November 2012 Trip
November 1, 2012 saw us leaving once again for our annual visit to John Paul Secondary School in Uganda. This year there were only four of us, but we were thrilled to have our nephew Michael Berrigan and his wife Blair as our traveling companions. They are strong supporters of the school and were anxious to visit it and meet the students as well as tour this beautiful country.
This was a trip that had many highlights and it wasn’t long before we were deeply engrossed in one of the more solemn and moving parts of our trip. After the long drive from Entebbe, we finally arrived at the school in Chelekura on Sunday morning. During the school year, the student’s day begins with daily Mass. Likewise, our visit began with Mass in a church that was packed to overflowing with the students and members of the local community. In February 2011, we lost a very special friend who also happened to be a relative, our brother-in-law, Tony Gallagher. One of the memorial gifts at his funeral was a chalice inscribed on the bottom with the words “In Loving Memory of Anthony J. Gallagher Jr.”. Tony’s family decided they would like to donate that chalice to John Paul School where it will be used to remember him in the daily Mass. It is always an uplifting experience to hear the voices of the student choir with the backdrop of the home made drums and other local instruments in what is certainly a celebration of the Mass, but it was made more special this year as Msgr. Kauta chose this Mass to consecrate the chalice and use it for the first time. It was a very moving event for all of us. Also blessed and presented to the congregation at this mass was a family heirloom bible donated by a Bishop Ward “Class of 64” grad, Mary Desko Murphy.
The part of the trip we were most anticipating was the scheduled dedication and Grand Opening of the all new Science and Learning Center, a project that took nearly two years to complete (see the separate article to learn the full story of the dedication).
As has become our custom, we again took duffle bags full of “Little Dresses for Africa” with us. This was the third time we’ve taken dresses for the girls, but this year was particularly special since all the dresses were made especially for the girls at John Paul School. As word has spread among our friends and donors about this wonderful organization and aware that we return yearly to the school many began making dresses specifically for us to take and distribute. Starting in about September, it was not uncommon to see Joan Montford, Sue O’Connor or Linda May parked in the driveway unloading dresses or for a box from Mary Murphy in Kansas City or Clarice Kaup in Omaha to arrive loaded with goodies to be repacked into a duffle. When we arrived in Chelekura we had over 600 dresses for the girls, and as it would be with girls shopping anywhere, it took nearly the whole day for each to pick the dresses they wanted. In the pocket of every dress was a short note written by the friend who had made the dress and many also had a piece of jewelry included as well. The smile on the girl’s faces as they ran from the room to get their picture taken in their new dress was certainly one of the highlights. Many went to the dorm, read their note and wrote a thank you note that they gave to us, asking us to send it on to the friend who had made their dress.
The boys were not forgotten. In Michigan, a collection of baseball caps netted well over a hundred. And many of the sewers that made dresses for the girls, when they wanted a little diversity, made book bags for the boys.
On the business side of things, we had the best Board meeting yet. We had extensive discussions regarding the ongoing development of the campus, established priorities, and planned the next steps in the continued growth of the school.
The time at the school always seems to go by too quickly, but there was still time for lots of fun and interaction with the students. Early in our visit, Blair who excelled as a gymnast during her college years held, an impromptu class for some of the younger children who were always following her around. They first were amazed and stood open-mouthed as she did hand stands and cartwheeled around the grounds. Quickly though, they were laughing and tumbling as they all joined in, some actually becoming quite good.
This year much of the entertainment centered around the new volleyball court. The huge rocks which dominate the landscape on campus were covered with spectators from the time Michael first started placing the poles in concrete until the sun started to set and the games ended. This ball and net (as well as two soccer balls) were a gift from 5th and 6th grade brothers in Michigan, Sam and Nate Comerford, who held a series of fund raisers throughout the year for the school. These fundraisers were successful enough to provide all the basic equipment needed to outfit the labs in the new Science Center. And as much as this was appreciated, their gift of the balls and net were certainly the most popular.
