Letters from Africa

December, 2008 - some more

The health of our students continues to be a concern to us. It takes time to adjust to the fact that life expectancy here is only in the mid 40s and there are so many serious illnesses and deaths in the families and among the friends of our staff and students. Of course, this deeply affects our students.

These weeks of our break between school years are busy as we plan for the next school year. Our present 55 double decker beds need to be taken apart and moved about a block away to the new dormitories. 60 new beds are in the process of construction as well as 126 Secondary School desks and chairs for Form 2. We hope to be able to set up a separate small room for computers. Sister Ewa Maria has been searching for quality uniform material throughout parts of Tanzania even finally traveled to Kenya to have it manufactured.

Sister Beata Joseph, the new Headmistress of the school as of January 1, 2009, is still optimistic about finding the many new teachers we need for the coming school year. We are privileged to have two priests on our teaching staff for next year. Father Gregory Helminski, C.R. from Chicago has come to teach English full time in our school. Father Godfried Maruru, a native Tanzanian priest will be teaching some of the biology classes as well as some classes in geography, history or civics. Most of all, we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sister M. Jadwiga Wudarczyk as soon as the Tanzanian Immigration Office issues her Permanent Residence Permit. It is wonderful to have the continued zealous, enthusiastic support of Sister Iwona Maria even after she has returned to the Poznan Province. We feel that she left a part of her heart with us and our students as she inspires so many people to be helpful to this mission.

We are thankful for the prayers and continuous solicitude and support of Mother Dolores and the General Council. We know that the prayers and sacrifices of our Sisters at the House of Contemplation and throughout the Congregation are what have sustained us this year. We are so grateful for the many boxes of supplies and gifts that we have received from so many parts of the world. I wish you could see the joy on the faces of our girls as we give them things we have received from Poland, Australia and the United States.

We feel that our girls have received an outstanding education compared to what would be available to them in other schools here. More importantly, however, is the way that our students have developed spiritually and morally and have grown in their respect for others as they come to more fully realize God's unconditional love for them. 15 of our current students received the Sacrament of Confirmation in April and 13 are taking lessons for the Sacrament of Baptism while others are preparing for their First Holy Communion. They are deeply prayerful. As some of them were very zealously praying through the intercession of Mother Celine during their time of final examinations, we even joked that some of them would need first class miracles to pass the 11 long tests that they were required to write. They love to sing the Swahili song in honor of Blessed Celine and each day some student or another will verbalize a prayer for "our Sisters" We have formed close community bonds between the Sisters and students and among the students. Several girls are expressing a sincere desire to become Sisters of the Resurrection and a few are even interested in our Contemplative Branch. There are plans to begin a Vocation Club next year. Only God knows what the future holds for our Congregation in this far distant continent of Africa!

God bless!
Sister Stephanie CR