Twinning with St. Patrick's, Soroti, Uganda
"Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me." ~ Saint Patrick
About Our Ministry
Welcome to our St. Max Twinning Ministry. It is a ministry in which our parish joins with the parish of St. Patrick’s Madera, Soroti, Uganda in an active and on-going faith commitment.
The purpose of this ministry is to bind our parishes together spiritually, culturally and in a mutual sharing of available resources, all in Jesus’ name. It involves each of us crossing over into the other cultural, economic, political, linguistic and religious environments.
Why Twin? “Love your neighbor as yourself.” St. Pope John Paul II wrote, “Sacred Scripture continually speaks to us of active commitment to our neighbor and demands of us a shared responsibility for all of humanity. This duty is not limited to one’s own family, nation, state, but extends progressively to all…" (Centesimus Annus CA, no.51)
Each of us are universal church members of God’s family. We will grow and share our faith journeys together with Our Lord by learning from each others spiritualties, service and worship styles and economic and cultural differences. We will develop unity and solidarity with the people of St. Patrick’s Church Madera, Soroti, Uganda parish.
St. Patrick’s Parish
St. Patrick’s parish Madera lies in the mid-eastern parts of Uganda in an area governed by Soroti Catholic Diocese. There are three main tribes here, the Iteso who are the majority, the Kumam and a small Bantu group called the Bakenyi. The parish was established in 1914, about the time Christianity was introduced to this area. St. Patrick’s parish has 72 outstations spread out in the villages where most people live.
Fr. Simon Peter has been the pastor of St. Patrick’s Madera parish. Of which, 90% live in poverty lacking the basic needs of life: food, shelter, water, education and health care. They get their food mainly from what they cultivate in their gardens. They dig the soil using hand hoes. Most get their water from streams, swamps or boreholes which in most cases are distant from their homes.
The Catholic faith is deeply rooted among the people with about 50% being Catholic and gives them much joy. The rest of the population is shared by the Protestants, Pentecostals and Muslims. Due to the difficulty in transportation, most of the people who live in the outstation are able to attend Mass only when a priest is able to get there, about twice a year. When Mass is celebrated at these outposts, it is a big celebration lasting a few hours. There is a daily Mass and two Masses every Sunday at St. Patrick’s Church.
The parish oversees 19 Catholic primary schools, 2 secondary schools – one of which is Holy Angels, 2 technical institutions, and a primary and secondary school for blind children. Children often walk long distances to get to secondary schools and stay for an extended period of time. They sleep on the school floor. In 2018, St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioners helped to put up a dormitory for girls, which sleeps 100, at the Holy Angels secondary school.
Pen Pals
The foundation of our Twinning Ministry is a prayerful relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ from St. Patrick’s church in Soroti, Uganda. You are embarking on a journey to making new friends in Soroti and hopefully, growing in your faith.
The request is to write a one-page letter to the catechist family (detailed instructions are below). If for any reason, you are unable to fulfill this commitment, please send an email with your name and the name of your catechist to PenPals@Saint-Max.org or please call the office (513-777-4322) and leave this information. This will enable us to find a new match for your family as quickly as possible.
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One page written in simple sentences is suggested. Most of our letters will need to be translated by the catechists who read and speak English for those who do not know English.
Handwritten letters are preferred.
Please DO NOT SEND MONEY! If you feel the need to send money to your catechist, please consider donating to the Twinning Ministry (https://membership.faithdirect.net/givenow/OH377/31851 ) so that the impact of the donation can be maximized for the St. Patrick community.
Please only include items that are flat such as letters, cards, prayer cards, photos or drawings. The Christmas mailing (August 1) will be an exception. A slightly larger envelope (5X7) will be provided if you want to send a token for Christmas.
Children are encouraged to participate by writing letters or drawing pictures.
For some of us, the concern is not knowing what to write about. An email will be sent 2 weeks prior to the mailing date to provide a short update on the latest news and events in Soroti. The objective is to make you aware of what our catechist families may be dealing with so that you can incorporate this into your letter if you prefer.
If you are new to the program, introduce your family by sending names, birthdays, anniversaries.
The catechists want to know about the many aspects of the American way of life. They are interested in our culture, politics, your prayer life.
Don’t be shy – ask questions. This is how we will get to know one another.
Who is your favorite saint? Why?
How do you practice your faith?
How has your life changed since the water wells have been constructed?
What is your climate like?
Be bold - Ask for prayers and offer your prayers for the St. Patrick’s families
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Mailing Instructions
The Twinning Ministry will provide a business size envelope.
Put all your items in one SEALED envelope.
Please PRINT the name of the catechist on the center of the envelope and include your name or mailing label on the upper left corner of the envelope.
In the past, people have asked if they can help with the cost of postage. If so inclined, you can include money clipped to your letter.
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The catechists look forward to receiving our letters and are very excited when our letters arrive.
The catechists open and read the letters and share the content of the letters with one another.
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An email will be sent and an announcement will be made at Mass once the letters have arrived at St. Max.
The letters can be picked up before or after Mass from the gathering space.
There may be times when you will not receive a letter from your catechist. Please do not be discouraged. We ask that you continue to write to and pray for your catechist family.
Holy Angels School
Education can be a way out of poverty by acquiring basic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics. These have had a positive effect on marginalized populations incomes and bettering economic outcomes within populations. Holy Angels College is a secondary school in the Diocese of Soroti and has been a primary concern since the beginning of the twinning ministry. Dorms, a library, a science lab and tuition have been provided for students that were too poor to afford an education. Our vision is to support efforts to help both students and teachers achieve the possible and see their families lives bettered. If you would like to help, please see our education scholarship program here.
Water Well Project 2022
Goal: Provide funding to our sister parish, St. Patrick’s in Soroti, Uganda, for the installation of 34 deep water wells that will provide safe drinking water.
The Need: Fr. Henry, pastor of St. Patrick’s, indicates that water is currently available; however, the long distances people must walk to retrieve the water and carry it back to their huts causes severe hardships, most especially for the elderly and the sick.
Evangelization: The wells will be available for the use of the community at large, not only benefitting our brothers and sisters from St. Patrick’s but all the people in the nearby area. A water well is the focal point of the community. For women, it’s a place to meet and interact with others.
Ox Plow Project 2020
Goal: In Lent of 2020, we gifted the 160 catechists of St. Patrick's Parish in Uganda with a Ox Plow, which was purchased for $500 each. St. Max families were asked to choose a catechist family, make a donation and ask your friends to join you!
Results: Our parish family raised the necessary funding to purchase two oxen, yoke, chains and plow for all 161 Catechists from the 78 outstations that serve within the St. Patrick Madera Church Soroti, Uganda.
We have learned they are the poorest of the parishioners and none of them have running water or electricity. Remember to keep all of these families in your prayers as they training their ox plow team and planting their crops.