Immaculate Heart of Mary in Uganda

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I want to use that as an opportunity to help America understand and learn from the Catholics in Uganda through their devotion to the Virgin Mary.

I'll begin by thanking the North Platte Catholic Schools community for their generous donations. One of our Spirit Days was used to raise funds for 'Jesus Loves Me' and our efforts in Uganda. As a token of thank you we purchased a rosary from Uganda for each of our students in the elementary and high school. We will pass these blessed rosaries out at the beginning of the school year so that they can use them to pray the rosary every week in school.

I thought I would use the five joyful mysteries as the framework for today's post since my reflective bible verse for the day was

The first joyful mystery - The Annunciation

Mary's fiat, her 'yes' is reflected in the abundance of priests and nuns in Uganda who have also said, "Yes," to their vocational call. At a time when the world is seeing a decline in vocations Uganda is seeing an increase. One difference I saw was the view of the consecrated life. It is seen in a positive manner and highly respected. When we were there Fr. Jude was providing a three week education course to help 8 young men prepare for their next 7 years of seminary. They had a very strong faith and sang beautifully.

The second joyful mystery - The Visitation

Mary took Jesus to Elizabeth & John the Baptist. My focus too much of the time is on material goods I can take to Uganda to lessen their suffering. After a couple of days I was overwhelmed wondering how I could ever help so many people. I found relief through prayer. The best thing that can be done is taking Jesus Christ, allowing him to work through us to show his love. The greatest impact in Uganda was accomplished when the Holy Spirit revealed this to me. Love is about relationships. The greatest thing we can do is to look into the eyes of those we encounter and show them the love of Jesus Christ. I experienced this when I caught flying ants and ate them with the girls who worked at the retreat center, when I played soccer with the seminarians, and helped a disabled man up a hill.

The third joyful mystery - The Nativity

God manifested himself in a little baby. It is easy to see the love of Jesus in the smiles and excitement of the little children we met on the streets, held in the orphanage, and in the schools. It is almost impossible to describe the feelings and joy that you experience when visiting an orphanage. The excitement, joy, and love from the children makes it hard to leave. A simple empty bottle with a twist lid was the prize possession of one little boy and the amazement when Peyton pulled out the bubbles was priceless.

The fourth joyful mystery - The presentation

Mary took her greatest gift to God when she took Jesus to the temple. We need to give our gifts back to God by glorifying him with them. I saw this when Peyton was talking to the students at the schools and playing with them at the orphanage. I had severe stomachs pain one day and Peyton took the leadership role She was in her element quizzing the litttle students over body parts in English.

The fifth joyful mystery - The Finding in the Temple

One of my greatest desires in America is to see an increase in the participation of the congregation during Mass. We have a long ways to go to be at the level I see wherever I go in Uganda. The participation during mass and the angelic music is refreshing. In the United States we have access to the sacraments so easily and don’t take advantage of it. In Uganda many places will only see a priest on a monthly basis. A priest told me he goes home exhausted after saying mass, baptizing, and hearing confessions for 4-6 hours. This can be done at two outposts a day many times and the outposts are 30-60 minutes away He sometimes the road runs out and the final stretch is a walk. I want to go ate this as an opportunity to thank Bishop Dindenger for funding Fr Jude’s 4x4 truck. It is a necessity.