From Maryknoll Fr. John Barth in Uganda...
Yesterday was a national holiday remembering the Ugandan Martyrs. The church here at St. Mary's Parish was full, no social distancing to speak of. That will all change soon enough. The president will speak to the nation tomorrow about a second Covid 19 lockdown. Several virus variants are now circulating here in Uganda, including the one from India. Thank God I was able to get my vaccine shots in New York recently. Hopefully the relative isolation of the Palabek refugee settlement will save them from a lot of infections.
My former pastor and friend, Fr. Peter Ben Louis, from St. Theresa's parish in Isohe, South Sudan, told me that the big generator at the mission hospital in his parish has finally given up after 17 years. There is no source of electricity except for some solar and the generator at the hospital. On top of this he and I hope to replace the roof on the 100 year old church before the termites eat completely through the beams holding up the roof.
Ben and I are trying to stock up the schools in his parish on maize, beans, etc., enough to last them through the year. Next year they will be on there own as I can not send money to them to doing the purchasing with being present.
Yesterday I visited patients in St. Joseph Hospital here in Kitgum, Uganda. Dr. Mike introduced me to some of the recent poor patients struggling to find money for their treatment. On woman brought her two year old son with burns over much of his body. He was burned when the left-over mash, left behind after mom brewed local alcohol to make money, spilled on him. Dr Mike said that she lost her first son to drowning. How these people keep going I don't know.
Anyway another day in paradise.
I am happy to be back in the saddle again though only for three months before wrapping up and looking for a new assignment.
It is the rainy season but has been unusually dry for weeks. This the period between harvests that they refer to as the hunger season. Thank God for an ample crop of mangos to help the people through.
Your blog post content here…