Mission Appeal Homily for Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi

MISSION APPEAL – 22^nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Introduction

Good morning/ afternoon.  My names are Fr. Deogratias Ekisa.  I am grateful to Fr. Ken for allowing me to come and speak to you about and appeal for the work of the Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi of Uganda.  I am currently assigned to teach at Notre Dame Seminary, here in the city.

A few years ago when I was making an appeal at a parish like this one, I was concerned that because of my foreign accent, the people did not understand my message.  So I asked the Pastor: “Did your people understand my message?”  The Pastor, a nice man, said: “No, I don’t think they understood half of what you said; but they still gave you the money anyway.” I have been practicing to speak more clearly and I hope that today besides being generous, you will also understand what I have to say.  For my visit today is not just about money, but it is also about sharing my experience of the universality of the Church.

I would like to speak first about today’s readings and then secondly about the mission work of the sisters.

Scripture and Theology

When the Lord in today’s gospel teaches that, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” he is really raising the bar for all Christians.  He is essentially saying that all his disciples, all his followers, all Christians must live a life of self-denial, sometimes suffering, even persecution.  And this is something we all do, day in, day out, as Christians.  We deny ourselves things that are perfectly normal for the rest of the world.

·        Christians choose to deny themselves multiple marriage partners.

·        Christians choose to promote life from conception to natural death.

·        Christians choose to spend time in worship, like we are doing today.

But we choose to live differently, because we follow the way of the Lord.

My friends, although this path of the cross is a path for all Christians, some Christians take it a step further and live very radically.  Among these Christians are religious men and women who give up marriage altogether, give up the owning personal property and most important of all, surrender their personal will; they do these things in service of God and their brothers and sisters.

Mission Application

The Little Sisters of St. Francis of Uganda are just one such group among the many thousands of religious congregations in the world that follow the Lord in this radical way.  The Little Sisters were founded by Mother Kevin Kearney, an Irish religious herself, in 1923.  She realized that although the missionaries had brought the faith to Uganda in 1879, that work would only succeed, if there was the service and witness of African sisters themselves, working with and alongside the missionary priests and religious.

When, a few weeks ago, the superior of the Little Sisters asked me to come and speak on their behalf, at first I thought it was all about saving some money on flights.  After all, I live here in New Orleans and rather than fly one of their sisters from Philadelphia or even from Uganda to come and speak to you, why not use someone like me on the ground.  Being Franciscans, these sisters certainly know how to use wisely the resources God has given them.

But then I realized that the reason they asked me to come here today was more than good stewardship and convenience.  It is actually payback.  Let me explain.

You see my family has been the beneficiary of the work of these sisters for three generations; and it is about time for me to repay their generosity.

My maternal grandfather, Joseph, was a school teacher back in the 1940s and he taught in the sisters’ school.  But then he suddenly died when my mother was just a few years old.  So the sisters took in, not only my orphaned mother, but also my grandmother who was now a widow.  Unfortunately the cultural practice at that time, was to force widows to marry one of the other relatives or to leave. My grandmother did not want to become a second wife; so she went to leave at and work with the sisters to support herself and her daughter.

My mother went to the sisters’ school until she finished the eighth grade.  Knowing her family situation they waved her tuition.  And then they sent her off to a teacher’s college run by their order, where she trained as a primary school teacher.  Fortunately for me, she did not choose to become a nun after she finished school – otherwise I would not be here speaking to you.  She chose to serve God as a mother and wife.

The sisters’ help did not stop with my grandmother and mother.  When I was in the fourth grade, in a rather run-down village school, the sisters once again came to the rescue.  They asked my mother if they could take me to a better boarding school and would find funds to pay for me there.  And that is what happened.  So I went to St. James Primary School, where I finished primary school under the watchful eye of the sisters who cared for me; later I would join high school seminary.  I might add that during these years my mother and I made several trips to the hospital run by the sisters, to treat my malaria, scabies, measles and all kinds of childhood and tropical diseases you can think of.

And so, you can see that in sending me here to you today, it is like the sisters are putting me on display and saying: look here is an example of the fruits that our ministry produces.

·        The sisters keep people alive with medical care, food and water and that is why my grandmother, mother and I have life.

·        The sisters educate children and give them a solid education for life, an education that has been the essential foundation for my other studies.

·        The sisters nurture faith in the children they teach and also in my case nurture vocations to the priesthood.

And the sisters do this great work all in the name of Jesus, denying themselves families, material things and their personal freedom.

Mission Appeal

My friends, there are many other children just like I was, who could benefit from the work of the sisters; you can see some of their cute little faces in the pictures at the back of the Church.  But the sisters need your help to do this work.  Your donation in today’s second collection helps them bring Christ to others.

·        Can you consider helping Sr. Bernadette, the Principal of the School at my home parish, with tuition for some of her poorest children who cannot otherwise attend school?  It costs 40 or 50 dollars a month.

·        Can you consider helping Sr. Beatrice, the Principal of the School that I attended, with funds to buy some office and teaching equipment?  As one of their alumni, she recently sent me a letter asking for help to buy a printer for the school.

·        Can you consider helping Sr. Agnes who works with the youth, teaching them about good health habits, music and generally counselling them in those troublesome years of adolescence and early adulthood?

There are many things you can do for them, and I will be glad to share them with you after Mass.

Conclusion

But the photographs alone and even my words are not enough to show you how much of a difference, your generous donations make in the lives of the people in Uganda.  And that is why I am extending an invitation to you to come and visit us in Uganda.  I promise we shall not put you to work, unless you want to.

I would like to end by asking you for the most important thing, your prayers.  Please pray for the safety and success of the work of the missionaries throughout the world, and especially the Little Sisters of St. Francis.  I also promise you the grateful prayers of these wonderful sisters, who follow Christ in their chosen calling, by bring him to others, especially by their example and by their work.  Thank you again for your welcome.  May God continue to bless you.