Schools and missions and crocodiles, oh my!

October 23, 2013

Today has been a very long day---in fact, it's a day that has not ended yet. Let me explain.

As usual, Msgr. Mike, Father John Peter and I began our day with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Chapel at the Diocesan Pastoral Center with Father John Peter being our main celebrant. We continue, each day, to pray for all of you who we know are praying for us.

Following breakfast, Bishop Dominic came to pick us up to go and visit one of the Diocese's new Catholic Schools, Our Lady Queen of Peace for girls. Eventually it will be a boarding school, and in fact, those buildings are under construction. But the day-school is open, and 65 girls in grades First through Third make up the current student body.

 

 

Bishop Dominic has explained to me how this school differs from all their other schools. There are more than 150 what are called "Catholic-sponsored" schools, which have been started by the Diocese, and which the Diocese has some control over, but then they must be turned over, by Kenyan law ( I believe) to the government to run----kind of like our public schools. They follow the same curriculum, though Bishop Dominic says that they can still teach religion, etc.

 

This new school for girls, and one ore for boys that has also just begun, will not be turned over by the government, so they are truly the first Catholic Schools in the Diocese. We met the principal, who is a Religious Sister, and the four teachers/staff, and the 65 beautiful girls performed a number of songs for us. It was quite a wonderful experience.

We then went to the Diocesan Offices for a brief time. Msgr. Mike decided that, due to a "bug" he had picked up, that he would stay back from the day's activities which promised to be quite demanding. So, after leaving him there to rest, Bishop Dominic, Father John Peter and I set out for what is called the Spanish mission in the far northern part of the Diocese. It was a trip that took well over three hours on very poor roads, but once we arrived, it was like coming into an oasis literally in the middle of the desert. This Spanish mission is operated by the Congregation of Missionaries of St. Paul the Apostle. They were originally founded in Spain, but the "mission" has always been Africa, and Kenya in particular. The founder, who is buried there in that mission, founded the Congregation only in 1978, so they are still quite young. They are made up of priests----three of them are here----sisters and lay women and men who stop short of taking vows, but who live a committed celibate, religious life in community. We had lunch with the 8 members who were there and had a wonderful conversation about their life and their ministry. They work among the people inthis area in providing spiritual, pastoral, and many other basic human needs, such as medical attention, life skills, wells for water, and food distribution. The Chapel on this property is one of the nicest churches we have seen so far.

The video above gives an overview of CMSPA 

After a late lunch (already it was 3:30 or 4:00), we set out for the final destination of the day, which is an outstation from the Spanish mission, where Father Stephen, one of the CMSPA's is in charge. Before arriving at the compound, we stopped in a village of very traditional Turkana who were so excited to be meeting us. As has become the custom, they greeted us with song and dance. The reason for stopping there was because just two months ago, 11 members of their village---all young men who were out fishing for food for the village----were killed by (what they call) "the enemy"----the Ethiopians. There is a very large lake here, Lake Torkana, and since it is between Kenya and Ethiopia, here are constant power struggles for the control of the fishing rights in the lake. Lake Turkana also happens to be the home for the largest concentration of crocodiles in the world! Father Stephen wanted us to offer them words of encouragement and support as they still grieve such a large loss of their men. After a wonderful hour with these people, we continued our journey toward the final destination of the day, which is an outstation from the Spanish mission where Father Stephen is in charge.

There are about seven members of the Congregation living here---more like affiliates---in another very large compound. We will be staying overnight here.

This location is very close to the Ethiopian border, and therefore, there is a lot of unrest in this area----and this has been the state of affairs for many years. Therefore the compound, which also houses a boarding school for children, has a good bit of security.

After a brief time of rest, we all gathered for Evening Prayer together, and then had a delicious dinner "under the stars" since it was too warm to eat inside. As an aside, it was said to me that this area is among the harshest areas in the world. It's heat is punishing and the arid conditions unforgiving. I have to admit that I have never been so hot before in my life---and its a heat that just won't go away. The good news is that there were not too many mosquitoes; the bad news is that there are lots of flies! And besides that, there are the awful three "s's": scorpions, snakes, and spiders! Fortunately I have not seen any of them, and I pray that I do not see any.

After some nice conversation gazing at the stars, we all went to bed. Tomorrow, we will celebrate Mass, visit the school, and then prepare to head back to Lodwar.

Another amazing and inspiring day in the Diocese of Lodwar!