A trip of a lifetime to the “Pearl of Africa”

UGANDA – Father Lance Warren, pastor at Sacred Heart in El Reno and Saint Joseph in Union City, recently joined Catholic Relief Services on a mission trip to Uganda to witness the agency’s work with the poor.
 
“It was an incredible experience and in the midst of such poverty, we witnessed wonderful expressions of faith,” Father Warren said.
 
Even though Winston Churchill called Uganda the “Pearl of Africa” more than 100 years ago, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Catholic Relief Services projects emphasize long-term development to help with vocational development, family needs and small businesses with the goal of building family income and reducing poverty.
 
Catholic Relief Services also is involved in trying to get students to stay in school past 8 ^th grade and improving the educational goals of the population. They also work closely with the elderly of the capital city. Father Warren said he spent half of his time in the capital city of Kampala, a city of about 1.5 million people on the north shore of Lake Victoria.
 
The rest of his time was spent in the second largest refugee camp in the world, home to more than 270,000 people in BidiBidi near the border with South Sudan.
 
“It is very sad, but very uplifting at the same time to see so many people in severe poverty, living in tents and yet having so much faith,” he said. “Many priests serve multiple roles in their assignments; but we were able to see the work of two priests serving 20 chapels, ministering to thousands of people. The people were so patient about waiting their turn for the priests and sacraments.”
 
Father Warren was able to interact with refugees from the civil wars and talk with families and children.
 
“Some of the kids spoke a few words in English, giving me the name “Red” because of my beard. They were fascinated by this large American priest who also was quite possibly the first person to introduce the fist bump to dozens of Sudanese refugee children.”
 
Father Warren has been a priest for the archdiocese for three years. This is his first trip with CRS.   
 
Archbishop Coakley is a member of the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, serving as chairman from 2014-2016. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Learn more at www.crs.org.
 
Charles Albert is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.