beachristtothepoor

St. Bruno becomes a Parish

December 5, 2017 by beachristtothepoor_admin

It has been a while since we started construction of St. Bruno church and most recently, the priests’ house. Finally however, all those efforts have paid off as St. Bruno Mission church. Was on December 3, 2017, elevated to the newest Catholic parish in Hoima Diocese, Uganda.

We are grateful to all our friends, who over the years, have supported us and prayed for us. May the good Lord bless you all. In a series of photos, we see the bishop, Rt. Rev. Vincent Kirabo, blessing the church’s altar, the priests at Mass, the huge crowd, that showed up for the launching of the parish.

Thanks Fr. Kenneth Criqui

June 28, 2014 by beachristtothepoor_admin

We at Be a Christ to the Poor are so excited and grateful to Fr. Kenneth Criqui of St. Mary Parish in Carrollton, Missouri forhis recent gift of S33,000 for the construction of a multi-purpose building at St. Kirigwajjo Secondary School in Karuguuza, Kibaale District. Fr. Kenneth Criqui had already given $24,000 toward the same project. This multi-purpose building will contain among others a worship space for the celebration of Mass. This is not the first time Fr. Kenneth has supported St. Kirigwajjo Secondary School. He has visited the school twice and helped with the construction of a girls’s dormitory and a claasroom block and the new boy’s dormitory. May the good Lord bless Fr. Kenneth Criqui immensely.

Funding the Mitujju Priests’ House

June 6, 2012 by beachristtothepoor_admin

One of the conditions the bishop gave to mission churches, if they are to be upgraded to full parish status, is for them to construct a permanent church building and to build living quarters for the priests, often two, they would receive to run the parish.

I grew up in this area and at that time it was 15 miles to the parish and one of the largest mission. Today it is 9 miles to the nearby parish, St. Bruno. Because most people walk to church, 9 miles is very way to walk to attend mass.

I worked very hard with the help of friends to build the beautiful St. Bruno church which cost over $100,000 to construct. For the parish house (or priests’ house), the people in the area are supposed to collect rocks and sand and also raise money for its completion. Many of the people live on $1 a day and with inflation at nealy 40%, help is desparately need.

The foundation of the house has been completed but there’s still a lot to do:

A bag of cement sells for $20 and they need some 600 bags.
A piece of timber sells for $3-4 each and they need close to 400 pieces.
For the roof, an iron sheet costs about $20 each and they need some 500 iron sheets.
Labor is another big expense which will cost close to $10,000.
A trip of sand (just transport) costs $10 and they need many trips of sand and stones.

It has been very hard for the community of some two thousand families to even raise $3,000. Yes, they have plenty of rocks and sand collected ready for transporting to the site, but they have no money to pay to transport it.

The total amount needed to complete this structure is $40,000.

St Kirigwajjo Secondary School in Kibaale, Uganda

May 9, 2012 by beachristtothepoor_admin

Christina Carpenter visited St. Kirigwajjo Secondary School in January 2008 and saw how miserable it was for the students in terms of infrastructure to study. When Christina went back to the USA she organised a swim-a-thon with her parishioners and friends to fund raise for St. Kirigwajjo Secondary School. The fundraiser was so successful because $25,000 was raised! This money was used to construct a new girls’ dormitory to improve on the sleeping conditions of the girl students at school. One of the objectives of this school is to create conditions that will enable the girl child survive dropping out of school.

Fr. Ken Criqui also visited this school and found that we had not been able to complete the dormitory with the $25,000 and when he returned to the USA he contributed $7,000 for its completion.

By the time Christina came to visit, the school had a dormitory accommodating 70 girl students. The new girls’ dormitory was to accommodate 120 girls, two female staff members, and a sick bay. However, this new dormitory now accommodates 180 girls. At the beginning of 2012 we had no choice but to turn the sick bay into an ordinary room for girls accommodation. This is because every parent wants her/his child at St. Kirigwajjo Secondary School.

St. Kirigwajjo Secondary School has become the most outstanding school in providing integral education to its students with out standing commitment.

The enrolment of the school now is 798 students. There is no more space for accommodating more students but there is a lot of space to construct other buildings since the school has a lot of land. At the moment we urgently need three buildings i.e two dormitories (one for girls and the other for boys) which will cost about $35,000 each, and a single storied structure consisting of a multi-purpose hall five class rooms and a board room.

St. Kirigwajjo S.S. is a Diocesan private Secondary School with no intention of making money out of the students for profits but with the aim of providing the quality education needed in the current world circumstances. It is located in one of the remotest districts of Uganda called Kibaale in western Uganda.

Any assistance for further development of St Kirigwajjo S.S. by any kind people or donor agencies is highly appreciated.

We are very grateful to Christina Carpenter, Fr.Ken Criqui for their contribution and to Fr. George Ssebadduka of Be a Christ to the poor Foundation, who brought these wonderful people to us.

Outreach to Girls and Women

April 18, 2012 by beachristtothepoor_admin

It has been a long time since we reported on the progress of our outreach to girls and women in Hoima Diocese, Uganda. We are most grateful to you all for the support we continue to receive. We hope and pray that God continues to bless and reward you all.

What and how they are doing now?

Irene Musasizi continues to impress at our Lady of Good Counsel secondary School Gayaza. She is a junior and hopes to sit for her “O” Level (High School) exams 2007. Please keep her in your prayers.
Sylivia Nakirunda is doing very well too. She transferred to Our Lady of Good Counsel secondary School from Tender Talent Magnet School. She is currently in Form two (sophomore).
Jacklene Kyomuhendo has made steady progress even though tough conditions at home make it a little difficult to concentrate. She is in sixth grade.
Florence Namuleme graduated 2004 from High school. She did very well but decided to try the job market. She has yet to find a permanent job.
Rose Namalembeko. She graduated 2005 from High School. She is now in Junior College. She is doing very well.
Evelyn N. Katusabe is working very hard. She is in seventh grade. If she performs well at the end of the year (2006) she hopes to join St. Kirigwajjo secondary School (High School) in Karuguuza, Kibaale district, Uganda.
Ruth M. Nanyanzi. Despite the loss of her father and having a very sick mother, Ruth has not given up hope for a better future. Yes her life is unstable and sometimes must stay out of school to care for her mother. With your prayers and support, however, she hopes to succeed. She is in sixth grade.
Bridget Nansubuga finally transferred to a better school. She had to repeat third grade but she believes that this change of school is the beginning of a better future.
Monica Salirwe. She is a senior in High School. She will sit for her “O” level exams this November. She is a very bright student and hopes to join “A” level (Community College) in 2007.
Lillian Nanyanzi. She performed very well at Community College and will join University August 12, 2006. Her Dad is unable to support her and she is need of at least $700 per semester for tuition.
Joan Basemera is doing okay. She is in fifth grade.
Falida (Ellen) Nanyanzi is doing well. She is in seventh grade. If all goes well she hopes to join High School next year, 2007.
Rose Mary Tumuhaise is doing well and hopes to graduate this year from elementary school.
Doreen Nantume is also making steady progress. She is a junior in High School. She would love to become a doctor or lawyer. She needs at least $300 a semester.
Asiimwe Scovia graduated from University in 2005 with an undergraduate degree in Environmental studies. She is still searching for employment.
Juliet Nakai. She died after graduating from college with a degree in Business administration. May her soul rest in peace.

Most of the above named girls still need a lot support. We would also like to increase the number of girls under sponsorship. With your help we can do it.

For more information on the above girls or on how you can get involved, please contact us.