampala the following week, the three lay missionaries stayed behind and flew to Kampala the next day to allow for additional passenger room in the vehicle. Our road trip was relatively uneventful by African standards. We had to stop for about 20 minutes en route to the border due to demining activities along the side of the road. It took us about an hour to get through Sudanese immigration and another three hours (due to techincal network difficulties in registering our vehicle with customs) on the Uganda side. One of the braces on the rear fuel tank got disconnected and had to be tied between the border and Gulu, and we had to repair a flat tire on the highway in the dark about an hour away from our destination. We were very grateful to arrive safe and sound after 15 hours on the road at 9:30 pm. The following day Carol, Roger and Joe arrived at Entebbe International Airport on a small Mission Avaiation Fellowship prop flight.

Agnes and Dennis exchange vows.

One of the main purposes of our trip was to attend the wedding of Dennis Kiyimba, the Ugandan lay missionary with whom I served for the past two years in Torit. On Thursday the traditional African wedding ceremony (or "Introduction," as it is called here), which included the meeting of the families, an exchange of gifts and the payment of the dowry, took place. On Saturday the wedding Mass was celebrated at the Church of St. Matthias Mulumba in Old Kampala on the very site of the martyrdom of the eldest of the Uganda martyrs. The location had special significance because in choosing to be baptized, St. Matthias Mulumba had to select only one of his four wives to be his Christian spouse, making him a striking witness to the meaning of sacramental marriage. The celebration was a very beautiful and moving experience of worship, with many of Dennis' and Agnes' friends from the Catholic charismatic renewal participating (including the music ministry) in addition to their families. The colorful celebration continued with a reception that lasted into the evening and included many other Buganda tribal customs.

The reception, complete with fireworks, champagne and confetti.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Youth Retreat in Torit

2010-12-10T06:00:00.001+03:00

The "tent village" on our back porch.

To conclude and sum up the intensive work the visiting lay missionaries did with the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth, we decided to have a retreat for the group the last weekend that Carol, Joe and Roger would be in Torit. We selected the Advent theme, "The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwells Among Us," and each of us (friars and lay missionaries) gave reflections over the course of the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. This was the first retreat experience for the newer members of the group.

Saturday Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Concluding Holy Hour with personal intentions and testimonies.

Because of difficulties in arranging transportation for a large group to a remote location we decided to have the retreat at the House of Mercy. That required a little creativity. The young men slept in tents on our veranda, and the young women in the ladies guest quarters. Carol headed up the cooking crew with the help of some large pots from our friends the Bylers at the African Inland Mission. We hung some special rope lighting in the chapel that Fr. Sylvester brought with him from Ireland. At the conclusion of the retreat the youth placed special intentions in a bowl at the foot of the Blessed Sacrament and offered personal prayers and testimonies.

A final group photo with the lay missionaries.

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Thanksgiving in Juba

2010-12-09T10:25:00.000+03:00

YCS participant from the Diocese of Rumbek, South Sudan.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Fr. Sylvester and I travelled to Juba. As usual it was a multi-purpose trip. The main reason for our visit was for me to address an international meeting of the Young Christian Students (YCS) who gathered to celebrate 25 years of the movement's presence in Sudan. There were youth present from most of the dioceses in Sudan, as well as from Uganda and Kenya. The event was organized by our friend, Fr. Martin Ochaya Lino, Secretary General of the Archdiocese of Juba and chaplain and former member of the YCS. I was asked to address the participants on the theme, "A Personal Relationship with God." The youth were very attentive and responsive. Later that day Juba Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro presided at a Mass that included the blessing of the tomb of YCS member Abraham Gajuk, who was killed in 1992 during a peaceful protest against forcibly imposed Islamic indoctrination

Fr. Herald addressing the youth on the topic of "A Personal Relationship with God."

The YCS event was co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with the assistance of another good friend, Tom Purekal, CRS Peace Building Program Coordinator for South Sudan. I know Tom from our mutual time in Honduras, where he served as a volunteer at the Farm of the Child on the north coast. Tom arranged our accommodations in Juba, as well as helping to facilitate our participation in a genuine American Thanksgiving dinner (complete with turkey and pumpkin pie) at the USAID compound in Juba. Our trip was rounded out by loading up on supplies for Mercy House that are unavailalbe in Torit.

Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro blessing the tomb of YCS martyr Abraham Gajuk.

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Greetings from Uganda

2010-12-09T10:04:00.001+03:00

I'm posting from Emmaus Center, Katikamu, Uganda, about 50 km north of Kampala. Last Sunday the Kampala Marathon took place in the capital. I didn't participate, but the last two weeks have felt a bit like a marathon. Starting today and continuing for the next number of days I'll be posting entries about what's taken place in the past two weeks more or less in sequential order. Stay tuned!

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Advent / Christmas Message 2010

2010-11-28T06:00:00.002+03:00

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Wide Angle Shots of the House of Mercy

2010-11-24T06:00:00.000+03:00

The chapel with the newly added bamboo ceiling.

Here are some wide-angle photos of the chapel and the property of the House of Mercy, courtesy of Ulrike Fell, a German woman who served as a consultant during this past year for the Peace and Justice department of the Diocese of Torit. Thanks, Ulrike!

The mango tree between the chapel (left) and the residence (right).

The rear of the residence complete with laundry, date palm and car park.

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Let the Children Come to Me (more Carol photos)

2010-11-23T06:00:00.000+03:00

Daily Rosary at noon in the Mercy House chapel (Roger is in the background).

Monday afternoon children's program (above and below)

Missionary Youth girls hamming it up on a home visit.

Carol and friend in Helio.

Emmanuel and Joe.

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Christ the King in Torit, Helio and Katire

2010-11-21T22:35:00.000+03:00

The new bridge on the road to Katire (above and below).

This past weekend we had the opportunity to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King in three different locations. On Saturday I went with the lay missionaries, a few youth and Stephen Lugwana, another Ugandan lay missionary who serves in Torit, to the county jail. Stephen has been visiting the jail with a local group of women evangelizers for several months now, and I had been wanting to celebrate Mass there for a while. Although it was Saturday we decided to celebrate Mass for the next day for the prisoners. More than half of the approximately 275 inmates (male and female, and some of the small children of the female prisoners) attended, many of them obviously Catholic. I was very impressed by how open, receptive, responsive and joyful they were. Citing the words of Matthew 25 ("I was in prison and you visited me") I thanked those present for the opportunity of encountering Jesus in their midst. Providentially, the Gospel reading was the crucifixion scene from Luke, which recounts the interaction between Jesus and the "Good Thief" - the first one to receive the gift of salvation from the Lord.

A toddler in Katire.

Sunday we divided up into two "teams," each comprising of a priest friar, a lay missionary and two youth, and celebrated Sunday Mass in both Helio and Katire. Since I had Mass in Helio last weekend, I dropped off Fr. Sylvester, Carol, Hellen and Elizabeth there. They did a special program for the local children before Mass using a cartoon video on the story of Abraham and an activity based on the feast day of Christ the King. After Mass they showed the second half of an excellent film on the life of St. Peter (portrayed by Omar Sharif) for the entire congregation. I continued on to Katire with Joseph, Emmanuel and Adraman. I was pleasantly surprised by a number of things we encountered along the road: five or six staffed and functioning referendum registration centers and a newly constructed bridge spanning a fairly deep ravine. The previous bridge consisted of loose planks resting on old concrete pillars. The new bridge is completely new and will facilitate even more transportation and exchange between the previously isolated Katire and Torit and other towns. Once in Katire we were very happy to learn that on the previous Sunday 42 children had been baptized. With all the prepartions for the sacrament they didn't have time to properly celebrate afterward, so this week there was dancing and a feast that included wild boar.

Drummers and dancers celebrating the baptism of 42 children.

That afternoon after returning from the mountains we showed a film at the House of Mercy on the papacy of Pope John Paul II - such an amazing witness to and citizen of the Kingdom of Christ.

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Referendum Registration in Torit

2010-11-17T23:04:00.000+03:00

As you may have seen in the news, registration to vote in the referendum on the independence of South Sudan (scheduled for January 9, 2011) began this week across the entire region. We were very happy to see the walkway along part of the unused portion of the House of Mercy which faces main street (Juba Road) being used in this historic process.

Along with many people throughout the country and around the world we are praying for a safe and peaceful referendum with a positive outcome for the people of the south. Please pray with us, too!

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A Variety of Photos from Carol

2010-11-15T06:00:00.003+03:00

Fr. Sylvester recording a program for the "101 Days of Prayer for a Peaceful Referendum"
campaign on the Diocese of Torit's Radio Emmanuel.

One end of the kitchen in Mercy House. Shelves and counters are coming soon!

Carol and the young women from the youth group.

Fr. Herald and Joe (with Charles translating) acting out the story
of Jesus and Zacchaeus and Jesus in Helio.

Monday afternoon children's program.

Removing scrap metal from the Mercy House compound.

Neighborhood home visits.

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A Look Inside Mercy House Chapel

2010-11-11T06:00:00.002+03:00

The chapel at the House of Mercy has been open for three weeks now, and is being used more frequently as the days go by. Most days at around noon there are a group of children who pray the Rosary there. A women’s prayer group comes for adoration twice a week. We have a Holy Hour with Lectio Divina once a week for the youth group, and of course our own daily prayers. As I write this, I can hear one of the youth missionaries in the chapel teaching some children the Hail Mary.

We wanted to frame some large poster-size images of Jesus, but there’s no place in Torit Town that can frame something that large. So we decided at least in the mean time to hang some of the banners we’ve used with our mobile evangelization events. They look so good in the chapel, though, we may just keep them there.

There’s a little more work to do before the chapel will be completely finished. Next week we’re planning to install a bamboo ceiling which we hope will reduce the heat a little from the sheet metal roof, as well as add a touch of local natural beauty to this place of prayer.

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Youth Missionary Profile: George Emmanuel Oryem

2010-11-09T06:00:00.002+03:00

Today we begin a series of profiles of some of the members of the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth.

Youth Missionary George Emmanuel Oryem.

George Emmanuel OryemI was born on 1 January 1995 in Mulutty, Juba, South Sudan and baptized in St. Bakhita Catholic Church in 1998. His family moved to Torit in 2000 where George entered the sacramental formation program.

Beginning in 2002 fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Sudan Armed Forces took place near Torit, so George and his family fled to Juba on foot. It took them an entire week to make the journey.

In 2004 George’s faith and love for the Word of God began to reawaken, and he entered the sacramental formation program at St. Augustine’s Church. At first he was compelled by his father to enter, but eventually he decided for himself to give his life and heart to Jesus Christ.

In 2005 George’s father and mother were once more transferred to Torit by the government. Again he resumed his catechism classes, this time in English instead of his tribal language of Acholi, and finally received his First Holy Communion, faithfully attending Sunday Mass. George began to know Jesus better, and His words such as: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 19:14) moved him deeply.

As George approached adolescence, he entered a time of turbulence. Church was no longer attractive to him, he had disagreements with his family and he began to be drawn into destructive activities by questionable “friends.” He realized his life was headed in the wrong direction and decided to make a break and join the local group of Scouts, in which he participated for a year. His father once again intervened, asking George to return to Church. George made a half hearted attempt, but would still sometimes skip Mass. His father realized what was happening and confronted George, asking him to think seriously about what he was doing with his life. Despite the obstacles, it became an occasion of grace. George prayed to God for help, saying:

“Father in heaven, I ask you Lord to give me Jesus’ life. I know that you can give me the power to believe in Christ and to live His life. You have the power to do more than I ask. I want you to change my life and to start a new life. I praise you through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

George told his father that he wanted to follow Jesus; his father said that was good, but that it was also necessary to be part of the Church. He took George to register, telling him that from that day on he wanted him to work in the Church and serve Christ. George then made the decision to become an altar server at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. He was Confirmed on New Year’s Day, 2010. Those who prepared him taught George new ways to work in the Church and to serve Christ. He was invited to attend a workshop on evangelization to learn more about living and spreading the faith. George participated, but was still looking for something more.

George at prayer in the Mercy House Chapel.

It was then that he met the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth group. One of the members, Samuel Oryem, told him that it was good to be a missionary because you preach the Good News and teach people how to follow Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter George met a cheerful white missionary priest at morning Mass. He asked George his name, and introduced himself as Fr. Herald from the US. The next day George, and his friends Simon and Solomon went to Fr. Herald and told him they wanted to join the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth. Fr. Herald explained the activities that take place on different days at the House of Mercy in the afternoon. George told his parents what he had done; they were happy and proud and encouraged him to continue.

April 11 of this year was a significant day for George. His father explained to him the importance of helping with the work at home and reminded him again about the importance of remaining in the Church. Late that afternoon on his way to the hospital George’s father was hit by a motorcycle and died. The family buried him in their home village. His father’s example and final words left an unforgettable impression on George, who states: “I will always remember what my father told me: to trust in Jesus’ name if you are in danger, to pray and ask for help. I have already experienced it in my own life.”

This is his prayer: “Let God give my father a share of eternal life with the angels and saints.”

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Lay and Youth Missionaries, and the Uganda Martyrs, in Helio

2010-11-07T13:31:00.001+03:00

Lay and Youth Missionaries interacting with the Catholic villagers of Helio.

Last Sunday, October 31st (by the way, thankfully there wasn’t even the faintest hint about Halloween here) we began what we hope will be a regular Sunday sacramental outreach to the village of Helio. I had celebrated Mass in Helio last year, and we’ve passed the village many times on the way to Katire. But now that we have another priest, Fr. Sylvester, it’s possible for one of us to be dropped off (Helio is much closer to Torit, only about 20 minutes outside of town) while the other continues on to Katire.

A damaged classroom in Helio that's still used for teaching.

Because repair work is being done on one of the bridges further up along the road, it’s not possible for a large vehicle like ours to make the trip; only motorcycles can get through. So, all of us landed in Helio to get things started with a bit of a bang. The three visiting lay missionaries and two youth missionaries, Flora and Joseph, quickly made friends with the children and the youth of the choir.

One of the seats in the classroom.

Charles, the local catechist, has done a great job of organizing and animating the Catholic community there, so even though it had been a little while since Mass was celebrated there, there was a good turnout and active participation at Mass. He's also a great translator. A well trained and dedicated catechist really makes all the difference in the faith life of a village. They are on the Church's front line.

Watching the story of the Uganda Martyrs.

After Mass, we showed the congregation a video that dramatizes the story of the Uganda martyrs. As I write this, Fr. Sylvester, Joseph and Roger (lay missionaries) and George, John, Wilson and Simon (youth missionaries) are in the village showing the Jesus film in their local language of Lotuko.

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Lay Missionary Profile: Joseph Kauflin

2010-10-28T06:00:00.001+03:00

Joe with young men outside Mercy House.

Joseph Kauflin is 21 years old and a native of Virgina Beach, VA. He is currently studying human services/counseling and psychology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. He is the fourth of five children.

Joe always wanted to be a “moral” person, someone with good character. But it was the Catholic faith he received from his parents that awakened in him the desire to be a really “good” person, and his older brother’s active pursuit of his faith and participation in a youth group that influenced Joe to follow his example. Through involvement in the group and other faith related activities Joe discovered and grew into his own identity in Christ. The youth group made annual summer mission trips to Central Virginia and Honduras; after four summers of short-term missions, Joe felt the call to spend two and a half months of his school break in Honduras. It was during that time that his faith really began to become alive. The daily schedule of the Missioners community and which includes personal prayer, morning Mass, the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration – and close contact with the lives of the poor revealed to Joe how present God was and how much more He wanted from him.

Joe in the bush, bringing up the rear.

During Joe’s last stay in Honduras, Carol Restaine (Missioners’ community leader in Honduras) asked him to consider the possibility of going to South Sudan to serve with Fr. Herald for a few months. After the initial excitement and some slight hesitation at the idea of taking a semester off of studies (and having to explain that to his mother), it was just a matter of saying YES! It was that YES, and outpouring of grace from God, and the prayer and financial support of his parish, friends and family that he is now in Torit serving as a missionary. It is Joe’s sincere hope that God continues to show him how to love more genuinely and how to receive that love more humbly from the people of Sudan. This is certainly a critical moment in the history of Sudan, and Joe says: “I am blessed to be able to share in this pursuit of peace.”

May God be praised now and forever!

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Lay Missionary Profile: Carol Lynn Restaine

2010-10-27T06:00:00.001+03:00

Carol with young women of the youth group.

Carol Restaine is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but has resided as a full-time missionary with the Missioners of Christ in Comayagua, Honduras for the past 9 years. She comes from a Catholic family of 5 children where she had the chance in her childhood to be exposed to the life and ministry of Mother Teresa. She made a promise to God that if it was His will, she would give the rest of her life to loving and serving Him in the “distressing disguise” of the poor and in the nations.

Directly following the death of her mother and father as a young woman, Carol left the Catholic Church and spent 10 years in evangelical churches. During this time, her heart to make a difference for those who were hurting grew. She began to take short-term mission trips to other countries in Africa and Central and South America. Her heart for the nations increased as did her desire to be a part of the healing and formation of a new generation of leaders who were radically committed to sharing the gospel. She studied social work and then began a master’s program in missiology/theology at Regent University in Virginia Beach.

During her time there, she knew that she was strongly being called back to the Catholic Church and was reconciled to the faith of her roots. She came home. This is also where she met the circle of young adult Catholics who alongside her formed the Missioners of Christ. The Missioners of Christ are a lay Association of the Christian Faithful committed to living in community, calling each other to live their Catholic faith radically and to grow in holiness through loving Jesus with that they are. Their primary apostolate is to prepare young and send young people to the mission field both short and long term. Carol was their first long-term international missionary and many others from the US, Europe, Honduras and other parts of Central and South America have joined her from 6 months to 6 years plus.

In the first several weeks of Carol’s service in Honduras she met Fr. Herald. They discovered that they had a similar desire to see young people come to saving knowledge of Christ and the riches found in His Church and began to work together on some common projects that eventually led to Fr. Herald inviting Carol and the Missioners to work alongside the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in a very marginalized barrio in Comayagua. They have continued to serve together and ask God what He wills for their two communities in common as part of the Church’s missionary vocation.

The Missioners hope is to open houses such as the house they have established in Comayagua in other parts of the world wherever God may call and open the doors. They also want to be a part of mentoring and discipling potential missionaries who will staff these houses and train indigenous leaders in each place to establish permanent outreaches and programs of evangelization and discipleship.

Carol speaking at a public evangelization event.

Several Missioners have served on the short-term mission teams to the Sudan and currently Carol is serving for the third time here, this time for months. She will be working with the women, teenage girls, and children. Part of this trip for her is to begin to formally discern whether or not God may be asking her community to open a house of formation in Africa. She is grateful for the opportunity to grow alongside the Sudanese and offer to them a clear confirmation of the extraordinary call that He has for them emerging from their suffering and struggle. Carol is living in His will in her call to a consecrated missionary vocation and hopes to continue to multiply His message of love and salvation to others wherever He may send her and her community.

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Lay Missionary Profile: Roger Jeovany Blanco Ramos

2010-10-26T06:00:00.003+03:00

Roger Jeovany Blanco Ramos is 23 years old and a native of the village of Cabañas, La Paz, Honduras; he has three sisters. He is a student at the National Autonomous University in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, majoring in psychology. One of his greatest desires is to be able to serve the Lord through the gifts He has given him.

Roger’s spiritual adventure began with a personal encounter with Jesus at a retreat that Missioners of Christ directed in his parish in December 2006 entitled, “Your Life is Mission.” In this retreat God began to mold his life, and it was the beginning of his conversion. Shortly thereafter he had the privilege of accompanying Missioners on an evangelization outreach trip, serving beside Maynor Ballesteros (who spent five months in Sudan earlier this year) from whom he learned a great deal. Following this he was able to participate in a Bread of Life Eucharistic youth retreat, this time in Comayagua, where God really ignited within him a light to shine in the darkness, and caused his desire to be a missionary to grow. Roger spent nearly three years in the Missioners of Christ formation house in Comayagua before resuming his university studies. He continues as a extern member of the community and the desire to serve God remains strong in his heart, but he knows that he needs to finish his studies to be able to serve Him in a greater way.

Making Honduran tortillas in Sudan.

Roger considers it a great privilege and a blessing to see how God is acting in different ways, and to allow Him to work through him and show him new things. Hearing the story of the Uganda Martyrs he was deeply moved, and learning about the experiences of Fr. Herald and Carol Restaine caused the desire to do missionary service in Africa to grow, finally bringing him to the decision to come to Sudan. That desire continues to grow each day as he prays, “Lord, take my life. Do with me what You will.” It’s a challenge not to be able to speak the language, but Roger says, “Here I am, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me.”

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Lay Missionaries on the Move

2010-10-25T22:49:00.001+03:00

Visiting and praying for the sick on the other side of the river.

The three lay Missioners of Christ who arrived a week and a half ago are well into the second weekly cycle of our regular apostolic activities. They’ve joined in Holy Hour and Lectio Divina with the youth, made two trips to Katire, are beginning extra activities with younger children today, and will be working separately with the young men and young women in our group beginning on Wednesday. They are branching out, too, into new territory and additional activities. With some of the youth they visited and prayed with a young man who’s been sick for a month, and did some exploring of the old lumber mill and water falls in Katire. You will be meeting them on the blog this week as their profiles appear in the next few days.

Passing through the ruins of the old lumber mill in Katire.

It takes a little balance to cross this bridge.

Standing left to right: Joe, George (road cosntruction) Roger, Charles (teacher) and John (catechist);
crouching: Regina and Isaac from the youth group. At the waterfalls in Katire.

A "St. Francis pose" beside "Sister Water."

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A New Perspective

2010-10-25T22:10:00.002+03:00

It’s only been a few days since I moved into Mercy House. The rest of the crew moved in ahead of me while some of the work was still being completed. Whenever you move into a new place, you have to get used to being in a new environment , and some places take a little more getting used to than others, which poses both a challenge and an opportunity.

One of the features of Mercy House that I have to adjust to iis the fact that the doorways are somewhat shorter than standard in most places outside the Shire. For you Lord of the Rings fans, you know what I mean. In case you are wondering, the Shire is where hobbits live, and hobbits are fictional characters of midget stature. I’ve already twice whacked my head hard. (Ouch!)

Anyhow, I got to thinking that our six foot nine friar, Br. Francis, has spent most of his life trying not to slam his head in what to him are hobbit-sized door frames. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe the little inconveniences of life wherever one may be are meant to help us see things from a new perspective. In a way, maybe God is just opening me up to appreciating things in a new way, for example seeing the Sudanese and their culture (which is very different from my own) with new eyes.

On a different note, in my short time here I’ve adopted a motto: “Every day a new adventure.” So far it has proven true.

Last Sunday we celebrated Mass in Katire. There was a lot of excitement as we were leaving the village. It happened on the main road, which seems more like a hiking trail than a city street. It turns out that a cow had gotten lose and took off running down the road. Both people and dogs were desperately lagging behind. A couple of guys convinced us to let them jump on the back of the Land Cruiser so they could get ahead of old Bessie. In a flash we were in hot pursuit of a mad cow. At one point we were driving parallel to the cow as we raced to get ahead. We cut off the cow at least three times, but it was just too clever. I think her name must’ve been Houdini.

Failing in our first attempt at rustling up cattle, we got a second chance a few miles up the road when Bessie’s evil twin was blocking the roadway. Another crazed cow gone wild. What are the chances? This one nearly charged into our vehicle. Again we proved to be unhelpful. Better luck next time I guess!

Funny thing is that I was expecting lions, tigers and bears. All we’ve run into so far is cows. Oh my!!!

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The Week in a Blur

2010-10-23T14:20:00.000+03:00

This blog entry is way overdue. I hope it will become clear why below.

Left to Right: Fr. Sylvester, Roger Blanco, Fr. Herald, Carol Restaine and Joseph Kauflin.
The photo was taken after Mass yesterday morning in the small courtyard next to the chapel.

On Wednesday of last week (Oct 13th) a number of things converged. The contract for the first phase of renovations on the House of Mercy was finally completed, we settled with the builder and we were able to begin to move in and sleep in the residence that night. In anticipation we had bought a few preliminary supplies the day before. We had our regular Wednesday afternoon youth faith formation meeting, only it was a bit more poignant than usual because it was the farewell celebration for Dennis Kiyimba. He was leaving the next day for Uganda (travelling with us as far as Juba) for the proximate preparations for his wedding on December 4th. It's not clear yet whether he will be returning to Sudan next year to continue his missionary work or not. Fr. Sylvester and I had a special dinner for him later in the evening. There was a final late night meeting with someone from the diocese. I hit the mattress after midnight.

We were up again well before dawn at 4:30 am, had Mass at 5:15 and were on the road to Juba shortly after 6. It was a smoother ride this time, with fewer checkpoints along the way. Apparently a lot of southern troops have been deployed along the north-south border as a precaution in advance of the referendum. The three lay missionaries who arrived in Nairobi earlier in the week - Carol Restaine, Roger Blano and Joseph Kauflin - flew into Juba that morning at 9:15 am. Our friend from Honduras, Tom Purekal, who currently serves as the CRS Peace Building Program Coordinator for South Sudan, arranged to have them picked up and taken to a local Catholic parish. We arrived shortly before 11:00 am.

We took advantage of the trip to Juba to try to pick up as many supplies and articles that we knew we would need for the House of Mercy (and which are not available in Torit) as we could. That meant stopping at the Amen supermarket, Jit "department" store, a hardware store and a propane gas supplier located near the Nile River that took us more than an hour to find. Tom joined us for lunch at "Sisters'" restaurant (run by the Sacred Heart Sisters in Juba), and in the afternoon we took care of a few more errands and got on the road back to Torit a few hours later than we would have liked. Most people are surprised when they find out that we do the roundtrip Torit-Juba trek in a single day, but the fact that the cheapest accommodations there run more than $50 per person provides a strong incentive. Again - thanks be to God - the drive back was pretty uneventful. Our only stop was to help pull out a vehicle that had been stuck in the mud since late morning. We came across the vehicle after nightfall; I think the driver was preparing to spend the night there. The Toyota "wonder winch" did the trick again; it's now three for three! Since the guest quarters were still not finished, we sorted people out as best we could for the night.

Sudanese young men at Eucharistic Adoration in
the new chapel at the House of Mercy.

For the past week we've been extremely busy trying to equip and arrange the house, chapel and guest quarters starting pretty much from scratch, while still keeping up with our regular apostolic activities. Phase two of the repairs (chapel and guest quarters) was completed on Wednesday, October 20, so Carol was able to stay in her designated room that evening. The Blessed Sacrament was reserved in the chapel the following day. It's amazing how many small but still pretty important items are needed to make a house functional. We tried to find as many as we could in the local market, improvised where we could and will do without the rest until our next trip to a major city. Some of what we consider "necessary" but could not find in Torit reflect cultural and dietary differences; for example a can opener or a cutting board were not to be found anywhere. Some of our improvisations include a kerosene lamp for a sanctuary light, using Kenyan khangas and kitenges hung on electric conduit pipes supported by roofing nails as window coverings. Since there's no water supply in the house, every couple of days we've had to fill about 15 five-gallon jerry cans at nearby boreholes for washing, cooking and drinking.

Hellen reading a passage from the Gospel of Mark
during Lectio Divina at the Mercy House Chapel.

Even though there's still a lot to do, and many post-construction details to take care of, we are really happy and grateful to finally be in our new home. The greatest blessing is to have Eucharistic chapel where we and others can pray. The outside doors are open morning to evening (there's an gate that divides the chapel inside) so people can come in to pray. And it's an ideal setting for our Friday Eucharistic Adoration / Lectio Divina prayer meetings with the youth group. Yesterday there were about 20 who came.

In the next week or two we plan to post profiles of the lay missionaries so you can get to know them, and photos of Mercy House, which continues to be a work in progress.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Untipping the Tipper

2010-10-15T06:00:00.000+03:00

As Fr. Sylvester noted afterwards, being in Sudan gives you the opportunity to do things you would probably never be able to do anywhere else. In this case it was answering a distress call from the construction crew building the new parish church in town. Their dump truck (known here as a “tipper”) attempted to empty it’s load while situated on uneven terrain that left one of its wheels off the ground. When the bed of the truck was raised, that was enough to throw the whole vehicle off balance, causing it to turn over on its right side.

We were asked if it might be possible to use the electric winch on our Land Cruiser to help lift the truck upright again. I figured Our Lady (it’s her vehicle, the “Mary Mobile”) would want us to help the people who were building the new church named in her honor (“Our Lady of the Assumption”). One of the trickiest parts had to do with how to connect the cable so as to allow for maximum leverage for the winch and minimum damage to the tipper. In the end we decided to wrap the cable around the elevated bed kind of lasso style.

There were a few moments of suspense, but in the winch triumphed in the end as the truck began to rise and fell into its upright position with a loud crash. It provided some lunch hour entertainment for the construction crew, school boys and passers by. Thanks again, Toyota, for a really helpful and powerful African option.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

St. Daniel Comboni Day in Torit

2010-10-14T06:00:00.000+03:00

The feast of St. Daniel Comboni (October 10) is a solemnity in Sudan. He had a great love for Africa from the time of his youth and came to the continent as a young priest. His motto was: “To save Africa with Africans.” Though at one point he had to leave for health reasons, he later returned as Bishop of Central Africa, based in Khartoum, and as the founder of a missionary religious order. He died and was buried in Khartoum, though the exact location was lost due to a subsequent Islamic uprising that temporarily gained control of the city. He is called the Apostle of Africa.

The day was celebrated in Torit with special festivity. In addition to a single, large unified Mass in the morning, there was also entertainment scheduled for the afternoon. It included songs and dances, such as the one performed by the “Crusaders” group above, as well as skits. One group performed an interesting drama entitled "Trust in God," about two drinking men who go to a witch doctor to help them win over the women they’re in love with, and who are eventually rescued by a preacher (below).

Our group, the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth, decided to perform a skit about the coming of the first missionaries to Sudan. It was their creation from start to finish, and they did an amazing job. Peter Acheri played the tribal chief with regal sovereignty; Alice Lakot was the queen with Flora as her attendant; George and Wilson were convincingly severe and threatening as tribal guards. Omer and Beatrice were the first members of the tribe to meet the missionaries. David Liwaya played the missionary priest, with young Solomon as his religious brother companion; they were accompanied by Hellen Lakot as a catechist.

The skit offered an interesting contrast to the drama about the men caught between the witch doctor and the pastor. But even more it offered a beautiful witness about the meaning and effect of Christianity. As the missionary priest, David was very peaceful, humble and persevering in contrast to the loud and high handed authoritarian manner of the chief. The conversion to Christianity began with the ordinary members of the tribe, then the guards, next the attendant, then the queen and finally the king. The patience and willingness to endure threats on the part of the first converts helped to win over the others. It was also clear that Baptism bestowed on each of the new Christians the same dignity that somehow made them equals despite their social distinctions in the tribe.

I was really surprised and proud of the creativity and talent of the group. They’re pretty good actors, and comics, too. But what impressed me even more was their grasp of the meaning of the Gospel and their ability to communicate it so clearly and effectively to their peers.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

A Little Bit of Heaven, and New Jersey, in Katire

2010-10-12T06:00:00.007+03:00

The altar in the chapel under the trees in Katire.

Last Sunday was my third visit to Katire and the first time I presided at Holy Mass. Katire is a small village where local legend says the Garden of Eden was situated. It is such a beautiful place, how could I argue. I guess I’ll leave that to biblical archaeologists.

Fr. Sylvester explaining the story of the Ten Lepers healed by Jesus,
with the help of John, the local catechist and translator.

The biggest adventure of the day was my attempt to use some of the local Lotuko language, at least I believe that’s what it was. I may have butchered it so badly that it was unrecognizable to the good people of Katire, but they would be too gracious to tell me and certainly appreciated my trying.

The congregation in Katire.

So there I was in the “Garden of Eden” when a young boy strolls right to the front of the open-air chapel proudly wearing his “Made in New Jersey” T-shirt. His companion was wearing another shirt advertising the Ringwood, NJ Lacrosse team. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was totally cute!

Fr. Sylvester and friend.

What struck me, though, is that from the Garden State to the Garden of Eden, despite varied languages and different skin colors that there is a common humanity that unites us all. The Sudanese identify strongly with their villages, their tribes, their homes. Wherever one goes in life, he or she never really leaves these elements which are key components to one’s self-identity behind.

It got me thinking about this: that we are all citizens of heaven; yes, heaven is our common home. Our Christian vocation is to bring a little bit of heaven to wherever we go while we remain pilgrims in this strange land we call earth. In essence, a little plot of the Garden of Eden, so to speak, should be found wherever you are and can be experienced wherever the Christian life is faithfully lived, even in New Jersey!

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Three Month Countdown to Referendum

2010-10-10T22:57:00.001+03:00

This past Saturday, October 9, marked the three month countdown to the referendum on the independence of South Sudan, scheduled to take place on January 9, 2011. There were large pro-independence rallies in both Juba and Torit. The day came in the wake of a UN Security Council visit to Juba, which included US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.

The poster above, which began to appear in Torit a few days before the 9th, gives an idea of how seriously the South Sudanese take the referendum. In the light of the UN Security Council visit, and following his recent visit to the United States, South Sudan President Salva Kiir appears more confident about leading his people through this process to a successful completion. Both the high level meetings that took place during his time in the US, as well as the presence of the Security Council delegation, have sent a strong message of support for the South's right to self-determination and a warning to those who might try to sabotage this process. Unfortunately, the Khartoum government has responded with a more strident tone, threatening southerners who live in the north with immigration difficulties if the South secedes, telling northern youth they should prepare to enlist in the military in the event of secession, and hardening their stance against the possibility of other undetermined regions of the country (Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and Darfur) to join the South if it becomes independent.

Please join the people of South Sudan, and many others who are united with them throughout the world, in a special sustained period of prayer between now and January 9th, that the referendum proceed peacefully, and that the people of the South speak with a strong, clear, unified voice about their future, and that their voice be recognized and respected by all.

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Missionary Profile: Fr. Sylvester Mary Mann, CFR

2010-10-07T06:05:00.000+03:00

Fr. Sylvester Mary Mann, CFR, arrived last week in Sudan to serve as a missionary here for six months. He been here twice before as part of visiting missionary teams in 2009 and 2010. We're very happy he's here and are grateful the Lord has sent him to us. We'd like to take this opportunity to introduce him to you:

Fr. Sylvester Mary Mann, CFR was born and raised in Philadelphia. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he served on active duty for six years and two in the reserves. While serving on the Marine Security Force in Iceland Fr Sylvester experienced a deepening of his faith which opened his heart to discover his vocation as a Franciscan Friar and Priest. He first met the Friars of the Renewal during a pilgrimage to Medjugorge in 1990, and visited them soon after in New York when Fr Herald was still a novice. After being discharged from the Marines, Fr. Sylvester completed college at California State University in 1995, entered the CFRs in 1996, and made final vows in 2001. He studied theology at St. Joseph Seminary (Dunwoodie, Yonkers, NY) and was ordained a priest in 2003.

As a friar, Fr. Sylvester has served in a number of roles: assistant pro-life coordinator, director of liturgy, community secretary, director of St. Anthony Residence for homeless men, and as local vicar in the Bronx and at our friaries in both Limerick and Derry in Ireland. He is also currently the spiritual director for Youth 2000 in Ulster County, Ireland.

Besides the usual CFR work with the poor and destitute, Fr. Sylvester’s pastoral activity includes preaching at youth retreats, parish missions and other spiritual events. He gives spiritual direction and pastoral advice, particularly to those who have been involved New Age practices. His recent assignments have been in Limerick, Ireland, where our friary is located in Moyross, a neighborhood infamous for its feuding drug gangs, and in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the very neighborhood where the notorious Bloody Sunday killings of peaceful demonstrators took place in 1971 and a stronghold of IRA. In Ireland he’s also assisted our CFR religious brothers in their outreach to local families by accompanying them for home visits and house blessings.

Fr. Sylvester has been active in all aspects of pro-life work: praying outside of abortion centers, post-abortion healing ministry, working to establish Priests for Life Ireland, offering spiritual encouragement to pro-life groups, speaking at pro life rallies. In the past year he’s written regular articles for the Catholic Voice (www.catholicvoice.ie), a new Irish newspaper, and did a recent video spot for EWTN Ireland concerning the protection of embryos in Ireland (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiV-prgNJn4). He hopes his efforts will in some small way help to spread the sparks of renewal in Ireland where the Church is in desperate need as it is in so many places.

At this time, Fr. Sylvester says he is now honored to be serving the people of God in Southern Sudan, especially at this critical time in their history.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Youth Group Work Crew at Mercy House

2010-10-07T06:00:00.000+03:00

As construction and repairs on the residence and the chapel at the House of Mercy finally approach (please, God) completion, the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth volunteered to help clean up the property. This past Saturday morning about a dozen youth showed up with "slashers" (scythes) and began to cut a path through from the street to the rear car gate. The cut grass revealed lots of scrap metal, garbage and even skins and entrails from animals that had been butchered and skinned nearby - all of which was collected and piled.

There was lots of work inside the compound, too, in the form of more grass to cut, construction scraps and some very heavy pieces of machinery left from decades ago when the property housed a grinding mill. One of the pieces weighed several hundred pounds and took almost all of us (together with pushing, pulling and using leverage) to move.

The end result was beautiful, though: a clear driveway and a clean compound. After sodas and snacks the youth from the group practiced a skit about the coming of the missionaries to Sudan that they will perform next Sunday at the celebration of St. Daniel Comboni Day at the local parish in Torit.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Rough Road Trip to Juba

2010-10-05T06:00:00.002+03:00

Last Thursday morning I got up at 4:25 am (10 minutes ahead of my alarm), got cleaned up, drove to the outskirts of town to pick up Dennis, celebrated Mass at 5:30, and was on the road to Juba by 6:15. Even though Juba is only about 125 km (78 miles) from Torit, it takes about 4 hours to get there because of rough roads and delays. One of our first sights as the sun was rising was the car abandoned in the middle of a huge pothole puddle shown above. Little did we realize how close that would be to our own situation at the end of the day.

The delays come in the form of multiple check points at which you are usually asked to transport a soldier or police officer (which I'm generally willing to do if it's only one or two and they're not carrying weapons). What makes it more complicated, though, is that other people who are looking for a ride often wait at these check points and cram themselves into the vehicle as soon as the door is opened. Since the Landcruiser is the "Mary Mobile," I try to use as a criteria: whom would Our Lady want me to carry in her vehicle? Accepting other passengers, though, is often complicated by the fact that they often want you to carry large sacks of produce they're trying to get to the market of which you only become aware when you see them being dragged toward the vehicle. Not long ago during a rain storm a man on the side of the road frantically waved me down and asked whether we could carry his wife, whose leg was badly swollen to the hospital. Of course we said yes, only next to see the woman emerge from their hut with two pretty healthy looking legs that were able to carry not only her body weight, but a heavy sack of grain, too. Our finaly delay on the outbound trip came in the form of a flat tire about a quarter mile from the airport (our destination). We suspect we got the puncture about a mile earlier when a police officer signaled us to pull over and asked us to give his companion a ride to the airport.

The return trip was a different story. Our departure was delayed till mid-afternoon because we took advantage of the trip to Juba to pick up some furniture (two metal cabinets and a dozen plastic chairs) supplies for the House of Mercy. Our farewell to Juba was accompanied by a stone that flew from the wheels of a passing vehicle and left a chip in the center of our windshield that has since grown into a "smile" that reaches up in a semicircle to the roof on both sides. (I felt bad about that till I went to the market it Torit to get some super glue to try to seal the crack and saw the windshield of a government vehicle that looked like a spider web.) We had to stop several times to re-secure the plastic chairs that were tied to the roof rack but repeatedly shook loose from the bumps in the road. The last time we stopped to secure them we noticed our second flat tire. By the time the tire was changed (fortunately we carry two spares) it was almost sunset and we weren't even halfway home.

It's much more difficult in the dark to avoid potholes and ruts, and to determine the best way to maneuver through water and mud. Perhaps that explains how we found the right rear of the vehicle submerged in mud up to the tail light and the vehicle itself pitched at a 45 degree angle toward the passenger side, unable to move forward or backward even in four-wheel drive low. Thank God the electric winch on the front of the vehicle had a cable long enough to reach a thorn tree in very high grass about 25 meters away. (I am very grateful to Toyota for offering that "African specification" on their Land Cruisers). With the added assistance of two young men on a motor cycle who stopped to help push we were out of mud and moving again about an hour after getting stuck. Two check points later we were on the final stretch to Torit, where we arrived at about 10 pm, a little beat up but grateful to be home.

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My First Day in Sudan... This Time!

2010-10-05T05:55:00.001+03:00

I have just begun my most recent missionary endeavor in Sudan. Those of you who frequent the blog will remember me from the month-long summer missions in 2009 and 2010. I have returned now for a six month stint. My first day this time around has been nothing less than adventurous!

I think it must be a mark of honor in Sudan when they roll out the mud carpet for you upon your arrival—mind you that in some places the mud actually has tinges of red in it. Anyhow, I was feeling pretty good having survived the streets of Nairobi where the street cons can easily run circles around even the most cunning of con artists in NYC. Only cost me 350 shillings ($4.32)!

The plane ride was uneventful except for the fact that we arrived ten minutes ahead of schedule. The adventure began with the immigration officials. They had me pegged somewhere between Osama bin Laden and Gandalf the Grey. Making things worse was the fact that I didn’t even have my rosary hanging on my habit showing me to be a Catholic—at 4:00 AM my mind was mush, my eyes were blind and somehow I left it in my room at Regina Pacis, the diocese’s guest house in Nairobi.

I thought I had convinced them that I am neither a terrorist nor a fictional wizard only to find them mulling through my, to that point, cleverly packed luggage, five pieces in all plus some carry-on bits. The second miracle was that I managed to repack everything under the stress.

Then I baked myself in the sun for over an hour waiting for Fr Herald and Denis to arrive. I found out during my second interrogation by the immigration officers who were concerned about my loitering that our vehicle had suffered a flat tire—the first of only two on the day.

Shopping in Juba was another experience. After repeated explanations as to the type of plastic chairs we were looking for and repeated mistakes, I found myself traveling with total strangers to a warehouse in an undisclosed location to get the chairs myself. I guess never talk to stranger went out long ago!

We had some lunch and then hit the road, or shall I say, the mud! It was about half way on our four hour trip (ultimately six hours—the third miracle being the lengthening of the journey!). Already we had changed the second flat tire and re-tied the chairs twice so not to lose them. Our vehicle zigged when, perhaps, it should have zagged, and there I was sitting at a 45° angle in a pool of mud. There is nothing worse than having a pair of knee-high rubber boots packed away just when you need them most. So, with a few prayers to Our Lady, the help of the vehicles winch, and a few wet feet pushing desperately from the middle of the mud pile, we managed to recover the vehicle safe and sound—the fourth miracle.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of equipment damage, but no one was hurt and I now have a new story for a homily someday.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

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Adventures in Rain and Mud

2010-09-29T06:00:00.002+03:00

I was very happy to be able to go to Katire for Mass this past Sunday after being away for a while. It was a beautiful clear morning driving into the mountains, and since it had rained the night before the bare rock patches on the mountainsides glistened like silver with water from springs fed by the rain. The people in Katire seemed happy to see us, too, and said to me (as many others in Torit had already done during the week): "You were lost!" and "How was America?" After Mass I was even able to wade in the river, which was very strong and cold.

The rain started again before we left at about 2:00 pm, and at times was heavy. Then the inevitable happened: the road was blocked by a large truck buried in mud. The Ugandan driver was heading toward Katire with an empty vehicle, probably to haul a load of bamboo back to Torit to sell for roof frames for tukul huts.

We tried to help him for about an hour (and got soaked with rain and covered with mud in the process), at one point even by trying to tow the truck with a rope while the driver accelerated and others pushed. But the rope snapped and our efforts were in vain. At least we provided Sunday afternoon entertainment for about a dozen boys from a nearby village who showed up to watch. We finally concluded that the best strategy was to let the sun (which had come back out by then) dry out the mud enough for the truck to have something solid to grab onto.

In the end, at least, the truck had moved enough for us to get around it and continue on our way. A young woman with her baby who was trying to get to Katire decided that it was a better bet to return to Torit with us.

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Construction on New Parish Church in Torit

2010-09-27T06:00:00.001+03:00

Two months ago I posted a blog entry about the preliminary work being done to prepare for the construction of the new parish church in Torit town. Well, while I was away work on the new building itself commenced. It will be a very large octagonal building able to seat hundreds of people, and is being built by a friendly and respectful construction team from Uganda. The panoramic photos above and below (click on them to enlarge) give you an idea of the size of the building. The main entrace is near the existing ruins of the previous church, which will have to be demolished.

The builders are using local methods, which means using mallets to break large rocks by hand into gravel to be used as aggregate in the concrete, and hand formed bricks that are baked in makeshift kilns of about 10,000 count each, ingeniously stacked in such a way as to be fired from below with wood.

The recent heavy downpours have impeded the work a bit, filling the trenches with rainwater and making it difficult to trudge through the mud, but the construction team continues on undaunted.

Amazingly, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish has raised more than $50,000 locally through second collections at Sunday Masses, but that amount is still far short of the total cost of the new building, for which they will have to rely on additional donations. The parish continues to develop though; while I was a way a third Sunday Mass is classical Arabic was added for people who were displaced in the north during the war and are accustomed to worship in that language.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

UN Meeting about Upcoming Sudan Referendum

2010-09-25T23:08:00.000+03:00

As some of you may have heard in the news, there was a special meeting at the UN this past Friday to discuss concerns about the referendum on the independence of South Sudan scheduled to take place on January 9, 2011. US President Barak Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Khartoum Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha participated. Both north and south were urged to respect the tenets of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and carry out the referendum peacefully and respectfully.

For more information, check out the story on Aljazeera or CNN.

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Kinati River Overflows Its Banks

2010-09-23T14:52:00.000+03:00

Because of the recent heavy rains, the Kinati River - which flows right through Torit, about two blocks from the main road - has over flowed its banks and flooded nearby lowlands for about a week now. The photo above shows the water at the level of the bridge that connects the neighborhoods on the far side with the center of town. Residents there have had to wade through waist deep water to cross. The ground around the mango trees below is usually dry.

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On the Ground in Torit

2010-09-23T13:56:00.000+03:00

I flew to Sudan on the Nairobi-Juba Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)flight that will make stops as needed at airstrips along the route. Before touching down in Torit we dropped of an African Inland Church (AIC) pastor in Lohutuk. MAF does really incredible work in Africa and other mission fields throughout the world, making it possible for missionaries, aid workers and supplies to reach very remote areas. I arrived at about 1 pm this past Monday. Dennis, the Ugandan lay missionary met me at the airport and waited with my luggage while I went back to the bishop's house to get our vehicle. Right away I began to hear the familiar greetings of "Abuna" (Father) and Kawaja (white man) from the children who saw me on the streets.

Monday afternoon children's program at Mercy House.

I was really pleased to see more than 100 boys and girls present for the Monday afternoon children's program at Mercy House. We planned things out before we left, and Dennis and the youth kept this program running while I was away. We showed a video about our Guardian Angela, and Dennis shared a story from the Bible.

The new facade of the Torit bakery, run by Orthodox Christians from Eritrea.

Apparently while I was away, the municipal government decided that the colonial-era buildings on main street needed a face lift, so they required that the owners paint and re-roof them, so the Juba-Torit road is looking brighter these days!

The Arabic restaurant beside the Eritrean bakery, which also added bamboo siding.

Two other freshly painted and newly re-roofed buildings on main street (above and below).

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Broadcasting Again

2010-09-21T12:44:00.000+03:00

I’m back in Africa again now. I arrived just over a week ago, and after spending that week in Kenya am now newly arrived in Sudan. I apologize for the almost one month of inactivity on the blog. As some of you noticed I posted an entry about a week ago that only appeared briefly before having to be removed for technical reasons.

Students at Our Lady of Grace Primary School, Kisumu, Kenya

The last few weeks in the US and this past week in Kenya were a bit of a blur with a lot of movement and activity. The passage of time always seems to pick up speed as a departure or deadline approaches, and unexpected events pop up more frequently. During the week in Kenya I obtained new Kenyan and South Sudanese visas, picked up medicines and other supplies, took care of some mission-related finances, visited two religious communities (the Missionaries of the Poor and the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne) and two schools, celebrated Mass in a local parish, made travel arrangements and was able to spend time on several occasions with my good friends in Communion and Liberation (CL). I was reall glad to see how Our Lady of Grace School (for economically disadvantaged students) has grown and expanded in Kisumu, and was very impressed by the ambience of Cardinal Otunga Secondary School (a CL/AVSI initiative) in Kahawa Sukari, whose motto – taken from CL founder Monsignor Luigi Giussani – is “It is only wonder that generates knowledge.”

Cardinal Otunga School, Kahawa Sukari, Kenya (above and below).

Being back in Africa has again heightened my awareness of the many critical situations that continue to unfold on the continent. I learned from my CL friends in AVSI that there are approximately 300,000 Somali refugees in three different camps in Dadaab in eastern Kenya near the Somali border; 5000 new refugees arrive each day. AVSI has become an implementing partner with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in training teachers and rehabilitating classrooms for the multitude of school children there. The situation in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of instability, violence, displaced people and hunger. And tragically the rebel Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continues to wreak havoc and commit acts of shocking brutality in South Sudan, DRC and the Central African Republic. According to one news story 25,000 people in the western part of South Sudan have had to flee their homes since January, and there was a report of an LRA attack in Darfur earlier this month. These incidents reinforce the suspicion that the LRA is in league with Khartoum and is attempting to destabilize Southern Sudan as the January referendum on independence approaches.

More to come on the situation on the ground in Torit, and news about another friar and a team of lay people coming soon to spend several months as a part of the CFR Sudan Mission…

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Blood Brothers: Bishop Mario and General Efrain Rios Montt

2010-08-23T06:00:00.001+03:00

I spent the last few days of my stay in Central America in Guatemala City visiting my long-time spiritual director Fr. Michael Lenihan, OFM, whom I know from the years in which we were both simultaneously assigned in Honduras. The night before I returned to the US, I had the joy of participating in the 25th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Tepeyac parish, which the OFMs in Guatemala staffed in the first years of its existence. The church was filled to overflowing with mostly indigenous Guatemalans, there were about 15 guitars playing in sync with the choir, and the whole event was suffused with the rich authentic beauty of a faith that has taken deep root in and flourished in a native culture. There's something very "incarnational" about Catholic faith and life that enables a fusion like this to take place that is at once genuinely Christian and yet fully human, respectful of culture but also transforming from within to allow its full beauty and potential to blossom in Christ.

The celebration was especially significant to me because it was presided by Bishop Mario Rios Montt, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Guatemala, successor to assassinated Bishop Juan Gerardi as chairman of the Church's Human Rights Commission, and brother of notorious ex-president, general, and ultra-conservative evangelical pastor Efrian Rios Montt. General Rios Montt was responsible for some of the worst genocidal atrocities in the 1980s during the country's civil war. For me the experience was a reminder of the horrific suffering the country endured during those years, and also of the way the destiny of each human person unfolds in the choices and responses we make to the experiences and opportunities life presents us. It's amazing that one brother became the person responsible for helping to uncover the truth about the violations of human rights with which the other is so notoriously associated. But more than anything it was a testimony to the triumph of grace in a man (the bishop) who has dedicated his life to the service of Christ and become an advocate for the defenseless victims of political violence and oppression.

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In the Sky with Pope John Paul II

2010-08-20T06:00:00.002+03:00

OK, not exactly with Pope John Paul II in person - let me explain.

"His Holiness John Paul II traveled in this airplane on his historic visit
to Canada, Guatemala and Mexico. July 2002."

My journey from Honduras back to the US took me through El Salvador and Guatemala. When I boarded the plane for the flight from San Salvador to Guatemala City I was very moved to see the plaque above. It was the same aircraft on which JPII flew in 2002! And since for some strange reason I ended up being given a seat in business class, I must have been really close to the seat he occupied! A pretty amazing coincidence, huh?

What makes it even more amazing is that I was in Guatemala for the pope's visit in 2002. Several of us traveled from Honduras to participate, and I had the privilege of concelebrating (for the last time) with John Paul II as he presided at the canonization Mass of Santo Hermano Pedro. I took the photo below as the pope was leaving at the end of the celebration.

Not only that, but there were friars from the Honduras mission also present in Canada for World Youth Day accompanying some Honduran youth we had sponsored for that event, and in Mexico City for the canonization of St. Juan Diego.

Seeing that plaque as I was departing was like a final smile from God upon a really wonderful visit - and that made me smile, too!

I'm now back in the US, and will be doing mission preaching for the Diocese of Torit at Our Lady of Victories Parish in Harrington Park, NJ on Saturday and Sunday.

To donate online, please CLICK HERE.

Casa Guadalupe

2010-08-18T06:00:00.001+03:00

Courtyard with fountain in Casa Guadalupe.

Casa Guadalupe is a community/missionary center located beside St. Seraphin Friary in Comayagua. It opened in 2006 with the purpose of fulfilling the two desires which Our Lady of Guadalupe expressed to St. Juan Diego during her apparitions in Mexico City in 1531. Namely, to have a place where the True God could be made known and given to the people, and a refuge where the poor could bring their sorrows and suffering and find relief. These correspond with the two apostolic thrusts of our community, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: evangelization and direct care of the poor.

Soccer/basketball court with missionary family residence in background.

Casa Guadalupe is really an open-air, pavilion-style multi-purpose center. It has several dormitories to house patients for surgical brigades at the St. Benedict Joseph Medical Center, youth and adults on retreat and visiting mission teams from outside the country. There are classrooms and activity rooms, larger areas for meetings and talks, an ample kitchen with two separate dining areas, a day care center, laundry and bathing facilities with clean water also available for free distribution open to the public, a sports court, storage areas and offices.

One of the atria in Casa Guadalupe.

The heart of Casa Guadalupe is a large, open chapel in the center of the complex, where Mass is celebrated and Eucharistic adoration takes place during youth retreats and other large gatherings..

The main chapel at Casa Guadalupe (above and below).

And that's exactly what happened during the last weekend of my visit in Honduras. We had a reunion retreat for about 30 young adults who have participated in Youth Evangelization Team formation and outreach. The theme for the retreat was: Extraordinary Witness: Martyrs and Missionaries. Since Saturday was the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, we discussed the need for making a definitive choice for Christ in our lives against the backdrop of what took place during World War II in Nazi Germany, highlighting the examples of St. Maximilian and St. Theresa Benedict of the Cross (Edith Stein - whose feast occured earlier that week). The youth then viewed the film Sophie Scholl, which documents the heroic opposition of this young woman and a group of friends. That evening there was a Eucharistic Prayer vigil followed by all night adoration.

Eucharistic prayer vigil during the EJE reunion retreat at Casa Guadalupe.

The next day we turned our attention to Africa and talked about the explosive growth taking place in the Church there, as well as some of the serious challenges being faced on that continent in general, and in Sudan in particular. We then watched the harrowing film Beyond the Gates, which focuses on what took place at a Catholic school in Rwanda during the Tutsi genocide in 1994 and the contrasting responses of an extraordinary priest and a young European volunteer. I was very happy to see the bridge between the Church in Honduras and Sudan/Africa become even stronger.

Panoramic view of the neibhborhood from the water tower/ laundry deck (click to enlarge).

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Jesus of Nazareth Farm

2010-08-16T01:19:00.000+03:00

One of the best parts of my visit to Honduras was the opportunity to visit and spend time with the boys, young men and staff of the Granja Jesús Nazaret (Jesus of Nazareth Farm). I had done pastoral work there pretty intensively during the last year and a half of my time in Honduras. I was overwhelmed when I arrived the first Sunday I was there to celebrate Mass for them and found my name painted on the walls of one of the buildings!

The original complex of buildings (above);
the new dormitory for the boys and young men (below).

The Granja is home to about 74 boys and young men. It is directed by an amazing couple, José María (Chema) and Ada Alcerro, who have three boys of their own, but have opened their marriage and family create a beautiful, peaceful, home-like and faith-filled environment for the boys entrusted to their care.

Proposed site for the chapel - if the funds needed to build it can be raised.

The Granja cultivates fruit, corn and other crops,
as well as raises fish, cattle and other livestock
to be as self-sustaining as possible.

Some of the boys are complete orphans, many come from families who – for one reason or another – were not able to properly care for them. Among the residents are several with Down’s Syndrome and other kinds of special needs, a youth with severe epilepsy, another who is completely deaf and unable to speak. Many of these special boys will be in the care of the home probably for the rest of their lives.

A group of boys with a snake they caught.

Watermelon - a universal favorite.

The Granja is part of a larger organization established by an outstanding Catholic Honduran laywoman, Carmen Beteta, and includes a home for small children, girls and young women, a house for mentally ill older girls, a university residence for the children who have grown up in the homes and are now studying at college, a house of transition for young adults getting ready to live on their own and a number of other outreaches.

Group photo at the end of the Campeones de Cristo retreat
which young men from Missioners of Christ helped to lead.

One of the most moving experiences I had during the time I was able to spend with the Granja boys was a weekend retreat for the group of older boys that we formed several years ago called “The Champions of Christ” (Campeones de Cristo). They were extremely well behaved, open and receptive, and the retreat was exceptional – particularly a very blessed Saturday evening Eucharistic adoration prayer vigil.

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St. Benedict Joseph Medical Center

2010-08-14T21:26:00.000+03:00

The entrance to the St. Benedict Joseph Medical Center.

On several different occasions during my stay in Honduras I had the opportunity to visit the St. Benedict Joseph Medical Center not far from our friary on the outskirts of town. The surgical center/clinic was established in 2004 to provide for the unmet medical needs of the very poor by welcoming visiting teams of surgeons and providing regular, ongoing medical attention.

The courtyard and and adjoining passageway of the medical center.

All services are given free of charge to the poor, and everything at the center helps to communicate the love of Christ and affirm the dignity of those who are served there, from the standard of medical care, to the quality of personal interaction with the staff, to the physical beauty and tangible peace that pervades the place.

The chapel with the Blessed Sacrament and view of the surrounding mountains.

The heart of SBJ is the chapel on the second floor where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. From there flows the love that is made tangible in the form of medical care received by the patients.

Patients waiting to be attended.

I know of no better way to communicate the essence of the Centro Medico San Benito Jose than to quote its mission and vision statements which hang on the wall:

Mission: To show the love of Christ to the materially poor, and to affirm their human dignity and value, by offering free of charge the highest possible quality health care in an atmosphere of faith and as part of the mission of the Catholic Church.

SBJ Medical Director Dr. Carlos in consultation with a patient.

Vision: To become a beacon of hope, a source of encouragement and an expression of solidarity to poor families as they struggle to improve their lives; to positively impact and significantly improve – both in terms of treatment and prevention – the health and health consciousness of our regular patients and neighbors; to set a high professional standard of quality for health care providers and others who serve the disadvantaged; and to inspire other similar efforts, in a spirit of faith and impelled by the love of Christ, to meet the many severe needs of those who live in poverty.

SBJ nursing staff in main lobby; a painting of the center's patron,
St. Benedict Joseph Labre hangs in the background beside a portrait
of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR in whose honor the center is named.

For more information on the St.Benedict Joseph Medical Center, visit its website at: http://www.sbjhonduras.com/

SBJ's social work and plant management staff.

More CFR Honduras mission postings to come!

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Colonial Comayagua

2010-08-13T22:59:00.000+03:00

Two weeks ago I flew to Honduras, where I served as a missionary from 2001-2007, to celebrate the wedding of two lay missionaries, Etelvina Hernández (Honduran) and Mark Fein (American). Etel has served for about five years, including a year in the US, and Mark for about three. I know Etel and her family well, and she was part of the mission team that came to Sudan in May-June of 2009. I also played a small role in encouraging Mark to serve with Missioners of Christ. They met while serving together in Comayagua and both taught last year at the Catholic bilingual school in town. They just left a few days ago for Nicaragua where they will both be working in the student life department of the Central American campus of Ave Maria University.

The wedding took place in the colonial city of Comayagua, where both the friars and Missioners of Christ are established. Comayagua, once the capital of Honduras, boasts of five colonial churches, the most prominent of which is the cathedral, which dates to the 1700s, and which dominates the plaza in the center of town.

The reredos in the sanctuary is overwhelming. Almost the entire structure is gold-plated, with statues embedded in niches at different levels. When illuminated it's almost blinding and gives the impression of the saints enfolded in the glory of heaven.

The cathedral houses the oldest functioning clock in the western hemisphere. The clock was built by Moorish craftsmen in the 1100s and given as a gift to the city by Philip II in the 1500s. It is propelled by a complex system of weights, cables and gears.

The cathedral also has an impressive tower with bells that ring every quarter hour, as well as one for Mass and another that is only sounded on the city’s patronal feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

From the tower there is an amazing view of the rest of the building and the surrounding city.

The courtyard to the left of the main nave.

The facade of the cathedral.

In the recently renovated central plaza in front of the cathedral a silhouette of the structure has been reproduced in different shades of stone.

The fountain in the center of the main plaza.

The palacio municipal which houses Comayagua's city government offices.

The view to the southeast of the central plaza.

An archway leading to the fountain at the center of the plaza.

In the next few days I hope to be able to post photos and descriptions of some of the other more mission related sites in the Comayagua area. Stay tuned!

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Flawed Kenyan Constitution Approved

2010-08-13T01:15:00.002+03:00

Tragically, last Wednesday, August 4th, the draft version of a new constitution for Kenya was passed by a referendum vote of approximately 67% in favor and 33% opposed. The constitution contains an ambiguous reference to abortion that could open the door to the legalization of that practice in the country. Christian leaders in the country, both Catholic and Protestant, strongly opposed the draft in its present form and urged that it be revised.

A friend from Kenya recently wrote me, commenting on the situation:

"Yes, the Constitution passed and some how the real struggle starts now because as the Cardinal [John Njue] put it, the Church will continue to fight for the Truth and the Truth is not equal to numbers. We pray for the Church in Kenya especially the Bishops so that Christ may sustain us all in the struggle... This circumstance calls for the conversion of each of us."

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YOUTH 2OOO New York Major Event

2010-07-27T07:43:00.000+03:00

I arrived in New York a week and a half ago on July 15 after a long (two back to back eight hour flights) but uneventful journey from Africa through Amsterdam. Because I was travelling east, I was able to make the journey in a single day. Arriving at night gave me a head start on adjusting my body to the seven hour time difference. I needed it because the very next day I headed to Kellenberg Memorial High School on Long Island for the YOUTH 2OOO New York annual major event.

It was wonderful to see so many young people gathered in prayer around Our Lord in the Eucharist, listening to the Word of God, deepening their friendship with Christ and growing in faith. It was also inspiring to see so many priests, religious and even two bishops accompanying these young people on their journey with Christ. It was a special joy to catch up with lots of old friends, including Fr. Peter Byrne (below), pastor of Immaculate Conception Church on Staten Island, long-time supporter of YOUTH 2OOO and a really great priest. Among the young people he brought was a small contingent of Nigerians. I was very happy to meet and speak with them, and gave them each a St. Bakhita prayer card. Although Immaculate Conception is located in an economically disadvantaged area, Fr. Peter still put an announcement it the bulletin encouraging parishioners to support the CFR Sudan Mission.

I had the privilege of leading the prayer vigil on Saturday night. The theme of the Major Event was "Caritas in Veritate / Love in Truth," taken from Pope Benedict XVI's most recent encyclical. Working with YOUTH 2OOO New York's director, Angela Scannapieco, and her team, we planned the vigil to try to communicate the call of the encyclical to the young people present in a visual and symbolic way related to the Eucharist.

We carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession from the main tent to a specially prepared altar located in a structure meant to evoke the image of a large lantern as well as the kind of monstrance used by St. Clare to repel an attack by Saracen invaders. On the panels behind the altar were hung hundreds of heart-shaped mirrors, one for each person present. We used 2 Corinthians 4:6 ("For God, who said , 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.") and other Scripture passages to talk about our call to reflect the light and love of Christ in our lives

At a certain point each of the young people came forward to receive a heart-shaped mirror. We then asked them to hold it in such a way that they could see Jesus in the Eucharist reflected in their hearts, then to hold it so the person next to them could see Him, and finally to see Jesus reflected in the heart of their neighbor. It was a deeply prayerful and very moving experience.

The following morning before Sunday Mass with Bishop Murphy of Rockville Center, I had the chance to share with those present about the situation in Africa and other places in the world, and urge them to consider the possibility of some kind of missionary service. It was in the evening of that same Sunday that I appeared as a guest with Fr. Benedict on EWTN's Sunday Night Live program.

In the course of the next few days I was able to renew my driver's licence, pick up two new habits, visit a Dominican sister who recently returned to the US from serving in Kenya, meet with our Community Servant, spend time with our friars, and visit the hospitalized mother of a close mission collaborator. Last Wednesday I traveled to Pennsylvania to spend time with my family, and this past weekend offered Sunday Mass in my home parish, as well as celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of some family friends.

I ask for your prayers as I travel to Honduras later this week. I will be celebrating the wedding of two lay missionaries (the bride a Honduran, the groom an American), as well as the Baptism of the bride's nephew (whose parents I married several years ago), helping to lead two youth retreats and catching up with many of the people whom I had the privilege of serving and working with in the course of my almost seven years there. We will also be discussing the possibility of for four lay missionaries (two Americans and two Hondurans) to serve in Sudan for several months in the near future.

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Please Pray for Kenya

2010-07-15T07:37:00.000+03:00

In just three weeks, on August 4th, Kenyans will vote in a referendum on whether to accept the proposed draft of a new constitution. As the post-election violence two and a half years ago showed, the country is badly in need of a new charter for its government. While the proposed constitution has many good elements, it is seriously flawed in certain respects and its proponents have rejected any attempts to modify it in such a way as to secure broader-based support. The constitution's most serious flaw is an ambiguous statement about abortion that could open the door to legalizing this practice in Kenya. Another difficulty has to do with establishing an Islamic khadi court as part of the civil judicial system. Still others have registered concerns about the uncritical acceptance of aspects of international law that could perhaps pave the way for things like same-sex marriages or civil unions.

The Catholic bishops of Kenya, along with the Kenya Council of Churches and other groups, have urged the electorate to reject the constitution in its present form, and as a result have endured strong criticism from politicians and the secular media.

Please pray that the proposed Kenyan constitution in its present form will be rejected in the upcoming referendum on August 4th, so that Kenya might be spared the scourge of abortion and other social ills that plague the US and Europe.

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Spider ID

2010-07-14T22:17:00.002+03:00

Thanks to my friend Beth Seiler, I can now identify the "black and yellow striped horned crab spider" as Argiope Lobata or Lobed Argiope, according to Wikipedia (which cites Ken Preston-Mafham's Spiders: Compact Study Guide and Identifier [Angus Books, 1998]):

"Argiope lobata is a species of spider belonging to the family Araneidae. It has a wide distribution encompassing the whole of Africa and stretching to southern Europe and into Asia. The male of this species is small (body length 6 mm) but the female is large and spectacular at up to 25 mm in length. The silver abdomen is marked with black and red spots and carries deep furrows and distinctive lobes around the edge. As with other spiders in this genus, the large web is usually decorated with prominent zig-zag stabilimenta."

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Fr. Herald to Appear with Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN's Sunday Night Live on July 18

2010-07-14T06:00:00.000+03:00

I fly to the US later this week and will be participating in the YOUTH 2OOO New York Major Event at Kellenberg High School on Long Island over the weekend. Please pray for the hundreds of young people who are expected to attend.

On Sunday 18 July I am scheduled to appear with Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN's Sunday Night Live program at 7:00 pm. Please tune in if you can!

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ICC Charges Sudanese President Bashir with Genocide

2010-07-13T10:10:00.001+03:00

The International Criminal Court at the Hague yesterday formally charged Sudanese President Omar al Bashir with three counts of genocide by killing, causing psychological and physical harm, and "by deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction." The genocidal aggression was directed against three different tribal groups in the Darfur region of the country. These charges are added to those of war crimes and crimes against humanity issued by the court in March of 2009. At that time the ICC declined to include genocide in the indictments against Bashir, citing lack of sufficient evidence. That decision was overturned Monday as a result of a successful appeal and newly filed motions by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo. Yesterday the court also issued an additional arrest warrant for Bashir. These developments come at a crucial time in Sudan's history, when the south is preparing for a referendum on independence scheduled to take place in January 2011, exactly six years after the end of a prolonged north-south civil war that claimed the lives of millions and wrought horrific devastation in the south.

Please also remember the victims of Sunday night's bombings in Kampala in your prayers. Explosions at two different sites in neighboring Uganda's capital city caused the death of more than 70 people who had gathered to watch the World Cup championship. One of the explosions took place near the Diocese of Torit's guesthouse in the south of the city. Somali Al-Shabab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that they were carried out in retaliation for the presence of Ugandan soldiers among the African Union peacekeeping troops in Somalia. Further attacks against Uganda and Burundi (which also has soldiers among the AU peacekeepers) were threatened unless both countries withdraw their troops from Somalia.

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South Sudan Goes Green!

2010-07-12T06:00:00.002+03:00

Fields just to the east of Torit Town.

In my experience, things rarely go as planned in Sudan; they are always shifting. That goes especially for travel plans.

Lands between Hiyala and Ikotos.

A couple of months ago I booked a seat for July 13th on the missionary flight that stops once a week in Torit on the way from Juba to Nairobi. For lots of reasons (time, expense, safety, ease of travel) it's the best way to go to Kenya. For well over a year, the day for the stop was Tuesday. Still, I knew it was a good idea to email the flight service a week ahead to confirm my seat and make sure that nothing had changed. Well, I found out the flight was changed from Tuesday to Wednesday, and would put me into Nairobi just 12 hours before my flight to the US on July 15th, and I knew that was too close for comfort. If anything went wrong with the missionary flight, there was no other way I could get to Nairobi in time. So I asked whether their late afternoon flight on Friday might be able to stop, but that's always iffy because the airport on the border closes at 6:00 pm, and the smaller airport in Nairobi used by the missionary flight service closes at 9:00 pm. So, the only definite seat I could book was for last Wednesday, a week earlier than I had planned, and I found out with only half a day to wrap everything up in Torit for an extended time away.

The village of Lobira, on the main road between Torit and the Kenya border.

The flight was a real blessing, though. The landscape of Southern Sudan was the greenest and most beautiful I had ever seen it. I couldn't help but remembering how scorched the land was just a year ago, and to see it so lush and verdant, and know that meant an abundant harvest for people who had suffered from hunger for a year, really made my heart glad. We flew over a number of communities I could recognize from the air, and had some breathtaking views of the Didinga Hills.

Mountain airstrip in Nagishot.

Small clusters of tukuls (familiy huts).

The amazingly beautiful Didinga Hills.

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Rosary Chain Reaction

2010-07-09T06:00:00.001+03:00

At our regular youth group faith formation meeting on Wednesday of last week I shared with the young people about the donation of rosary making materials (beads, crucifixes, connectors, cord) that were sent by my cousin Won San in Korea in memory of her recently deceased teacher Dae An Sunim. I then showed the youth how to assemble a rosary, and each of them made one. We then gave to all of the young people present a packet with enough materials to make five or so rosaries. We decided that after making a rosary, the young person should first pray it, then give it to another person as a gift with the request that the recipient use the rosary to pray for Sudan as it approaches the critical moment of the referendum on the independence of the South in January 2011.

I wasn't exactly sure what the outcome would be, but two days later when I saw some of the group members they had already made and distributed several, and said that those who received them expressed a very positive response. More rosary making supplies were distributed this week as well. Our hope is to create a chain reaction of prayer and a ground-swell of grace to surround this historic and decisive moment.

I would have liked to take a photo to show you, but I was too busy helping the youth make their rosaries!

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What's Going on in Torit

2010-07-08T21:31:00.003+03:00

In Torit Town, pretty much like everywhere else in South Sudan these days, the big focus is on the upcoming referendum on independence which will take place next January. There was recently a very well attended workshop in preparation for that event. It took a look at the history of north-south relations in Sudan and examined a number of scenarios of what could happen before, during and after the referendum. Examples of other countries who went through similar experiences, with varying outcomes, were also presented. One of the resolutions of the workshop was that people should be encouraged to pray for the smooth and peaceful carrying out of the referendum process. That’s something we hope to contribute to at the chapel in the House of Mercy.

In the meantime work has finally begun on the new church for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in downtown Torit. Unfortunately that meant cutting down some trees to make space for the new structure. Because the ruins of the former church are such a significant monument of the suffering and tenacity of Christians during the war and the persecution that accompanied it, the parishioners were reluctant to have them demolished. They want to leave it as a monument to the faith of the people and a reminder of the experience of the war. The new structure will be located behind the ruins.

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Faces and Scenery from Katire

2010-07-05T13:15:00.000+03:00

Fourth of July morning found me heading through the teak forest into the mountains toward Katire for Sunday Mass. In between time, when there’s no mission team or other special event to prepare for, direct or recover from, my life becomes a little more routine.

I was surprised to see that in the three weeks since my last visit there, quite a bit of work had been done widening and leveling the road. On the Fourth of July I was happy to be informed by a newly posted sign that the road improvement was being sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). I offered Mass for the United States, and invited the villages to join me in praying for my country, that it would be blessed because of its generosity – including improving the road to Katire – but also that it would turn its heart back to God from the ways in which it has strayed from Him.

We got there a little early, and – as usual – there were a group of boys sitting in the front row watching us prepare for Mass. Since I had some time to spare I took their photos, as well as those of the others who had come early for Mass.

After Mass we showed a film on the life of St. Maria Goretti, whose feast we celebrate tomorrow. There was much in her life with which the people from Katire could identify: farming for a living, struggling with poverty, the threat of malaria. The message of St. Maria Goretti’s life meshed beautifully with the theme of readings: God’s gift and promise of peace that comes to us through the power of the Cross of Christ.

Before leaving I was able to sneak down to the stream and snap this photo of a wild banana grove.

Back in Torit we had a late lunch at the home of Phil and Linda Byler, an American couple who coordinate the African Inland Mission efforts in South Sudan. A few other Americans and some other missionaries were also invited. Linda is a great cook and made really good pizza for the occasion - a taste of America on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately Phil was away in Uganda on mission-related work.

Finally we showed the first half of a film on the life of the patriarch Abraham at Mercy House.

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Another Spider Spied

2010-07-02T06:00:00.001+03:00

Earlier this week I caught sight of another "black and yellow striped horned crab spider" (for lack of a better name), this time much closer to home: in one of the corners of the property of Mercy House. It wasn't as large as the one I saw at the radio station, but it was still pretty intimidating.

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Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Patronal Feast of the Diocese of Torit, Diocesan Conclusion of the Year for Priests

2010-06-30T06:00:00.000+03:00

Priests of the diocese concelebrating Mass.

This past Sunday the Diocese of Torit celebrated its patronal feast day, the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and also formally closed its celebration of the Year for Priests. Over twenty priests from the diocese were able to join Bishop Emeritus Paride Taban and hundreds of lay faithful for Mass on the grounds of the cathedral. Unfortunately Bishop Akio Johnson was not able to join us; he continues to receive medical treatment in Nairobi – please remember him in your prayers.

Bishop Emeritus Paride Taban.

In the afternoon, following Mass, entertainment in the form of songs, dances and skits, was provided by different groups – including a skit by our own group of youth.

Posing for a Photo after Mass.

On Monday, many of the priests who were in town for the occasion stopped by Mercy House to receive the gift of a new clerical shirt and pick up other items that were donated by friends and benefactors in the US and brought by the recent visiting mission team. Thanks to the generosity of the donors more than half of the parishes of the diocese received liturgical items (vestments, monstrances, chalices, pattens, etc.) and most of the priests received a personal gift.

Priests choosing clerical shirts and liturgical supplies.

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Maynor's Departure from Uganda

2010-06-28T22:10:00.000+03:00

Farewell gathering for Maynor with the youth.

A week and a half ago, Dennis and I drove Maynor to Uganda for his return flight to Honduras after serving almost six months in Sudan. The evening before the youth from our group gathered to thank Maynor, pray with him and say goodbye. We tried a new route, and crossed the border at Tseretenya on the Sudan side, Madiopei on the Uganda side. Fr. Pascal Oleo, on his way back to Uganda Martyr’s University, and Stella, one of the cooks in the bishop’s residence, also travelled with us. At the border crossing we were asked to carry two soliders who were very ill into Uganda for medical treatment at a clinic on the other side. One was too ill for us to transport, though, and we recommended he be taken to the diocese’s hospital in Isohe. Because it is a very small crossing, the customs post is not located at the border, but rather at the nearest small city of Kitgum. Unfortunately we arrived just a few minutes after the sole customs officer left for lunch, causing another delay of over an hour. All told it took us almost 15 hours to travel the 600 km to Emmaus Center, just 50 km north of Kampala.

Stained glass window of the Uganda Martyrs
at Cathedral in Kampala (below also).

The next day we did some errands in the city, and in the late afternoon took Maynor to the airport. On Friday we dropped the vehicle to be serviced off at a workshop run by a man whose brother is a priest in the Archdiocese of Kampala. Dennis took me back to Emmaus by public transportation for a weekend of rest and prayer. I was very happy to catch up there with Noelle Gornick, who had been part of the recent Sudan mission team and is now spending time in Uganda. I was also happy to reconnect with Fr. John Bashobora and Dan and Lyn Williamson, whom I met at last year’s Catholic charismatic renewal conference at the Shrine of the Uganda Martyrs.

Monday and Tuesday were spent picking up the vehicle and trying to track down and purchase some equipment and supplies for the House of Mercy in Torit. Last Wednesday we headed back to Torit, this time through Bibia, Uganda and Nimule, Sudan, about 60 km and 3 hours shorter!

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The Stream in Katire

2010-06-21T06:00:00.000+03:00

Below are some recent photos of the Kinati River that begins way up in the mountains, passes through Katire (where these shots were taken), and continues downhill through Torit. Now you know one of the reasons why I like to visit Katire so much.

The main road into Katire; the chapel is in the upper right corner.

The old bridge over the stream.

Small plants growing horizontally out of the side of a rock.

A small feeder stream that has worn an impression in the rock.

The old road leading back from the stream to the main road.

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Bugged!

2010-06-18T06:00:00.000+03:00

The Saturday before Corpus Christi Sunday, while the mission team was still here, I was asked to record the homily for that feast for Radio Emmanuel, the local Catholic station. As it turned out I was also to be the main celebrant for the English Mass that Sunday, too, and it seemed to fit in with our evangelization efforts for that weekend as well. So, even though the scheduling was a bit tight I decided to do it. While waking near the fence of the radio compound I felt on my face what seemed in strength and thickness to be something like fishing line. I realized it must have been the web of a large spider, and when I looked around I saw this huge (the torso is 2-3") black and yellow striped spider having what looked like a shell on its outer body. When I brought Fr. Santino a little later to show him, the spider was making a meal of an unfortunate butterfly. Can anyone help identify the species?

A few days later when I was doing some washing in my room at the bishop's house, I went to turn on the spigot and there was another visitor perched on the hose. A little longer than the spider, but not nearly as intimidating.

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Letter of Thanks for Hunger Relief Food from the Christians in Chahari

2010-06-16T06:01:00.001+03:00

While the mission team was evangelizing in Torit a letter was passed on to me from the Catholic Community in Chahari, one of the locations where we distributed relief grain. At the decision of the leaders of the community the grain was given in exchange for making and laying bricks for the construction of a small chapel. I reproduce the text of the letter here as closely as possible to the way it was written:

Chahari Chapel
Lomohidan North Payam
Ikotos County, Eastern Equatoria State
15 April 2010

To the Father in Charge
Catholic Diocese of Torit
Relief Program

Dear Father,

The Christian Community of Chahari Chapel are very glad to passed all their greetings to the Father in charge for the help of sorghum they have received from the month of February, and through that help the Christians Community of Chahari Lomohidan North Payam decided to lay bricks over the sorghum given by the father in charge instead of giving for consumption.

More so, the Christians community of Chahari lay bricks and they have burnt three big group (kemena) through the sorghum they have received from the father in charge Catholic Diocese of Torit Relief Program. The Christians Community of Chahari are all wishing good service for the help and may God continue to strengthen your heart for the good of the Christians communities in our state and all over the world.

Thanks
Yours Sincerely Christians Community Secretary
Otto Pasquale Lelang

We were also able to make arrangements for the delivery of an additional 11 tons of hunger relief food to Chukudum, where the visiting mission team evangelized three weeks ago. The delivery coincided with the celebration of the parish's patronal feast: the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and so was a gift from the Heart of Christ to those suffering from hunger there. Jesus feeds their hearts with His own Heart in the Eucharist, and their bodies with this gift of food.

Although there were not enough funds donated to cover the cost of this food, we squeezed the money out of the general mission account, sure that feeding the starving is a paramount priority and something desired by the Lord. Thanks to those who donated for this purpose, and to anyone else who still might like to help defray this expense.

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Evaluation of Youth Retreat in Narus from Local Coordinating Committee

2010-06-16T06:00:00.001+03:00

The following are some excerpts from an evaluation by the local coordinating committee of the Bread of Life Eucharistic Youth Retreat that took place in Narus over Pentecost weekend. Br. Augustine Lokoro, who headed up the committee, delivered it and shared it with the team just before they left. It is transcribed as literally as possible.

Adoration hours was recognized in such away that though the Youth persevere all the conditions like coldness and Mosquitoes bites within the Church compound, they had at least gained some changes of their lives especially when participants were touching our Lord Jesus. There were overwhelmed joys and a great pleasure among the retreafints due to the presence of Missionaries who tirelessly struggled all the ways upto Narus (Sudan).

lt was strongly recommended by committee that, such seminar like this Retreat was applicable and the Youth took in regard by saying that the Retreat really helped them to grow spiritually. And they expected more and more seminars like this to happen after they have accepted this to be deeply rooted in their souls and minds for the proclamation of the Gospel of God to prevail all the world. The Youth also agreed that every last Friday of the Month, the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament should be continued not only within Narus but also outside the bush chapels such as Mogos, Lolim and others villages' prayer centers.

The committee also made a request for financial suppport for girl students studying in Narus, for chairs, and a small sound system.

A priest also stopped by the other day to tell me how ecstatic the people of Lowoi were over our visit. It really touched and encouraged them that missionaries from the US would come to visit their small village. They were so moved by what they experienced that they said that God had landed in their village during the days we were there. They were particularly inspired by the video on St. Bakhita, one of their own daughters of Sudan who became a saint.

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Assorted Other Mission Trip Photos

2010-06-14T06:00:00.000+03:00

Diocese's guest house in Narus.

Speaks for itself.

Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Fr. Herald as Captain Jack Sparrow.

David Liwaya Ukoo.

Angela goes native.

We told them it didn't have any wheels,
but they didn't listen.

King of the Hill.

Children playing near an abandoned tank in Hiyala.

Fr. Lawrence during the Eucharistic healing procession in Chukudum.

Br. Diego doing his imitation of Omar al Bashir.

Br. Diego doing his imitation of Br. Diego.

The Friars ran into a familiar American face in the Amsterdam airport.

Nice to meet someone with something in common -
only the length and colors are different.

The friars with Joseph Maasai, our trusty taxi driver in Nairobi.

One of our cooks in Narus.

The side altar of St. Joseph in Chukudum
with handmade local musical instruments.

One of our cooks in Chukudum.

Fr. Lawrence and Br. John Baptist with children in Chukudum.

Br. Diego's unexpected visitor. He didn't live very long after this -
the snake, that is.

Chris and friends.

A moment of perplexity.

Fr. Sylvester Mary "Indiana Jones" Mann, CFR.

Look at that face!

After Sunday Mass in Isohe.

Carol, Queen of Clean.

Carol on the rampage.

That's right, Noelle! Now you've got the hang of it.

I'm on top of the world, looking down on creation...

Elizabeth Pasquale Ugwak (with Br. Diego's hat).

Fr. Herald leads the charge with a crazed look in his eye.

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Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Conclusion of the Year for Priests. Thank you for your generous donations for Sudanese priests!

2010-06-11T00:01:00.001+03:00

These are just some of the vestments and clerical clothes
donated by friends in the US and brought by the recent mission team.

Today, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, officially marks the end of the Year for Priests that began on this same liturgical feast a year ago. I wanted to take this opportunity to share with all of you what the generosity of our friends has enabled us to provide for the priests of Sudan: a large number of vestments, clerical shirts, albs, altar linens, servers' cassocks, chalices, monstrances, ciboria, pyxes, censors and Mass kits. Most of the items were brought by the visiting mission team that just left. Some (most of the monstrances and all three Mass kits) were purchased in Nairobi with donations given for that purpose.

As a priest I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of those who collaborated on this project. It is an eloquent gesture of encouragement to my brother priests here who serve under such challenging conditions. I know they will be grateful for what you have given.

These are most of the liturgical articles that were donated.
The new monstrances on the top (four large and three small)
and the three Mass kits were purchased in Kenya
with donations from friends in the US.

I would also like to send special greetings to my home parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus, in St. Marys, PA, on the occasion of its patronal feast, and to express my thanks for all the support and encouragement the parish and parishioners have extended to me here. I pray that a river of blessings would overflow from the Heart of Jesus upon all of you!

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Corpus Christi Weekend of Eucharistic Evangelization in Torit

2010-06-09T06:00:00.001+03:00

The first afternoon of evangelization in Torit (click on photo to enlarge).

We arrived in Torit in the early afternoon last Thursday. Unlike the mini-miisions in Chukudum and Lowoi we planned three days of Eucharistic adoration to coincide with the weekend on which the solemnity of Corpus Christi would be celebrated. Since the first day of activities, Friday 4 June, was the day after the feast of the Uganda Martyrs (June 3), we picked up on that theme in the talks and showed a film recounting their story after night fall. I introduced the general theme we would be following for the three days, Fr. Lawrence spoke on Divine Mercy, Br. Diego on reconciliation and Dennis on the Uganda Martys (one of the martyrs, St. Dennis Ssebuggwawo, is his patron).

Br. Diego with the banner with a photo of the Uganda Martyrs.

The Commissioner of Torit County joined us on Friday
afternoon and shared a reflection with the crowd.

Attentive young listeners.

Fr. Lawrence speaking about Divine Mercy.

A "well balanced" view from the rear of the crowd.

On Saturday morning we joined the parish community for Mass, for which Fr. Lawrence was the main celebrant and preacher. Following Mass we brought Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in procession from the parish church to the meeting room we converted into an adoration chapel at the House of Mercy.

Fr. Lawrence celebrating Saturday morning Mass.

People praying before Jesus in the adoration chapel.

Throughout Saturday morning there were Holy Hours scheduled for different groups of people: women, men, youth and children, which different members of the team took turns leading. On both Saturday and Sunday afternoons there were several hours of silent adoration for anyone who wanted to spend some time in prayer with the Lord.

Fr. Sylvester preaching about healing and the Eucharist.

After the talks on Saturday afternoon we brought the Blessed Sacrament out for a time of public adoration and a Eucharistic healing procession.

A little boy comes face to face with Jesus.

It's wonderful to have prayerful and faith-filled musicians!

Br. John Baptist and Samuel Oryem.

On Sunday the theme of the talks turned toward our life in the Church. Carol Restaine shared about the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives. Dennis Kiyimba spoke about following Jesus. And Br. John Baptist exhorted us to evangelize, referring to the example of St. Bakhita of Sudan.

Carol Restaine sharing about the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Carol with the young women members of our
St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth group.

Fr. Herald and two young local team members preparing
Vespers in the Madi, Acholi and Lotuko languages.

We concluded our three days of Eucharistic Evangelization with a solemn Holy Hour, celebration of Vespers (Evening Prayer) and Benediction, followed by a dramatized film version of the life of St. Bakhita of Sudan. Before the film began we distributed more than 3,000 prayer cards with an actual photo of St. Bakhita to those who were in attendance.

Closing solemn Holy Hour, Vespers and Benedition on Sunday.

The crowed that gathered at dusk for Sunday's film on the life of St. Bakhita.

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Visit to the Ruins of Okaru Seminary

2010-06-07T06:01:00.001+03:00

View of Lowoi and its roofless church from the road going up the mountain to Okaru.

Visiting the parish community of Lowoi gave us the opportunity of visiting the historical site of Okaru seminary, which sits atop the mountain behind the village. The first thing that impressed me is how well the road leading up the steep face of the mountain was constructed and supported by retaining walls made of rock. At several points as the road weaves back and forth there are magnificent views of the valley below.

Some of the impressive ruins of Okaru seminary.

The main structure of the seminary had a classical design with a chapel at one end and the dining hall at the other, with classrooms (that still had blackboards on the walls) in between - all joined by a long hallway. It was adorned with beautiful arches and cornices and had an additional story that opened out onto the lower elevation behind.

The chapel and altar.

Fr. Herald walking through the refectory or dining room.

The missionaries who constructed the seminary were ingenious and creative engineers. Their first feat was building the road and getting all the materials to the top. They also had to make sure there was enough water for the fairly large seminary population residing on the mountain top, so they used the combination of rain water stored in cisterns and dammed a spring located a kilometer or so from the main compound and lined the path there with mango tress that still bear fruit.

The missionaries dammed a nearby spring
to serve as a water source for the seminary.

A cistern used to store rain water.

In addition to the main building there were a significant number of "satellite" buildings reflecting the large and diversified population of the site. In addition to priests and seminarians there were Sacred Heart Brothers from the US who taught the younger boys and religious sisters who assisted in various ways.

Ruins of additional buildings (also below).

I had very mixed feelings as I walked through the grounds of Okaru. We were all struck by the beauty and tranquility of the place. It's an ideal location for prayer, study and formation. You couldn't help but think about all the young men who passed through there and went on to become priests serving in Sudan or laymen working in other fields. In fact many older men in the diocese who are still alive, including high ranking government officials, studied there and have fond memories of the place. Last year a group of them made a pilgrimage to the site and celebrated Mass on the grounds. I also thought about Fr. Saturnino Ohure, the southern resistance leader buried in Torit, who also spent some time at the seminary. I wondered about the Sacred Heart Brothers from the US who served there.

Tragically all that came to an abrupt end when the foreign missionaries were expelled from Sudan in 1964 during the first civil war by the Islamist regime ruling in the north. Okaru closed the following year. How different the life of the Church in Sudan might have been if Okaru and other institutions like it had been allowed to flourish and prosper. In addition to its beauty, there is a deep sense of sorrow that lingers in these abandoned ruins. May that sorrow one day give birth to a renewal of places like Okaru for the formation of the minds and hearts of Sudanese youth.

Team photo with Fr. Joseph Ochan (second from left)
and two guides on the precipice overlooking the valley below.

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