Strength and Beauty in Uganda

Early this year a friend and I travelled to Uganda, by invitation, to give retreats to the Ugandan NET Ministries and the Holy Trinity Community in Masaka.

I have always wanted to visit Africa but when that dream was finally realized however, it was not as I had imagined it would be. Whenever I envisaged such a visit it was usually to Kenya: visions of wild life and safari trips; the great Zambezi River and the magnificence of the Victoria Falls. I never considered a trip to Uganda, one of the world’s poorest countries,  with its memories of the fear-filled days of Idi Amin, the consequent Lord’s Resistance Army and the civil wars that took thousands of lives.

So it was quite a surprise when my friend Kathryn asked if I would like to accompany her to Masaka in central Uganda. The invitation was extended by Fred Mawanda, moderator of the Holy Trinity Community and former co-ordinator of Ugandan NET Ministries. Fred is passionate about empowering young people and worked tirelessly to find a Catholic youth ministry that would provide faith formation for his young people. He found this in NET ministries.

I accepted the invitation to what would be an amazing, enriching, challenging and confronting journey.  After 32 hours travelling we arrived at Entebbe Airport where we had a trouble-free journey through Customs and medical screening for the Ebola Virus. We were met by Gloriah and John with huge smiles, hugs, flowers and cards of welcome, and the news of a change of venue for the retreats. We would now be staying with the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena at Namagongo, a township 16 km northeast of the capital, Kampala.

Following two hours of shopping for bottled water, a weapons check at the supermarket and a traffic jam in Kampala that surpassed any that I have ever experienced, we arrived at the Dominican convent and a warm welcome from shy little Sr Teddy, a lovingly prepared meal, and the serenity that enfolded us, overcame our exhaustion. Ten hours sleep later, we were ready to plan and set up for the weeks ahead.

Our brief was to direct two five-day formation retreats for the 2015 Ugandan NET team and staff, and the pastoral workers from the Holy Trinity Community within the diocese of Masaka, a total of 34 participants.

The theme of the retreats was Exploring Our Inner Space and we did this with: scripture – Jesus’ beautiful encounter with the woman at the well (John 4:5-29); Lectio Divina; the spiritual wisdom of Margaret Silf and Joyce Rupp; prayer and reflection; music and meditation; creative expression – poetry, art, story and dance; and to close each day, the Daily Examen.

We challenged them and they responded. Silence is not a feature of their culture, but they embraced two days of silence with grace and dignity. We used Margaret Rizza’s lovely song Silent, Surrendered, and artist Janet McKenzie’s beautiful image Stillness. A sentence from a reflection on this painting is:

Stillness is the border between who you were and someone you have yet to meet

and they demonstrated this with every fibre of their beings, so much so, that they asked for more silence the next time we visit. When their time of silence ended, they erupted with joy and laughter as they staged a farewell concert for us.                              

On our final day we discussed their work and their role as instruments of God in their ministry. As they shared their hopes and dreams for their futures and the future of their beloved country, as they danced and sang and told us what music God is playing in their lives, they truly were instruments of God.

After the retreats we spent time in Masaka. We visited schools, including a very poor but lovingly taught ‘shanty’ school of 35 pupils run by an AIDS widow, the St Bruno’s widows’ group, and most confronting of all, a refugee camp of over 5000 people living on bare ground, with no running water, little food and the scantiest of shelter from the elements. As Fred told us, born and living in Africa, he thought he had seen the worst, but nothing prepared him for what he found when he first visited this camp.

Our four weeks in Uganda were a very special and graced time. I knew nothing about this country and its people when I arrived there. When I left I knew that it is a nation of people passionate about their country and about education, poor in material goods but rich in faith and love. The banner on the NET Uganda website states:

We are a people who yearn to be remembered … for we are a people

I know that I was blessed to have been a small part of the lives of these people and I shall never forget them.

Oh, and thanks to our delightful friend Patrick, I did get to see elephants, hippos and baboons!