For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. [Jeremiah 29:11]
[L] Sr. Mathias Mulumba and her happy girls. [M] The new dormitory. [R] The scouts, the camaraderie, the hope.
The work of God at Saint Maria Goretti Girls Training Centre at Mukono, Uganda continues to tug at our hearts.
After our first visit to the Centre three years ago, we Malaysians partnered our fellow pilgrims from America to dig in and help raise funds to build a new dormitory for the girls. For background information and reflection on the spirituality that accompanies this kind of work, please go to our post No.18 published on this website on 2010/10/16.
On this second visit, we had the immense pleasure of seeing the completed new building and are pleased to report to donors that it is indeed being put to maximum usage.
On arrival at the Centre this time round, two things immediately happened.
First, the warm hospitality shown by the girls had a huge impact on all of us. There were no dry eyes on any pilgrim’s face! The experience was so deeply touching because, somehow, we all realized that the mystery of the presence of God was deeply at work here. We intuitively sensed that “this is holy ground”. It is an awesome experience to encounter these girls who had suffered so much, and yet could move us so deeply inside with their warm and accepting touch. Coming as we did with foreknowledge of the place of deep pain from which these girls were plucked, it was incredibly pleasing to the soul to witness their palpable spirit of hope.
Second, Sr. Mathias at once said, “I must apologise to you. I know that you have asked me to put only four beds in each room. But new girls keep on coming in and we do not have enough rooms for them. So I have put five beds in every room instead of four. I hope you will forgive me.” Well, we thought, one additional bed should not be too much of a problem. Upon inspection, however, we were shocked to find that even though each room had five beds alright, but each bed was a triple bunker, so that each new bedroom now accommodates 15 girls, instead of the 4 we originally had in mind! And yet, as she continued to brief us, we soon realized that Sr. Mathias had no choice really. From a figure of seventy plus three years ago, the number of girls soon rose to two hundred plus. At the time of this second visit, the number stood at 215.
All these girls were seriously deprived, and many have been badly exploited. They are orphans, rape victims and victims of abuse, or they have come from extremely poor families. Without the saintly work of Sr. Mathias and people like her, these girls, and plenty more like them, run the risk of walking the streets and having their God-given dignity wantonly robbed, trampled on, and senselessly trafficked. Society owes them a duty of care. Basic justice, far more than mere charity, demands that help be rendered to them by those who can.
At another front, our young members in the group were delighted to see that the scout movement has been introduced to the Centre.
All of us were hugely impressed by the innate talents these girls had – gifts which, in the name of God, ought to be nurtured and promoted for themselves and for the benefit of society.
We were impressed too by the palpable sense of hope these girls carried in them, despite having come from very hard places indeed.
God bless Sr. Mathias and all those who work, day after day, to shore up the dignity of these underprivileged teenage girls and to restore them to hope. Inspired by the God of compassion and his Word, especially the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Sr. Mathias has no problem choosing from the two questions implicitly raised by the characters in the parable, of which Msgr. Socrates Villegas, the Rector of the Edsa Shrine, Manila, has articulated with amazing clarity:
- First, the lawyer, the priest and the Levite conveniently resorted to the legalistic and excuse-seeking question: “What will happen to me if I help?“
- Second, and by contrast, the Samaritan followed the path of compassion, the way of God, by embracing the question through positive action: “What will happen to him if I do not help him?“
Sr. Mathias, without a second thought, chose the path of compassion to render urgent help to the seriously endangered teenage girls of Uganda . What did she know? How could she possibly handle such a project? She went the way Abraham of old went, as God directed: “Go to the land I will show you” [Genesis 12:1; Hebrews 11]. How did she get there? A simple religious sister, she has but some basic formal education, and she has no special training in this field. But, like Abraham, she has faith. Like the good Samaritan, she has a heart of compassion. Like the saints old and new, she has implicit trust that even though she often knows not what to do, God knows what to do. She knows enough to know that this work is opus Dei and that this project is God’s project, so that it will succeed, against all odds, somehow. She lives the very motto which she shared with us from the first time we met her: Word without deed is in vain.
She attends to two hundred over girls, and more are coming, all with scars from a cruel world. Two little stories warrant re-telling.
- Sr. Mathias has journeyed with the girls, has felt their pains and struggles, and has deep concern for their needs. This goes all the way down to their daily needs. During lunch, we were asking her to sit down and eat with us. Smiling broadly, she said, “Yes, I’m coming. First, let me see that my girls have something to eat. You go on please.” She is very hands-on in her ministry.
- The problems of one pregnant 15-year old girl weighed heavily on her heart at the time of our visit. The girl had arrived only recently, pregnant, a victim of rape, crying and begging to be taken in. “I didn’t know what to do,” Sr Mathias said to us. “I only knew I must take her in. Please help me by praying for me. Let’s work together for God by helping this girl.”
All that Sr Mathias knew was that she must help the girls to move from pain to hope, from darkness to light, from hopelessness to new hope in life. This is very much the vision of what the Church should resemble according to Pope Francis, a Church that seriously exercises a preferential option for the Poor. Specifically for these girls, and girls like them, protection from the evil forces of the streets is of first priority. So security symbolized by a roof over their head is the first priority. Next is the all-important education and training for liberated participation in society. This will contribute towards the liberation much needed in situations of poverty. “Educate the girls, educate the nation.”
Needless to say, Sr. Mathias continues to need serious help in improving the facilities at the Centre. In particular, the following areas were highlighted during our trip:
- Sr Mathias repeatedly worried over the need to build an incinerator.
- Bathrooms with running water remain non-existent.
- The entire Centre still relies on one hand-pump set on a borehole well. There is no mechanized water distribution system or any water piping system of any sort.
- With two hundred over girls and rising, the recurrent need of items for personal hygiene is very substantial.
As David Livingstone said: “Sympathy is no substitute for action”. We remain conscious that while desires to help are laudable, expressions of wishes and desires in this regard need to be translated into actions. Their needs are often pressing and always recurrent. Fr. Howard James from London who was with our group has agreed to spearhead the effort to figure out what we could do in an ongoing work of solidarity with Sr. Mathias and all the staff and young trainees at the Centre. At this time, we have decided to make an annual donation as a gift to the Centre towards meeting their huge needs for toiletries. Any reader who has any other idea or who wishes to join in this effort to assist Sr. Mathias in her holy work is welcome to write to us. We shall be happy to put you in contact with Fr. Howard.
[L] 5 triple-bunk beds to a room. [R] There is a corridor, and the rooms are more spacious than before, but the bathrooms and toilets remain unfinished. Picture shows Fr. Howard James discussing with Sr. Mathias on what need to be done.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, November 2013. All rights reserved.
You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to jeffangiegoh@gmail.com. You can also be dialogue partners in this Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry by sending us questions for discussion.