Assisting African Clergy
As this ministry continued, ROTA was in the position to welcome, sustain, and assist a number of African priests coming to USA for some much needed rest, continuing education and rejuvenation. As a way of supporting, affirming and celebrating our new African friends, it was ROTA’s pleasure to assist the Diocese of Buffalo in planning community wide celebrations in honor of St. Josephine Bakhita, new patron Saint of Sudan. Three African Bishops were welcomed into Buffalo by ROTA and addressed their community in exile.
WELCOME TO BUFFALO
ROTA is pleased to assist members of the Aweil Sudanese Community in bringing Fr. Angelo, pastor of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Aweil, Southern Sudan to Western New York. Fr. Angelo will be visiting his parishioners who due to the years of civil war have resettled in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Fr. Ron and Fidele Dhan met him and stayed with him at St. Stephens while in Aweil, Sudan. Fr. Angelo comes to USA for a few months of rest and networking in order to line up Mission Appeals that will earn him some funding that will be used to repair his large church building and assist him with the development of a medical clinic as well. Would you know; it, he arrived in Buffalo just before our first significant snowfall; thus he witnessed his first snowfall. A winter coat, boots, gloves and a hat were all newly secured for him to allow him to adjust to this new climate. After visiting Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester, Fr. Angelo will proceed to 
New Hampshire and the back to Kansas City where his journey in this country began. In all these locations he has been welcomed by men and women to whom he ministered when they were younger while in Aweil. Again and again they welcomed him, provided for him, and took great joy to see him again. We pray for Fr. Angelo’s safe travel back to Sudan and his safe return back to USA in the spring of 2010 so that he can begin his mission work.
PLEASED TO ASSIST
ROTA is also very pleased to have offered some assistance to Fr. Paul Ladda; a priest from Tanzania. Fr. Ladda is engaged in studies at D’Youville College, living on campus and staying with Msgr. David Gallivan at Holy Cross Church on the 
Westside of Buffalo. Fr. Paul was the main celebrant in the Diocese of Buffalo Office of Cultural Diversity African Commission’s celebration of All Saints Day which was held at St. Martin de Porres on Sunday, November 1st, 2009. Special emphasis was paid to the many women of men of Africa who have led the Church at different times in her history. Welcome Fr. Paul.
ORDINATION TO THE COPTIC RITE PRIESTHOOD
We are pleased to announce the Ordination of Maged Monis Ghattas to the Coptic Rite Priesthood in Cairo, Egypt. Maged, is on the right, pictured with the late Fr. Evarist and Gregory Jackson above. He joined Fr
. Ron at St. Martin de Porres in the summer of 2002. He spent about three weeks in Buffalo living with Fr. Ron and Fr. Evarist Lubega of Uganda in the then St. Martin de Porres Residence on Wyoming Street. He was very instrumental in Fr. Ron’s and Mr. Richard Ersing’s first visit to Africa by way of Egypt back in 2005. It has taken a length of time but the day finally has come as we congratulate him on the occasion of his ordination. He is pictured on the right complete with his Coptic miter hat. His Bishop is pictured on the left. ROTA has been pleased to have forwarded both Fr. Maged and Abuna Yoseph, formerly Farah Fwazy, Ordained in 2005, some Mass stipends as well.
Goal Two - African Clergy Assistance, began in the summer of 2000 in a conversation with Maryknoll Missionary, Fr. Douglas May. Included in our discussion was my expressed desire to some day visit Africa. That breakfast conversation resulted in my agreement to house and supervise a Coptic Rite: Egyptian Seminarian for three weeks. Farah Fouzy arrived with three other Coptic Rite seminarians in the summer of 2001. Experiencing western culture,Roman Rite Mass, traveling with Fr. Ron to sacramental and outreach ministries were all met with excitement by this young man from ancient Egypt. The relationship would continue through the years in part through the marvels of E-mail and internet communications and result in Fr. Ron’s first trip to Africa in 2005 for Farah’s ordination to the priesthood. In January of 2002, while attending the Diocesan Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Mass, Fr. Ron met a unique, holy, and humble priest from the Diocese of Masaka, Uganda: Fr. Evarist Lubega. He had arrived just days earlier and took up residence with Fr. Roderick Brown, OP at the rectory of St. Martin de
Porres RC Church. During his nine month Sabbatical rest, conversation, friendship, and affection continued to grow between Fr. Evarist and Fr. Ron. Goal Three – Connections with Third WorldMinistries in the motherland of Africa was about to be born. Fr. Evarist was director of a trade school in Uganda Africa: The St. Charles Lwanga Butende Technical Institute, renamed by us St. Charles Lwanga BTI. After many conversations and encouragements, Fr. Ron arranged meetings with Fr. Evarist and possible supporters of his ministry. These conversations gave birth to the awareness and necessity of a water well at the school and Goal Three of ROTA was born. While Fr. Evarist was enjoying his first summer in America, Fr. Ron was appointed pastor to succeed Fr. Brown at St. 
Martin de Porres. Another Coptic Rite Seminarian, Maged Moins, had arranged to visit USA and stay for a few weeks with Fr. Ron. The rectory became the St. Martin de Porres Residence and a new ministry of clergy assistance was born. Later in 2002 St. Martin de Porres Residence would welcome its first African Bishop from southern Sudan, his lordship Rudolph Deng Majak, Bishop of Wau. This bishop was visiting Buffalo’s Sudanese African community in exile and meeting with the “Lost Boys of Sudan” as well. We had the pleasure of welcoming Bishop Majak for Sunday morning Mass at St. Martin de Porres in September of 2002. ROTA: Reaching Out 2 Africa, has had the pleasure of 
welcoming two additional Bishops to Buffalo and 
St. Martin de Porres Parish. We also welcomed his lordship, Paride Taban, Bishop of Torit and his lordship Paolino Lukudo Loro, Archbishop of Juba, Southern Sudan. We thank God for the opportunity to welcome and assist these strong men of God in their ministries of rebuilding the Church and the Country of Southern Sudan. Former African seminarians, Sudanese unmarried men trying to work and go to school as well as African clergy all took up residence at the St. Martin de Porres Residence. With the untimely death of our good friend Fr. Evarist 
Lubega on May 1st of 2005, we arranged transportation for and welcomed to St. Martin de Porres, Stephen Sseruwu. As principal of the St. Charles Lwanga BTI he was a most welcome guest. He assisted us to have a memorial Mass in honor of Fr. Evarist for all Fr. Evarist’s friends here in the United States. Stephen too was a great influence on the children of both St. Martin de Porres and St. Bernadette in Orchard Park; helping them get involved in the new project for ROTA; the building of the young ladies dormitory. Most recently we welcomed Fr. Linus Umoren, a priest from Nigeria who was studying in Rome, Italy, who desired some much needed rest. Fr. Linus liked USA so much he returned the following year and took a position as Associate Pastor of Queen of 
Peace parish in Niagara Falls, NY. We were also most happy to arrange for travel and Missionary Appeal here in Buffalo for, Fr. Emmanuel Katabaazi; Fr. Evarist’s best friend from Uganda. His presence with us enabled us to assist him as well helping him secure funds that would allow him to purchase a used vehicle for transportation of prescription drugs from a 
central location to the twenty-nine clinics and two hospitals he’s responsible for as coordinator of the Catholic Health Care System of the Diocese of Masaka, Uganga. This contact was also very valuable for us for Fr. Emmanuel helped coordinate our second missionary journey to Africa in January of 2008 for the dedication of “Evarist House;” the new young ladies dormitory built on the St. Charles Lwanga BTI campus through the efforts of ROTA: Reaching Out 2 Africa. We continually look forward to welcoming more African clergy to USA. We currently have communication with students of St. Charles Lwanga BTI as well as seminarians in the Diocese of Masaka. May God continue to assist us in assisting others of the motherland who preach the Gospel, the Good News of Peace.
