Fundraiser, mission trip to Uganda helps build church, strengthens unity

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
      Managing Editor

It is a tremendously long way from Teutopolis to Nakasedhere, a village in the Luuka District of Uganda, but Mark Probst and the dozen Illinoisans who traveled with him are forever grateful for the mission trip they took last summer.

Probst, who is business owner and a member of St. Francis Parish in Teutopolis, explains that his family’s years-long friendship with missionary priest Father Fred Jenga, CSC, led to a request to build a much-needed place of worship in rural Uganda. In 2023 Father Jenga requested that Probst help with raising $24,000 to build a church that would hold 400 to 500 people. By December of 2023, $44,000 was raised.

“The extra money went to build a teacher’s quarters for the teachers that stay on-site, water tanks were added to the property, and playground equipment was also purchased. We did have a GoFundMe page, however most of the money was raised from three of our local parishes: St. Isidore in Dieterich, St. Francis in Teutopolis, and St. Michael in Sigel,” Probst said. “We did not use the fundraising money to help pay for the trip. We wanted to make sure the money raised went all to the church. A few of the college girls did some of their own fundraising to help offset the cost of the trip.”

The Catholic Church is growing the fastest on the continent of Africa, noted Father Jenga, who said, “The churches are full, the seminaries are full, and the convents are full.” The growth of the Church in Africa is both “a blessing and a challenge” he said, adding that one challenge is the need for spacious, dignified, and safe worship spaces.

Father Jenga explained that even though the people in Illinois had raised much more money than he had initially requested, a mission trip was important. “I called him and asked if we really needed to do this mission as I felt we had already exceeded what was asked,” Probst said. “His response was ‘this mission has to happen because the relationship between our two families need to connect, and this is just as important as building the church.’” Probst says after that conversation, the next six months were dedicated to finding people who wanted to go and to start planning the trip.

Traveling to Africa, along with Father Jenga and Probst were mostly people from the Teutopolis area (Madison Probst, Keith Probst, Jessica Allison, Marie Ochs, Lily Bierman, Earl Probst, Tia Probst, Daniel Dust, Ruth Dust, and Macy Swingler) and two people from Chicago (Erin Harvey and Nancy Harvey). People who went on the trip ranged from age 15 to 67.  

The airtime one way was more than 16 hours, and the group spent many more hours traveling (and once getting stuck in the mud) by bus on rough roads — always accompanied their guides as well as by two security guards who carried machine guns. The travelers stayed at the Holy Cross Jubilee House in Njeru.

“Our arrival in the village was a memory I’ll never forget,” he said. “We had been driving on dirt roads for the past hour and the houses looked like they are not fit to live in, according to ‘our standards.’ Then we come into an opening, and we see this beautiful church and school grounds. Beyond that we see hundreds of adults and children heading toward our bus. We hear singing and see dancing. Smiles are everywhere.”

By the time Probst and his fellow helpers reached Nakasedhere, St. Atanansi Catholic Church was already constructed by workers in the area. “The church is mostly made out of brick and mortar for the walls and then wood rafters with a tin roof,” Probst said. There are no pews in the church — plastic chairs are used for seating. “We did get involved in a lot of the painting and cleaning of the church as we worked toward it all the way to the grand opening celebration.

“While we were painting, we started realizing how things are different in Uganda compared to the States,” he said. “The ladders were all made by hand, steps weren’t straight — some heavy, some crooked, and only a few to choose from. They watered down the paint … one style of brush.”

 Probst said the trip made him aware of the joy and faith of the African people. They are welcoming, willing to happily share what little they have, and their worship and celebrations are filled with dancing and singing.

Father Jenga planned the visit and kept them busy for the entire time. “Father Fred wanted us to spend time with the people and knew that was just as important as helping with the church,” Probst said. “Each day had a mix of work time and visiting time. St. Atanansi also has a fairly large school on the same property that teaches kids from first- to seventh-grade, which is about 400 students. So, each day we not only spent time with the students, but also visited with families in the area, the women’s group, and the leadership team.”

When the missionaries visited the villagers, they saw even more differences. “We crowded into a space smaller than most bedrooms. No electricity, no brick walls, brick floors, no paint,” Probst said. “The houses maybe had two or three rooms with the houses no bigger than 20 feet by 20 feet. I saw some houses had very thin mattresses lying on the floor, while others had something like bamboo sticks used as a mat for sleeping. As little as they had, each family offered us gifts before we left.”

Other highlights of the trip were attending an ordination of a priest, touring Holy Cross High School, celebrating the grand opening of the church with the bishop, a visit to a cultural center, a trip to see a sunset on the River Nile, a two-day safari tour, and a visit with the king.

 “Yes, I said the king,” Probst said. “We drove through Jinja City and headed up the hillside. We could see that the palace sat high above the city. We were escorted into his palace and seated in a boardroom. We were told to stand up as he entered and also to address him as ‘Your Majesty.’ He was very professional as Father Fred spoke to him, and we had Ruth Dust speak on our behalf. He thanked us for visiting his country and Ruth then invited him to visit us in Illinois, which he smiled at. We headed outside the palace for pictures and to present him with gifts of bananas, goats, and a signed picture of the Effingham cross.”

In all, the trip to Uganda — travel time included — took 17 days. Those were long days that Probst says were life changing. “The whole experience was very humbling to me,” he said. “I take it for granted that we have nice houses, vehicles to drive, and never have to worry about our next meal. We go on vacation. In Uganda they are worried about the very basics of life such as putting food on the table, having enough money to send their children to school, having a very small house with no electricity, no vehicles.  The word vacation doesn’t even exist. It has made me realize we have been gifted, and it is our responsibility to help those who don’t have this luxury.”

Probst said the church is built now, but their work isn’t finished. “We just found sponsorships for 75 students to help offset the cost for these families so their children can continue school and receive a higher education because many can’t afford school after seventh grade,” he said. “We are also raising money for a turkey farm for the parish. The turkey farm is a niche market in the area. It will consist of 200 turkeys and will give them a means to raise and sell turkeys to help offset costs the school incurs each year. There are other projects on the wish list, but they haven’t been started yet.”

As he looks back at all that has happened with his connection to Uganda, Probst says he is certain things happened just the way they were meant to happen. “It isn’t a coincidence that we met Father Fred Jenga a number of years ago.  I truly believe this part of God’s bigger plan and that we are responsible for helping our brothers and sisters in Uganda,” he said.

“We have the financial means to help this village and hopefully create a better future for those that don’t have the opportunity and at the same time we were humbled and realize that we need to be more like them with such great love and faith in the Lord.”