This weekend at St. James and next weekend at St. Brigid, Fr. Expedito will be making his annual appeal for assistance with the ongoing construction and expansion of his school, St. Teresa of Kolkata Day and Boarding School in Uganda.  The school is named after Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India.  Ground was broken for this school two weeks after I began my assignment in our cluster.  Each year, Fr. Expedito had kept us updated as his school continues to grow.

This year, the school is adding the seventh grade, the final grade in the Ugandan K-7 system of education.  As of today, the K-1 grades are completely registered with the Ministry of Education and the remaining grades are in the final stages of registration.  The school has a total of 94 students (just slightly smaller than St. James School) and this year, the boarding portion of the school is ready to open.

We have been supporting Fr. Expedito’s mission since 2003 and so much has been accomplished.  The mission, Come To The Rescue (COTREAS), raised $10,104 last year and provided an infusion of hope in a country where hope for the future is so vital.  The funds are now being used for blocks and wall building, as Uganda requires perimeter walls for boarding schools.  This kind of wall is a wall that provides safety while also providing hope for the future. 

With any overseas mission, we are reminded that our dollars stretch much further there than they do here.  Each year, our gifts show tangible results and we know the children are receiving the kind of education their parents could only dream of for their children.  I love the enthusiastic way Fr. Expedito presents his mission for this school.  I love the way our community continues to respond generously.  Much like our own school which attracts students from all faith traditions, we support this ministry as a way of embracing our Catholic faith.  Please join me in offering life giving assistance to St. Teresa Kolkata Day and Boarding School.  This is an expansion of this year’s CSA (Catholic Services Appeal) theme, Givng Hope to All.   Let’s do this together, because WE are Catholic.