A Poor African Mission

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 36, 13 September 1923, Page 45

A Poor African Mission

Franciscan Convent, Nsambya Mission, Kampala P. 0., Uganda, 8.E.A., ,■ June 14, 1923. Dear Sir,You will I trust pardon my addressing a letter to you from the wilds of Central Africa. I am sure you have many appeals to your charity, but I take my chance with the rest, and it may be the Good God will inspire you to help us in our extreme need. Our mission has been through an exceptionally hard year, owing to having to build a new hospital and other necessary buildings, and we are now hampered with a debt of £7OO. We depend almost entirely on what we beg for the support of our three missions, as we get very little regular help. Our Holy Faith is making such progress here among these poor simple Baganda that our expenses are increasing in every way, and they themselves are still unable to help us financially. We have just started a little native community, as Our Lord was evidently calling them to serve Him, so we shall have to build a house for them. We cannot put them off any longer. Please God they will be a great help to us in our arduous work. They have already relieved us of the Host-making for the Vicariate, which is a great help, as we are so short of Sisters.

During last year over 10,000 immortal souls entered the true fold by Holy Baptism in this Vicariate alone, and the number of those preparing is 53,451. Our Catholics, in number 50,868, have received Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion over 500,000 times, and our catechists, numbering 1334, are daily working with zeal and energy to bring their heathen brethren into the true fold. Truly a wonderful harvest of fruitful work, for which we cannot be sufficiently thankful to God. We had a record Easter. Our large church was packed with 2500, and even then 2000 had to remain outside. After the High Mass we had 1600 Holy Communions, and during Holy Week we had 4000. Wasn’t that lovely? The Baganda make such splendid Catholics and are so grateful for what we are able to do for them through the generosity of the Catholics at home.

On Sunday we made the annual pilgrimage in honor of our beatified Baganda martyrs. It is about 10 miles from here. There is only a mud hut, where the people congregate on Sundays and recite the Mass prayers and a catechist gives them an instruction. The strong ones come here to Mass, but of course it is a long way, as they come fasting to Holy Communion and then go those 10 miles back, still without breaking their, fast. We erected an altar in the chapel, and three Masses were said. We also erected one outside, where Solemn High Mass was celebrated, as there were thousands of pilgrims. It was lovely to see those simple natives kneeling about here and there making their confessions in full view of the general public. They are very proud of their martyrs. With best wishes from the Nsambya Missionaries. For M. M. Kevin, 0.5. F., M.8.E., Sr. M. Solana Lecky. <XX> ; Council of Men and Women IMPORTANT ORGANISATION LAUNCHED IN UNITED STATES. The National Council of Catholic Men and the National Council of Catholic Women were organised in the diocese of Cleveland, U.S.A., recently. Bishop Schrembs, of Cleveland, presided, and explained the meaning of the organisation of the Men’s and Women’s councils which form the department of lay organisations of the National Catholic Welfare Council. Make Faith Their Guide. Father J. J. Burke, C. 5.8., General Secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Council, exhorted the men and women to make their religion a part of their daily lives and to demonstrate the spirit of Christianity from every standpoint. He spoke of the enthusiastic work Bishop Schrembs had done in promoting both the Men’s and Women’s Councils, and expressed the hope that these organisations in the Cleveland diocese would develop in a manner worthy of their leader. The law of Christianity was a law of sacrifice, of love, and of individual consecration. He urged the men and women t#> make their Catholic Faith their guide in the selection of their amusements, their social relations, and in their civic duties.