Ugandan Priests Hit the Fundraising Sweet Spot

Written By: Zoe Glassmann and Aune Weeg

Ugandan priests Monsignor Matthew Odong and Father Rom Paul sold ice cream to Providence Academy students in order to raise money for their cause, Hope for Uganda, on Tuesday September 30th.

Hope for Uganda is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing schooling and medical aid to Ugandans. Every other year, Monsignor Matthew Odong and Father Rom Paul visit Providence Academy and sell ice cream bars to the students during lunch. The proceeds help fund the Archbishop Flynn Secondary School, as well as the Sacred Heart Seminary, both located in Uganda. 

“This organization helped provide the money to build and raise a school that I had dreamt about,” exclaimed Odong.

Monsignor Odong first came to Minnesota in 1990, on a mission to inform Americans about the war-torn country that needed support and love. More than two decades later, while visiting Providence Academy for the first time, he saw the hard work, dedication to faith, and hope for a brighter future in the staff and student body. He returned to Uganda with the idea of building a school, similar to Providence Academy, in hopes that it could bring those values to his community in Uganda.

“I love America because your country was founded on religious values. ‘In God we trust,’ and ‘one nation under God’. It’s just beautiful,” said Odong. 

The path to relief and eventually success for the school and seminary has not been an easy one. In Uganda, war broke out in the late 1900s, between rebel groups and the government. During this time, the community was ravaged by fear and unrest. The Sacred Heart Seminary was looted, and 41 seminarians were abducted by the rebels, forcing it to close down for a time.

“They created a real fear and uncertainty. We didn’t know what was going to happen next,” reflected Odong. 

In the midst of war, Odong, the seminary’s appointed rector, helped innocent and displaced families by providing public food and shelter in the seminary. However, these efforts led him to become accused as a rebel collaborator. Because of potential safety threats in Uganda, Archbishop Flynn of Minneapolis, whom Odong had met on previous missions, offered him work in Minnesota. Odong asked for three days to think and pray about such a decision, and ultimately decided to remain in Uganda and serve the community even when his life was at risk.

“I told Archbishop Flynn, ‘Your Grace, I’m sorry to turn this offer down. This is because, at the moment, I feel my people, my suffering people, need me in Uganda,’” recounted Odong. “And indeed, if I left Uganda and I came and stayed in Minneapolis, there would be no school like Archbishop Flynn secondary school.” 

Despite these setbacks, the seminary was eventually reopened, and the Archbishop Flynn Secondary School started to thrive. The school’s enrollment is currently 725 students, both boys and girls, and they expect the numbers to keep growing. Monsignor Odong expressed the need to expand the accommodations for the girls who desire to attend the school, as there are not enough facilities for them. 

“We need to build a dormitory. To give opportunity to the girls who are really longing to join this school,” explained Odong.

Hope for Uganda provides hope for future generations by instilling the values of faith, knowledge, and virtue into their education. This is the reason for the visits to Minnesota: to raise money to support those in Uganda who yearn to learn through faith.

“We call it ‘Hope for Uganda’ to give a future to the young people who could not afford to go to school otherwise,” said Monsignor Odong.