St. Catherine's School Kenya

Well, the trip to Kenya yesterday was worth all of the dust and difficulties as we had a fantastic and joyful visit to St. Catherine's Girls' School. We first met the principal, Sr. Anne Onyancha, in 2007 when she visited Dallas and came to visit us through Elaine M., one of our alums. We felt a special bond with Sr. Anne because her school was actually started by Ursuline nuns and then it was given over to the Sisters of Mary. It has been our mutual desire to connect our students and to explore ways to help support St. Catherine's school. Sr. Anne spoke to our UA students and, since that time, our students have raised scholarship money to help the neediest of the St. Catherine's students -many of whom are orphans or vulnerable children. The school has over 400 students and almost half of them board at the school.

There are many challenges at the school as you may imagine. Right now, there is no running water at the school so the girls have to go to the river (although you wouldn't know it because they are all so lovely and look very sharp and healthy in their uniforms). Also, those monkeys that I love so much keep messing with the wiring for the internet so it works only some of the time.

We were deeply humbled by the splendid and festive welcome that we received. Sr. Anne greeted us and invited us (Alexis, Agnes, Zziwa, his friend Simon Peter and me) for cake (expertly prepared by precious Sr. Gretchen who has only been a nun for a few months) and refreshments. Then, the students performed in a fantastic welcome assembly outside which included singing, dancing and gymnastics. As we sat at the specially prepared "Head Table" we could not have felt more special or more honored. The students were so kind and so talented!!

We were spontaneously called upon by Sr. Anne to speak to the assembly and Agnes and Alexis both spoke beautifully to the girls. I told them that I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in Africa and to visit them and that I have their picture in my office and that I represent lots of girls, just like them, who are in Dallas studying hard and wondering about the girls here. I communicated all of the best wishes sent by Ursuline Academy and I told them that we hope that they will meet our students one day. Sr. Anne actually announced our student gift of $3000.00 to the whole assembly and she showed the picture of the art club students (who raised $1000.00 of the money - the other part was raised by the whole student body during Catholic Schools' Week through "penny wars").

After the assembly, we had a little tour of the dining hall and of the dormitory which warmed my heart as it is named "St. Ursula" - It's next to another building, "St. Angela." When we were in the dormitory, the girls came rushing up to me to tell me that they want to meet my students and that they want friends at Ursuline. They also hugged me and all wanted to touch my hair which was so funny to me because I had been complaining about my hair all day. It was fantastic!! As if this all of this happiness weren't enough, Sr. Anne insited that we stay for lunch (she fed us three times in three hours). So, we ate yet again with Srs. Anne, Gretchen and Jacoba. It was hard to leave after being so warmly welcomed and I will be forever grateful for the beautiful afternoon spent at St. Catherine's school.