Father Vincent’s Newsletter 2015
I am extremely happy to be visiting your parish again this summer. I bring you greetings from St. Gonzaga Gonza Itanda, my new parish.
The Itanda parish is located in Iganda district. It is one of the twenty-one parishes in Jinja Diocese. The population has about 15,000 Catholics. It also has ten Catholic founded primary schools which I have to visit at the beginning and the end of each term.
The parish is divided into twenty-eight “out station” churches. The people of Itanda live on subsistence farming; they grow rice in swamps, sweet potatoes, maize and beans. It has been very hard this year as the rain came very late and the people of Itanda suffered greatly from the heat. I managed to provide some maize flour to the elderly and to breast-feeding mothers. Big numbers have been flocking to the parish saying they are hungry. They are very grateful to you for being there for them during this difficult time.
When I moved to the Itanda parish at the beginning of the year, I found many challenges and one of the biggest was water. Water is normally harvested in two 100 litre water tanks, but because it had been a very dry season, both water tanks ran dry. I therefore had to fetch water in jerry cans from Iganga town, which is about 27 kilometres away.
I replaced the old, rusty iron gutters with plastic ones, but without the rain this did not help. I had a shallow well dug at the back of the house and have managed to pump the water from the well and now the parish house is supplied with water from this source. This brought great joy to me and has transformed the parish. The water problem at the presbytery has been solved once and for all. This was only possible because of your generosity and support. Thank you very much.
The water problem is a big issue in the Itanda parish and with the boreholes that I sunk in Namunyumya parish, word has got around that I provide boreholes and so people come and tell me about their water problems, making requests of course.
I have sunk another borehole through your generosity, but this was drilled in Namunyumya parish since I got the money before my transfer. The beneficiaries were parishioners of Idudi community and they are extremely grateful for your generosity.
We have a plan to expand the church at Itanda since the number of parishioners is increasing every year. Our current church is rather small and does not accommodate all he parishioners who come to church. We have asked the parishioners to contribute towards this project, but their response has not been forthcoming – everyone seems to be crying of hunger. If you can help towards this project, we would be very grateful indeed.
I have also started a farming project with five pigs and I am teaching parishioners to look after pigs to increase their household income. With availability of funds, I hope to expand this project so that the parish can get some income.
The people of Itanda are much poorer than my previous parish. They can hardly maintain a priest. They contribute the equivalent of £2.50 every Sunday during Mass. I am only able to be a minister to these people because of your generosity. In the last thirteen years, Itanda has had ten parish priests. Many of them had to leave because the parish could not look after them. It is because of your generosity that I am able to minister to the people of Itanda parish.
The children you help with education send their love and gratitude. They are all at their various schools. They asked me to say a big “thank you” to you for your generosity.
Assumpta has finished university this year. Doreen is in her second year at university while Armon and Claudio are preparing to go to university this year. Thank you very much indeed; all this is possible because of your support. Francis and Cynthia were helped with their fees by the Holy Spirit Celtic football club this year. However, I am still looking for sponsors for these needy orphans.
With your wonderful support, I hope to continue with all my projects. I would also like to carry out some renovations to the house.
If you are able to help me, you can fill out a standing order form to donate monthly or you can give a donation to me or to Father Anthony. Every little that you give helps me so much in my work.
Examples of costs:
1. To drill a bore hole £5,500
2. To educate a pupil or an orphan £50 per month
£60 per month in secondary school
£100 per month at university
3. Petrol to visit out stations/schools £20 per visit
4. To assist a church student £400 per year
5. Hosts, wine and candles £30 per month
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks on behalf of all my parishioners for your continued kindness, generosity and care, without which I would be unable to carry out my work effectively. You are always close to my heart. God bless you all.
Fr. Vincent Kanyankole
I am extremely happy to be visiting your parish again this summer. I bring you greetings from St. Gonzaga Gonza Itanda, my new parish.
The Itanda parish is located in Iganda district. It is one of the twenty-one parishes in Jinja Diocese. The population has about 15,000 Catholics. It also has ten Catholic founded primary schools which I have to visit at the beginning and the end of each term.
The parish is divided into twenty-eight “out station” churches. The people of Itanda live on subsistence farming; they grow rice in swamps, sweet potatoes, maize and beans. It has been very hard this year as the rain came very late and the people of Itanda suffered greatly from the heat. I managed to provide some maize flour to the elderly and to breast-feeding mothers. Big numbers have been flocking to the parish saying they are hungry. They are very grateful to you for being there for them during this difficult time.
When I moved to the Itanda parish at the beginning of the year, I found many challenges and one of the biggest was water. Water is normally harvested in two 100 litre water tanks, but because it had been a very dry season, both water tanks ran dry. I therefore had to fetch water in jerry cans from Iganga town, which is about 27 kilometres away.
I replaced the old, rusty iron gutters with plastic ones, but without the rain this did not help. I had a shallow well dug at the back of the house and have managed to pump the water from the well and now the parish house is supplied with water from this source. This brought great joy to me and has transformed the parish. The water problem at the presbytery has been solved once and for all. This was only possible because of your generosity and support. Thank you very much.
The water problem is a big issue in the Itanda parish and with the boreholes that I sunk in Namunyumya parish, word has got around that I provide boreholes and so people come and tell me about their water problems, making requests of course.
I have sunk another borehole through your generosity, but this was drilled in Namunyumya parish since I got the money before my transfer. The beneficiaries were parishioners of Idudi community and they are extremely grateful for your generosity.
We have a plan to expand the church at Itanda since the number of parishioners is increasing every year. Our current church is rather small and does not accommodate all he parishioners who come to church. We have asked the parishioners to contribute towards this project, but their response has not been forthcoming – everyone seems to be crying of hunger. If you can help towards this project, we would be very grateful indeed.
I have also started a farming project with five pigs and I am teaching parishioners to look after pigs to increase their household income. With availability of funds, I hope to expand this project so that the parish can get some income.
The people of Itanda are much poorer than my previous parish. They can hardly maintain a priest. They contribute the equivalent of £2.50 every Sunday during Mass. I am only able to be a minister to these people because of your generosity. In the last thirteen years, Itanda has had ten parish priests. Many of them had to leave because the parish could not look after them. It is because of your generosity that I am able to minister to the people of Itanda parish.
The children you help with education send their love and gratitude. They are all at their various schools. They asked me to say a big “thank you” to you for your generosity.
Assumpta has finished university this year. Doreen is in her second year at university while Armon and Claudio are preparing to go to university this year. Thank you very much indeed; all this is possible because of your support. Francis and Cynthia were helped with their fees by the Holy Spirit Celtic football club this year. However, I am still looking for sponsors for these needy orphans.
With your wonderful support, I hope to continue with all my projects. I would also like to carry out some renovations to the house.
If you are able to help me, you can fill out a standing order form to donate monthly or you can give a donation to me or to Father Anthony. Every little that you give helps me so much in my work.
Examples of costs:
1. To drill a bore hole £5,500
2. To educate a pupil or an orphan £50 per month
£60 per month in secondary school
£100 per month at university
3. Petrol to visit out stations/schools £20 per visit
4. To assist a church student £400 per year
5. Hosts, wine and candles £30 per month
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks on behalf of all my parishioners for your continued kindness, generosity and care, without which I would be unable to carry out my work effectively. You are always close to my heart. God bless you all.
Fr. Vincent Kanyankole
