More to celebrate

Today we have the great privilege to go to a 60th wedding anniversary and a 10 anniversary. I am really looking forward to witnessing these great events and seeing how they are celebrated here. As I am typing this, we are talking about how the women that work here at the parish have been cooking our food. It's over a small fire behind the house, and the women live in tiny accommodations. We also had the opportunity to have an excellent conversation with the priests and the reasons why they became priests - it was a great witness of faith. Peace, Kristine

The last couple of days of been eye-opening beyond belief, educational to say the least and at times very surreal. The long slum tour walk we took opened my eyes to a reality that exceeded expectations of what a true slum is all about. The filth, flooding, trash and disease ridden environoment these people live in everyday of their lives is inhuman....yet they have no options. What was really disheartening was seeing all the children that live there. They are everywhere! You look at them and cant help but think they have no chance in life. Still, they are unbelievably beautiful with smiles that melt you to the heart. Their only hope is a chance to go to school, which most don't have the chance. The kids at St. Kizito School are from these same slums, just as poor, but even though they bunk three high in an over-stuffed dorm room, by comparsion with the kids in the slum, they are living large. Supporting these kids in a school truly changes the entire direction of their lives.

The surreal came with the riots and mob scenes literally on the other side of the wall separating St. Kizito from the slums. There were fires and government soldiers which closed the street just 30 feet from the entry gate to St. Kizito. Inside the St. Kizto compound we were having an outdoor meeting under a tree with about 100 handicapped children, their parents and care givers. As we talked and shared stories, gunfire and tear gas canisters were being fired outside the walls. At one point, faint tear gas drifted into our meeting and several of the elderly in attendance had to cover their mouths and noses. Even worse, shortly thereafter, a round of gun fire rattled off in the field just behind the priest's home, less than 100 feet from us. It was all so bizarre, we carried on as if nothing was happening out on the street. As Deacon Don said to the crowd, "what is happening on the other side of that wall is not Uganda, what is happening right here under this tree with all of us is Uganda". He received a great round of applause. He is right.

By 3:00, time of our next meeting with sex trade workers, the streets had quieted down and returned to normal. Unfortunately, Andrew, St. Kizito's social worker expected about 25 girls to visit with us and share their very sad stories. Only 10 made it as many were detained by government soldiers. Regardless, these beautiful young girls shared their incredibly sad stories, lives that no one should ever have to live. As they opened up to us and overcame some initial mistrust, the smiles started to emerge. By the end of the meeting it was all smiles and hugs. We even played some volleyball in the parking lot and they became girls again....girls that never had a childhood. We made a very serious commitment to these girls to help change the direction of their lives that we can share upon our return. This trip continues to amaze with every passing hour. I wish more people form OLGC could be here with us our visit to see and experience everything first hand.

continued musings

Ooops, computer problem. (The electricity goes out randomly and at the worst times on a daily basis.) In all our visits today, it will be impossible to describe or detail all the parishes and the people we met, so I will note some highlights. (Attend our parish presentation to view the photos and get the details!) First, the people are incredibly gracious and kind. They have so very little, and yet it is they who are constantly thanking us and honoring our presence. Each sub-parish is located in the Bwayiise slum. All are open air to some degree, a couple have no roofs. Regardless, the people were so filled with the holy spirit it inspired us beyond words. St. Kizito itself is a compound comprised of the church, school, priest's home, clinic and (still not completed) youth center being built by OLGC. It is totally walled in and gated. It is literally surrounded by the slums. (This will come in a future blog, but we spend over four hours walking the slums and to say they are the worst living conditions I have ever experienced would be a gross understatement.) Father Gerald Yiga and Father John Baptise do amazing works. Their approach goes far beyond the spiritual and faith formation needs of their people. Because of the unbelievable poverty and despair of their parish neighborhood, they offer an "holistic"approach in working to make the people more self sufficient through things like financial and credit management, responsible health care, overcoming addictions, family support issues, social welfare and the special needs of the youth....including many orphans, homeless and those with physical and mental handicaps. They do all this with zero support from the Kampala Diocese or the Ugandan government. With their parish so very poor, I am not sure how they do it. One thing for sure, they are so appreciative of OLGC and our relationship. When they learned we pray for them at every weekend Mass, they were visably touched and have brought it up over and over. Father Gerald has drafted a special prayer for OLGC and its people that he will launch this Sunday at their 7:30am Mass and use at all Masses thereafter. These are truly wonderful people and the love flowing both ways is heartwarming beyond words.


It has been three years since I was first here at St Kizito and I can already see the many changes that Fr Gerald and the others of St Kizito parsih have made. I have so many pictures and stories to tell. What I am once again reminded of is how so very much we are alike than different. I am off to play volley ball with thirteen new Goddaughters. Another story to tell. We are doing well and tell everyone here about the good people of OLGC and you have no idea how much you are loved in so many ways by the people of the Bwaiise slums.........Deacon Don

The interesting juxtaposition of life today here at St. Kizito is this. This morning we worked our way through some rioting to get to the parish. We gathered with many who were dealing with disabilities. Two Fridays per month is when some doctors from Japan come from a local hospital to provide a free clinic. At one moment, I was able to watch a special education teacher use sign language to communicate the ongoing presentation to a young teenage boy who was deaf. As I was holding a beautiful young boy who was impacted by cerebral malaria at age two weeks, we could all hear the noise of rioting outside the parish walls. It struck me just how present I knew God was at that particular moment. Tonite, the streets are quiet as we listen to parish music in the background and play volleyball with some young women who have been abused and forgotten in so many ways. The grace and faith of the people here is huge and cannot be explained in words. I have understood faith in a different way today.........Peace, Kristine

St Kizito musings

We have been very busy since we got here, so this is the first chance that we have had to post a blog. St. Kizito is a beautiful community where many come from the Bwaise slum to get not only spiritual fulfillment, but also an education and counseling. They also learn more about how to create a savings account, although they make very little money.

On the first day, we got to meet many, many people from the 10 subparishes located throughout Bwaise. They were full of gratitude and thanksgiving which was amazing to encounter. They all have worship space, but it is not the worship space that we are accustomed to. It may be a gathering space with walls, but often without walls. It reminds me that wherever people are gathered, God is present.

Yesterday, we toured the Bwaise slum. Even though they have gotten relatively little rain, we walked through a bunch of water. People live in spots where water pours in over their head as they are sleeping, carrying garbage, sewage, and much more. It is difficult to describe in words. Many children followed us wanting their picture to be taken and yelling " muzzanga" which means "white person" in Lugandan.

Today, we got to meet with many people with disabilities, and parents witnessed the struggles that their children have suffered, such as cerebral malaria, etc. They have faith that many people do not know, but we are here to tell that their faith is amazing. I was amazed to have the opportunity to talk to a young teacher who was interested in learning more about how to get special education services started. Although some riots have broken out, we are safe here in the parish.


Exhausting, but life-changing! After 17 hours in the air, Father Gerald picked us up at 8:00am and delivered us back to the hotel 16 hours later at midnight. In between we got to know the people and programs of St. Kizito, their school and all 10 of their sub-parishes. Almost like a cluster in the AOD, St. Kizito is basically a "master parish" to 10 smaller sub-parishes. They have their own lay leadership and program, but depend on St. Kizito for pastoral support.

Journey to our sister community of St Kizito Kampala Uganda

My two companions-Bill Tulloch and Kristine Daley and I will be using this site to try and keep you abreast of the activities we are involved in over the next couple of weeks. We leave for our sister community in a few days. We have met with several people from the parish and talked with Fr. Gerald Yiga via Skype several times. We are looking forward to meeting many new friends and seeing some old ones from my first journey to this community. Please keep us all in your prayers.

Pilgrimage to El Salvador

There are still openings available for the March 6-13, 2010 pilgrimage to El Salvador. See the description in the previous blog entry. We need at least 7 to and we are at four right now.

Visit El Salvador

Visit El Salvador!
A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH AND HOPE
March 6-13, 2011
Deacon Don Leach, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Plymouth, Michigan, in conjunction with Christians for Peace in El Salvador, is organizing an 8-day Educational Pilgrimage to El Salvador.

OLGC pilgrimages to El Salvador are learning experiences that provide an opportunity to explore a different reality and to build relationships with the people of El Salvador.

Special emphasis is given to the voice and experience of the poor and marginalized. There will be evening group reflections on what is being experienced.

Visit: Martyr sites, grass roots organizations, rural communities, Christian based communities, small cooperatives, etc. Hear speakers on history, politics and economy of El Salvador.

Participants with the assistance of CRISPAZ will construct the itinerary for the trip. They will also choose a theme that will shape the group’s itinerary and provide in-depth learning about a specific topic. Examples of Themes: Current Struggles and Future Hope of Youth; Survival, Sustainability and Solidarity of Rural Communities; Church of the Poor.

To prepare for the trip educationally and logistically, participants will read and discuss the content of a Participants Manual, read articles and books on Salvadoran issues. Four (4) prep-trip meetings will be held, one each month starting in December 2009. A minimum of two (2) post-trip meetings will be held to reflect on the pilgrimage and to discern group or individual actions.

Participants will stay in a simple guesthouse when in the capitol city. There will be an overnight stay in the rural countryside where accommodations are more rustic.

An informational meeting will be held October 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fr Lefevre room at OLGC for those who express an interest in the trip. A minimum of seven (7) people must sign up for the trip to occur.
Cost for the pilgrimage, including room, board, airfare, in country transportation and excluding health concerns that need to be taken care of before departure is approximately $1500.00 (final cost depends on airfare charges at the time the group reservation is made in December, 2010.

To convey your interest and to obtain more information call Coordinator Deacon Don Leach at 734-453-0326 x 223 or email him at donleach1@gmail.com

Thoughts after El Salvador

I arrived in El Salvador on July 1, 2010 and went to the Center for Peace through the Arts in Suchitoto where we would be staying and to meet an old friend, Sr Peggy O'Neil. We sat talking about a young man who was an honor student in the school at Los Almendros where the kids from our sisiter community of Haciendita Uno attend school. He was a talented musicisan and had a wonderful spirit. His only problem was that the gangs in El Salvador were trying to recruit him. His father went to the leader of the gang and warned him to stay away from his son. A few days later the young man was found tortured to death as a way of sending a message to his dad and the community. Sr Peggy told us that it is a Salvadoran custom to pray for the dead for nine days after their death and then to have a final grand prayer service for them.

Around six p.m. my phone rang and I thought I should check it because it was the contact number for anyone calling our group from the U.S. I saw it was from my daughter and the message said to call right away. When I called, she told me that my mother had died that morning as we were traveling to El Salvador. She had been sick from a stroke and was 92 years old. I called my sisiter and talked to her about the funeral arrangements and they all wanted to wait for me to return so that I could attend the funeral. They had the funeral set for July 10, 2010.

As I reflected later that night it struck me that it would be nine days until my mom's funeral and that it was appropriate to use the next nine days to pray for her as was the custom in El Salvador. I was taken aback by the convergence of this idea that I had just heard and the notification of my mom's death.

Though several miles apart, the world is often the same for us in the US and in El Salvador. We only need the eyes and ears to see and hear.