Uganda (Twinning)

Twinning Committee
Uganda Pilgrimage - August 2006
In Our Own Words

Uganda Twinning Committee
Through the Uganda Twinning Committee, St. Francis Borgia Parish has established a relationship with St. Paul, Mukono, a parish just outside Uganda's capital city of Kampala in East Africa. The Uganda committee is building parish social, cultural and spiritual ties with St. Paul, including pen pal relationships, photo exchanges, and other ongoing activities. Members of the two parishes maintain regular contact with one another, and ongoing projects by various parish groups on both sides contribute to this steadily growing relationship. Personal visits have had the greatest impact:

• 2001 – Five St. Francis Borgia parishioners visited Uganda in 2001 to begin the process.
• 2003 – A delegation of four from St. Paul Parish, including Fr. Ignatius Kibowa, visited our Cedarburg parish. (See photos.)
• 2006 -  A second pilgrimage was made from St. Francis Borgia to Uganda, this time with Fr. Tom Eichenberger and eight parishioners. (See photos.)
• 2007 – Fr. Paul Ssebitoogo and five members of St. Paul Parish visited St. Francis Borgia.
• See photos.
• See Dennis Yiga’s presentation to the SFB parish council about the impact of our twinning relationship at St. Paul’s parish in Mukono. This includes many photos, ranging from piggery units to banana plantations, from evangelization to church sanctuary improvements, and more.

More about the Twinning Committee…

Uganda Pilgrimage - August 2006

In August 2006, Fr. Tom Eichenberger and eight parishioners journeyed to Uganda as pilgrims to our sister parish in Mukono, Uganda. The group represented a cross-section of the parish, with representatives of the twinning committee, parish council, human concerns committee and SFB school faculty. Ages ranged from an eighth-grader to a couple who recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. All were open to the Spirit to experience the culture and spirituality of our brothers and sisters in Uganda. And all have found a way share some of that experience with their fellow St. Francis Borgia parishioners.
		At the Saturday evening Mass before their Sunday departure to Uganda, the pilgrims received a special blessing from Fr. Michael Lightner.

In Our Own Words
As we waited in the Amsterdam airport for our flight back to the United States, we thought about how we could best share our experience with our fellow parishioners. We decided that one way would be to write short articles for the bulletin or newsletter, each focusing on some aspect of the pilgrimage that we felt strongly about; something that had a profound impact on us. Here then are the stories we told:

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK:
by Fr. Tom Eichenberger

Our parish pilgrimage to St. Paul Parish in Mukono, Uganda was outstanding in every way. We nine SFB pilgrims will never forget it. Our little delegation included a 13-year-old boy, a 50th wedding anniversary couple, two young moms, an attorney, a parish council member, and a 24-year-old young adult. And one old priest. It was ten days of shocking grace.

I say shocking because we were overwhelmed at every turn. The joy of the parishioners, the sound of the liturgical drums, the hard work of the Ugandan planning committee, the welcome from Fr. Paul Ssebitoogo and his parish, the extreme poverty of the majority, the exuberant children…

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: Progress Since 2001
by Tom Guszkowski, Twinning Committee Member


“Courtesy of St. Francis Borgia Parish” is the prominent inscription displayed on the preschool building adjacent to St. Paul Catholic Church in Mukono, Uganda, East Africa. This inscription is also on piggery units in the rural sub-parishes of St. Paul Parish.


It was both a surprise and an honor to see our parish name so far from home… 


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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: The Schools
by Anne White, Teacher at SFB School

It is difficult to verbalize the indelible impression that our visit to our twinning parish, St. Paul, Mukono made on me. As a teacher at St. Francis Borgia School I was especially interested in the diocesan schools, the teachers and the students we would encounter. Although the schools were on holiday, the staff and students not only came to school to greet us, but also put on beautiful performances punctuated by song and dance. The receptions we received from the children were filled with such joy and enthusiasm that it was humbling. The sincerity of their clapping, singing and joyful spirits warmed the soul.

The obstacles these children face just to arrive at school are beyond comprehension. Many are barefoot … 

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: Hospitality
by Linda Fehl, Parish Council Member

“We welcome you… We love you… We are grateful to you… Please thank the others…”

Throughout our pilgrimage to our sister parish, St. Paul the Apostle in Mukono, we experienced the warmth, love and welcoming nature of our sisters and brothers in Uganda. Here are some examples.

- At 9:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night, after an hour’s wait while we went through customs, more than 30 smiling St. Paul parishioners and clergy greeted us warmly as we exited the Entebbe airport, embracing us, taking charge of our luggage, and leading us in the darkness…

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: People to People
by Bob Slobig, Twinning Committee Member

Having recently celebrated our fiftieth anniversary and been given the opportunity to renew relationships with family, relatives and friends, I felt that “my cup runneth over.” We have been blessed beyond imagination. People we love had seen fit to come to Wisconsin to celebrate with us – to share in our joy and to break bread with us.

With that celebration barely over, we had the opportunity to renew some personal relationships that started five years ago. It was then that we were introduced to Fr. Ignatius, Mary, Bonnie and Jimmy from Uganda. We discovered that they shared the same hopes and desires for family, the same Catholic values, and were on the same spiritual journey as we were. Then Fr. Paul visited last year to share his perspectives and puns.

Little did I know that these relationships would grow exponentially when we set foot on the continent of Africa. Imagine walking into an airport waiting room late in the evening and being greeted by more than 30 people…

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: The Children of Uganda
By Nathan Siudak, Eighth Grade Student, SFB School
           
We recently returned from Uganda. Many things that happened there will be told here, so listen up and get ready for the experience of a lifetime.

When we went to Mukono, Uganda, children and adults waited outside the airport with great excitement to greet us American pilgrims. They looked a little curious about who we were and what we do for fun. It was unusual for them to see a young American boy. I was welcomed…

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: First and Lasting Impressions
by Martha Slobig, Twinning Committee Member

How did our pilgrimage to St. Paul’s in Mukono affect me? I think in Africa I finally saw clearly who we are and why we are here.

Sr. Joan Chittister has said, “We are made to be part of a people. We live in the arms of God together; we are responsible for one another; and God relates to us as one.”

On our first day in Mukono, we boarded a mini-bus for the sub-parish of Kirangira. There were the nine of us from SFB, two young men from St. Paul’s parish and three women from St. Paul’s Women’s Guild…

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE: Going To Mass
By Susan Fehl, Young Adult

Our first Mass at St. Paul Parish in Mukono, Uganda was on a weekday morning at 7:30 a.m. People came from miles away; many of them walked. I am amazed at the motivation Ugandans have to make it somewhere, even when they don’t have a car. Religion is so important to them; you can see it in their actions and in their faces.

The church itself is very simple inside. When walking into the church, we saw benches to sit on with no back supports and we noticed there weren’t any kneelers. Surprisingly, we did end up kneeling...

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UGANDA PILGRIMAGE:  Social Concerns
By Christine Siudak, Human Concerns Committee

As a child of God and a Catholic, I am very interested in the well-being of our Lord’s children all over the world. I feel honored and blessed to have been welcomed into one of the most loving communities on this earth – St. Paul Parish in Mukono, Uganda.

Our pilgrimage was truly blessed. From our departure to our return, we were guided and protected by the Holy Spirit. The twinning relationship that began about six years ago, through the help of the archdiocese, brought us to be greeted by so many thankful souls.

But life there is hard for so many people…

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Watch for more information and more photos of the Uganda Pilgrimage to come!