Sister Parish

In Mubende, the majority of families are subsistence farmers. They grow enough food on the lot around their homes to feed their household, with any extra going to the market. The staple food crops are plantains, sweet potatoes, corn, beans, groundnuts (peanuts), and many varieties of fruits and vegetables. Cash crops grown include coffee, tea, and vanilla which are taken to market. Most families keep a few poultry, pigs, goats, and/or sheep to supplement their diet or as a source of emergency income.

Other opportunities for income are few but include agro-processing jobs removing husks from coffee beans or lumbering. A few are able to own restaurants or lodging in the City of Mubende, and others are able to sell items at kiosks in the city market.

Houses are either mud and wattle or baked bricks with roofs of corrugated aluminum or grass. Utilities of piped water and electricity are available in Mubende. However, most communities get water from springs, wells, or cisterns filled with roof rainwater. Lighting is done with kerosene lamps. The quality of water is an issue and must be boiled to be consumed; how- ever, only 80% do so. Sanitary needs are great, as only fifty percent of the families have pit latrines (bathrooms).

This is what the Lord asks of you; only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

The equator runs through the country of Uganda just a few miles south of our sister parish in Mubende. Lake Victoria is partially located in the south-east section of Uganda. This region has wet seasons from March to May, and again September to November. The climate is tropical, and agriculture is the dominant undertaking. The country of Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa, named for its natural beauty. The capital is just south-east of Mubende at Kampala. The only paved road in the area is from Kampala to Fort Portal to the west; all feeder roads are dirt roads which, because of the rain, are often mud roads. Getting from one village to another is often difficult and slow.

There are 480,000 Catholics in the Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese which is about 33% of the 1.5 million people living in the 4,674 sq. mile area.

The Mubende Parish has 112,000 people living in its 300 sq. mile area. In comparison, Lyon County has 36,000 people living in 855 sq. miles. In other words, Mubende Parish has 68% more people in an area 65% smaller than Lyon County. Our population density in Lyon county is 42 people per sq. mile. In Mubende the density is 373 people per sq. mile which puts a large strain on the environment in Mubende.

Only 25% of our population is under the age of 20, while over 50% are under the age of 20 in Mubende. This puts a strain on educational costs.

In Mubende there are 6.5 people in the average family and most live in rural areas, verses Lyon County where there are 3.1 people in an average family most living in the city of Emporia.

In Mubende the average income per family is about $180 per year. In Emporia the average income per family is about $33,000 per year.

Living as good stewards is an integral component of our Christianity. Sharing our gifts with others throughout the world in need, is a responsibility God has called all of us to embrace. In 2006, Sacred Heart Parish established a mutual relationship with our sister parish, Our Lady of Fatima Parish Mubende, in Uganda, Africa.

This relationship was fostered by the friendship between our former pastor, Fr. Darren Henson, and Fr. Emmanuel Tamale who often times his visits during the Christmas season. Fr. Tamale is from Mubende, but he now resides in the Kiyinda-Mityana diocesan headquarters. The Kiyinda Cathedral is in Mityana 50 miles southeast of our sister parish.

The pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish is assisted by 3 Brothers and 4 Sisters, in helping with the 20 Catholic elementary and one high school within the parish. There are 53 local catechists in each of the outlying sub-parishes or out stations within the 300 sq. miles of the Parish needed to help with Sunday bible services, and close pastoral care in assisting the outlying people.

It is important to realize that both parishes benefit and grow spiritually from the unique gifts and talents that are shared. We are reaching out to one another to build relationships in our universal Catholic faith through conversations and prayers for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. This journey of faith requires all of us, and everyone is encouraged to participate in some way on a personal level.