It was a joy and a privilege for me to travel to Ndanda Abbey in Tanzania/East Africa this year. The occasion was an international conference of monastic formation directors. I had, at the same time, the opportunity to meet my brother monks with whom I had lived and worked for six years in the early 1990’s. I got to know many Tanzanian monks whom I had not seen yet because they had joined after I had left; they carry on our work now. I experienced joyful encounters with many parishioners in the parishes in which I was stationed. Also, I could visit various projects that our friends in the US have supported through the Benedictine Mission House and that are now very helpful and beneficial for the local population. Here is my dairy:

Day 1
4/17/18

It felt like coming home. I had just arrived on Tanzanian soil, at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. It is named after the independent nation’s first famous president. The journey went well, in spite of many delays: two hours in Omaha, two hours in Newark, NJ. One and a half hours in Addis Ababa. The delays matched well and I did not miss any flights. Now I am waiting for the last leg of my itinerary, the flight to the southern coastal city of Mtwara.

There is so much I am grateful for: on Sunday a safe trip to the airport on partially icy roads with the help of our visitor and volunteer Bondo; the excellent service on Ethiopian Airlines; the immediate text back from our confrere in Kurasini (part of Dar es Salaam), Br. Bakanja, after I had sent him a short text during a stopover in Lomé, Togo, because it looked as though I would miss my flight in Addis. “Pooole sana,” he wrote in Swahili, “I am sorry for the difficulties.” He would have been ready to help if I would have needed him. First impressions of Dar es Salaam: As we flew over the city at night, street lights only in a few areas; but it seems electricity is available to the people. And, what I had not seen twenty-one years ago, red blinking cell phone towers spread evenly across the megacity of three million. Advertising of cell phone services abounds. Everybody of the natives holds his smart phone in hand, at least here at the airport. Things went well with immigration and with my Visa upon Arrival.

The flight to Mtwara left on time for a change and even arrived early. With me on the plane was Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, from Collegeville, MN, a well-known scholar on early monasticism and presenter of our workshop. Br. Sixtus from Ndanda, who had once been in the first group of novices whom I taught, awaited us. He had made the trip from Ndanda to Mtwara early in the day and took us from the airport to the monks’ cabin on the beach where Abbot President Jeremias, Abbot Michael, Fr. Frank and Br. Thaddaeus awaited us. Breakfast was ready on the table and we ate. A few minutes remained to stand at the beach before we left for Ndanda.

Traffic has increased significantly since I was here last over twenty-one years ago, especially the number of motorcycles. There is even a traffic light on the main thoroughfare through Mtwara! All the towns along the road have their signs with the name of the town as you enter and another sign with the name crossed out as you leave. In many towns, there is also a speed limit of 50km/hour (30 mph) now, which seems very appropriate, considering the number of people, young and old, walking on the street. Other signs limit the speed where there are curves in the road; again others explain the danger that comes with going too fast. It was late morning; and we saw a lot of school children by the road. The students wear uniforms; many girls, especially in secondary schools, cover the back of their heads with veils. That, too, is different from the way it was twenty-one years ago.

Upon arrival at Ndanda Abbey, Br. Laurent, who works in the abbey’s business office, showed me my room in the brand new administration wing to the right of the abbey church: great accommodations. – Lunch offered the first opportunity to meet the monastic community, the European and the Tanzanian monks. Prior Yohanes invited us to his table. I enjoyed eating ugali, made with corn meal, and maharage beans, together with spinach, a traditional Tanzanian dish.

For Vespers we joined the monastic community in the abbey church.  The central image, painted by Fr. Polykarp, is the risen Christ in the Mandorla. I looked at it for a long time, receiving consolation, peace and joy from Him.

Day 2
4/18/18

The ten-minute walk from the abbey to Zakeo Spiritual Centre, the abbey’s retreat house, gives me an opportunity to take in the sights of the abbey that are new to me: the new addition, which helps accommodate a monastic community that was never as large; the beautiful trees, flowers and bushes of an interior courtyard that was created by this building; the new bridge across Ndanda River, which is surrounded by almost rainforest-like vegetation; the bridge, built by Br. Godehard toward Zakeo, which creates easy access to the retreat center; and the hundreds of trees that were planted in this area and form an attractive park.

This morning Fr. Dionys gave us an overview of Ndanda Abbey’s history and then a tour through the abbey church, which afforded me the opportunity to appreciate also the newly designed side nave tabernacle area with the Christus Pantocrator Cross above it, the other side chapel with the stone carving of Mary, Help of Christians, and the Stations of the Cross made by Fr. Polycarp.

After that, we had coffee with the monks of the abbey in the refectory; I could touch base with Abbot Siegfried, Fr. Hugo from Nyangao, and Br. Coelestin from Sakharani. Then a tour of the abbey shops followed: carpentry, joinery, electrical, fitters and turners, plumbing and water supply, mechanics and garden. What a nice reunion with master carpenter Br. Benedikt whom I taught in the novitiate years ago and who now oversees thirty employees! I also enjoyed chatting further with Br. Sixtus who runs the whole vocational training school with 108 students! In the afternoon, the event began that was the occasion for this Africa trip: an international workshop for formators, that is, novice masters and others who help with the training of young monks in their respective abbeys and priories. The twenty-one participants introduced themselves: they hail from seventeen monasteries of all continents except Australia: Tanzania (4), Kenya (2), Uganda (1), Zambia (2), Korea (3), Togo (1), Philippines (1), India (1), Germany (3), USA (1), Cuba (1), and Colombia (1).  Then an orientation to the workshop was given.

Day 3
4/19/18

Every morning we have Mass at 7:00am at Zakeo. On the way there, I hear singing and drumming first from the abbey church and then from the formation house; at both locations, Masses start somewhat earlier. I was the presider at Mass today at the retreat house. I talked about the joy of the Apostle Philip and of the Ethiopian Eunuch, received as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Then, in the conference room, I found the talks by Fr. Columba Stewart about the Rule of Benedict and the monastic authors from whom Benedict draws, especially Origen, Evagrius and Cassian very helpful. One can understand Benedict only if one knows these sources; they help to make his teaching meaningful for our time as well.

In the afternoon, I walked up to the abbey’s formation house, located on a hill called Ursberg. Nine postulants and six novices live there. Fr. Yusto, the formation director, is alone with all these men; his partner, Fr. Pius, is currently in Rome for the monastic institute. Abbot Emeritus Siegfried teaches the history of Ndanda for both postulants and novices; Fr. Dionys teaches the Rule; and Fr. Polykarp teaches chanting. Manual work is very much part of the postulants’ and novices’ day too; they largely produce their own food. They take care of 200 chickens, as well as a good number of goats, rabbits, guinea chickens, and pigeons, plus two gardens with bananas, papayas, oranges and rosella bushes. Once a week they slaughter chickens. We found the postulants in a shed harvesting the petals of the rosella blossoms for making juice. The motto of the week for the men in formation is, “Niwe na Amani ya Kristu—May the Peace of Christ be with me.”

Day 4
4/20/18

Walking to Zakeo makes me marvel every morning about the great work that was done with and around the retreat center. Hundreds of trees and shrubs were planted: hibiscus flowers shine forth everywhere. Everything is nicely mowed and tidy. “Zakeo,” by the way, means “Zachaeus.” This newly built center did not exist when I lived at Ndanda in the 1990’s.

This morning we again heard a very good lecture by Fr. Columba focusing on John Cassian, a canonized saint in the Orthodox Church and from whom Benedict drew so much. We also received helpful pointers on how to organize lessons on St. Benedict’s Rule.

In the early afternoon, Abbot Michael and I met with Br. Dr. Jesaja, a monk from St. Ottilien and physician, who works at Ndanda Mission Hospital. He showed us the maternity ward and the way prematurely born babies are cared for. The situation is less than ideal, to say the least. They are accommodated in close proximity to the mothers with newborn children and to sick children. However, they would need a separate place, as far away as possible from any infection. The plan is to remodel the old tuberculosis ward, a somewhat dilapidated building which currently is not used, and to create a separate location for them there. We also visited the nursing school, for which the Benedictine Mission House, Schuyler, helped build a new residence hall. Afterwards I walked up to the printing press, opposite of which is located the brand new dormitory for the female trade school students, financed also to a large degree by our benefactors through the Benedictine Mission House.

After an afternoon discussion with the formators, another visit to the formation house at Ursberg was planned. This time I could also see the classroom in which I spent many hours teaching the novices in the 1990’s. One memory that came back particularly strong was a session with a group of seven novices at the end of their first year of novitiate. Our conversation centered on the question of how life would be different after the novices have moved down into the abbey. The novices felt that they didn’t want to lose good practices of prayer and monastic life when they were given a full measure of work and were not surrounded by the protective environment of the formation house any longer. – In the evening, recreation and good bye to Fr. Columba.

Day 5
4/21/18

Today after Mass and breakfast, we set out for a road trip going east. Our first stop was the Parish of Nyangao where I had spent a total of about two years in the 1990’s. One of the first persons I saw getting out of the car was our co-worker Christopher, driver, and janitor of the rectory and the church. It was wonderful to see again a person with whom I share so many memories. Fr. Hugo, a German confrere and pastor of the parish, talked to us in church, explaining the history of the parish.  It was founded in 1894 and destroyed during the Maji Maji Uprising in 1905. Later it was rebuilt and once again became one of the area’s most important mission centers.

Then we went on to see the formation house of the African Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Help of Christians in Narunyu. They showed us their church, their orphanage, where the children sang and danced for us, and the small training center for seamstresses. The biogas plant, which until quite recently produced reliable electricity, and the water supply from a central tank, both, once erected by the German Br. Leonardi, would need some repair.

Then we went on to the coastal city of  Lindi, saw our old procure building, now owned by the Diocese of Lindi, and had lunch in a beautiful beach restaurant. A downpour hit us at this time—we are at the end of the rainy season—and kept us at the place for another half hour. We also visited the cathedral of the diocese, dedicated to St. Andrea Kaggwa, one of the Ugandan Martyrs, and the bishop’s house, from where there is a nice view of the Indian Ocean.

We were back in Ndanda for Vespers in the abbey church. Afterwards I had a lively conversation with Bros. Markus, Florian, Godehard and Thomas during supper in the abbey refectory. We have so much catching up to do!

Day 6
4/22/18

Today is the World Day of Consecrated Life. At 7:00am I departed for my former parish, St. John the Baptist in Nangoo, with the pastor, Fr. Didas, OSB. Also with us in the Landrover was Joseph, a novice from Ndanda, Victor, a postulant from Ndanda, Sr. Victoria, an African Benedictine Sister, and Postulants Christina and Selina from the Tutzing Sisters Community. The first Mass took place at the outpost of St. Augustino in the Nuru neighborhood. The church is also used as kindergarten.  I immediately recognized Catechist Raymund Mmole. Josef, a man with a crippled leg who always uses a long staff for walking, now is a catechist also. During the Mass all seven of us spoke after the gospel. I told the congregation which years I lived in Ndanda and served at Nangoo (1989-91 and 1993-96), and what I do now in the US. I also thanked them for helping me to grow into my vocation as a monk, a priest and a missionary.  Wonderful encounters. The experiences in the main church were similar. I met another catechist by the name of Josef Namagaya. He is the son of Catechist Julius Namagaya, who had died in a road accident in 2000. Catechist Joseph impressed me with his liveliness and self-confidence. The singing of choir and congregation at both Masses, each of which lasted over two hours, was marked by an infectious joy.  – Then we were offered refreshments in the rectory.

In the afternoon the formators were invited by the community of the Tutzing Sisters at Ndanda. They received us with singing and drumming. We prayed and sang in their new beautiful chapel, which I had not yet seen. Then Mother Prioress Terese Tamale gave a PowerPoint presentation about the Sisters’ life and work at their houses in Ndanda, Nyangao, Mtwara (2) and Kibohima by Lake Victoria. I had great conversations, first with Sr. Uta Maria, a retired eye doctor, who spoke about the statue of Benedict in their chapel, which had stood in the very first house of the brothers in Dar es Salaam. Then I met Sr. Evangelista, the daughter of the late Catechist Julius Namagaya. She now teaches at the primary school at Liputu where she goes every day by motorcycle.   She spent several years in the Philippines.

After Vespers in the abbey church, we had supper with the monastic community at the abbey.  Everybody shared their experiences with visits in parishes. At Mwena, the Mass lasted even for three hours! After that, I enjoyed a lively recreation conversation with artist Fr. Polycarp (87). He still reads Tolstoi! He said that his student, the artist Henri Likonde, continues working and that he will extend his work into the future.

Day 7
4/23/18

In the morning Abbot President Jeremias spoke to us. Using an inductive style of teaching, he helped us discover and name more clearly our identity as Missionary Benedictines. These sessions reminded me of the responsibility we formators have for strengthening the unity of our congregation. There is so much that specifically connects us a Missionary Benedictines! One example is our understanding of stability: it is the vow of stability to the community. However, one of us can also be sent to another community for a shorter or longer period of time. - It is true: “The novitiate is about acquiring the stable smell of our congregation!”

In the afternoon, Abbot Emeritus Siegfried taught the history of the Missionary Benedictines in Tanzania. Living a communal Benedictine life and spreading the gospel in a territory of 200,000 square kilometers (77,220 sq. mil.) couldn’t easily be combined! The right directive finally came from Bishop Thomas Spreiter in 1906 with his focus on schools and also adult education as the main method of reaching people for Christ.

Before Vespers I met again Sr. Evangelista. She filled me in with a lot of things that have happened in Nangoo since I left over two decades ago! – Then we took pictures of an assembly hall and a smaller residential building that are under construction on the Sisters’ compound and that will be used by a national organization promoting Natural Family Planning. The project has been supported by the Benedictine Mission House in Schuyler.

Day 8
4/24/18

Abbot President Jeremias presided at Mass this morning, talking about a bishop in former communist Eastern Germany who said that many of his people are “religioes unmusikalisch;” they have no ear for the tune of religion. They don’t have a sense for religious things any more. The task of the novice master, Abbot Jeremias continued, is to awaken and to further in the novices the love for music, for God. After breakfast, the Abbot President talked about the Formation Elements of our congregation, a document that offers us a very helpful syllabus for classes in the postulancy and novitiate, while at the same time leaving us ample freedom for choosing what exactly we want to teach.

After lunch, a guest was waiting for me, Filipo Filipo Mrope, who led our group of Scouts in Nangoo in the 1990’s. Now he lives in Masasi, the district capital, and has his own business of printing on t-shirts. He also still farms in Masasi and Nangoo, growing cashew nuts and corn. His first career was boxing, successfully so in the southern part of the country, until he made it to the national team. However, he said his teeth started getting loose so he preferred to quit. He now owns a new Chinese motorcycle. He has three children; the oldest one, a son, is in Form 6. Filipo thinks he might have a vocation to become a priest or brother. Filipo’s marriage is planned for October this year after many years of engagement (which is quite common in this culture). He told me that most of the other former Scouts are doing quite well also. Benedict farms, slaughters goats and sells the meat on the market. Danford farms, slaughters pigs and sells their meat on the market. Several others also live in Nangoo and farm. Only one left the village and went to Dar es Salaam. This shows that we had effectively helped these young people to make a living in their own village. I gave Filipo a watch as an anticipated wedding gift.

Knowledge of our history and mission history deepens our sense of identity as Missionary Benedictines. Even more so does the telling of stories: about the early missionaries and all the hardships they endured, about our martyrs in East Africa and East Asia, about catastrophes and the way the confreres coped with them and survived them, etc. Abbot Emeritus Siegfried is a gifted storyteller. Today his second talk followed, covering the time from the First World War to the present. The working of God’s providence shone forth for me in his presentations. For instance, the flood disaster in Ndanda and the almost miraculous survival of several confreres was confirmation that the work of the European monks at Ndanda was not quite finished. History gives us occasion for marveling.   

After coffee we made a trip to the dam for a swim. Thousands of trees have been planted near the river and around the lake. The road now runs through a forest. A wide overflow has been built to the right of the dam where water can be released if needed.  The swim was refreshing.

After compline I visited Abbot Siegfried. He is so very pleased with the way our Tanzanian brother monks continue the work began by our European confreres.

Day 9
4/25/18

With well-designed PowerPoint presentations and in a very personable style, Fr. Yago Abeledo, a White Father from Burkina Faso, offered us today a wealth of information on psychology and human sexuality and, most importantly, taught us how to address this subject matter in the novitiate.

Eleven monks from our motherhouse, the Abbey of Muensterschwarzach, Germany, are stationed at Ndanda Abbey or in one of its dependent houses. After supper, a reunion of Muensterschwarzach monks took place at the abbey. Abbot Siegfried, Fr. Polycarp, Br. Andreas, Br. Thomas, Br. Godehard and Br. Florian who currently live at Ndanda were all present, together with Abbot Michael, Fr. Frank, and Br. Thaddeus from Muensterschwarzach and myself. We had a lively conversation and even enjoyed a glass of wine from the vineyards of Ndanda’s grange at Sakarani in the Usambara Mountains.

Day 10
4/26/18

Fr. Yago’s very helpful presentations continued today. – Before Vespers I met two men of the Makonde tribe sitting in a booth by the street and carving mahogany wood. They make very beautiful statues using only knives as tools! Often they also work with ebony. – After supper, at recreation, we bade good bye to Fr. Yago with a song. A Makonde carving was given to him as a gift. All our times of socializing in the evening are full of singing and cheerfulness. – On the way back , in the abbey monastery courtyard, I had a happy encounter with Abbot Plasido of Ndanda and Prior Administrator Silvanus of Peramiho Abbey, both of whom were my students during their novitiate as well.

Day 11
4/27/18

Fr. John from Kumily, India, presided at our morning Mass. He invited us to pray for the summit of the North and South Korean leaders today. – Mother Terese Tamale, a Ugandan, the Prioress of the Ndanda Tutzing Sisters, taught a class today abounding in wisdom on the challenge of individualism in community life. She emphasized that we grow and blossom by giving. Individualism is an obstacle to personal growth. Our communities’ apostolates are the responsibility of all the members. Thus, we need to be willing to be sent rather than pursuing only our own individual interests and benefits, to carry out our tasks in the name of the community, and to be accountable to the community. “Growing in a sense of belonging to one’s community is also very important,” Sr. Terese said. “Whatever blocks the development of this sense of belonging also blocks the individuals from being themselves and from giving themselves joyfully and generously through community.”

During the break I visited the Bible on the Ground near the retreat house. Along a path through a forested area, eight booths are located with five paintings inside of each. Under each picture there is an explanatory text. Biblical scenes are depicted, plus scenes from the local population’s everyday life. The latter show how the gospel of Jesus can bring about liberation and new ways of thinking and acting. The late director of Zakeo, Fr. Severin, must have written at least some of the texts. It feels like meeting him in person once again. One painting shows a person who cares for another. He resembles the one who in the previous picture had been prayed over. The text reads, in Swahili, “Baada ya kupona mgonjwa huyu aliyeamini na kuombolewa anamwombea mgonjwa mwingine na kumwekea mikono - After he has gotten well again, this believer for whom people had prayed, prays for others and lays hands on them.”  The pictures, addressing witchcraft, superstition and belief in the harmful wrath of angry ancestors, really speak into the concrete life of the local people.

After lunch, Fr. Christian took me to the Abbey Secondary School at Mwena, just a few miles West of Ndanda; after class I went there again with the whole group of formators. I had a happy reunion with Fr. Augustino, the headmaster of the school. He lives there in a little community of three confreres with Br. Romanus and Fr. Michael (from Kumily, India). Fr. Augustino gave us a tour. The school has 622 students and only 27 teachers. There are many more students in an average classroom than in the US. This summer, Form VI will be added, which means that in the summer of 2019 the first high school graduation will take place. The test scores are excellent at this school; it was ranked #17 under several thousand schools in the country. We will then have an abbey high school. In addition, they started a primary school. The “baby class,” as they call it, kindergarten, is already in session. It is all in English, even at that level. Formerly, a leprosy camp was accommodated in all these buildings. A lot of renovation was needed in order to bring the school to this point, plus the construction of a large dining hall. The teachers all live on the compound too.

Teak trees have been planted by the carpenter, Br. Benedict, alongside the highway between Ndanda and Mwena. – We also saw the Abbey Springs Water bottling plant south of Zakeo that uses the excellent water from the springs in the hills above Ndanda. They produce 3,000 bottles of water a week and are able to sell their product as well. – Even closer to the retreat center, staff houses for the center’s co-workers are being constructed at the moment. This makes several more guest rooms available at Zakeo.

Day 12
4/28/18

Our presenter today was Fr. Titus Amigu, a priest of the Mtwara Diocese and former Rector of Peramiho Seminary. He offered an eloquent African perspective on the challenges that Christians are faced with as they live with Muslims in Tanzania. Islam is attractive because it is in some ways closer to traditional African religion. It allows polygamy and has fewer binding ethical teachings. Lack of knowledge about their Christian faith can be a problem when Christians are made to think that there is not really much difference between God and Allah, Jesus and the Prophet Isa, Mary and Miriam, the angels and the jinns. Where there is Islamic fundamentalism, there is hatred of Western culture. I found especially helpful Fr. Titus’ remarks about the need for an effective witness to our faith: in deeds, through our manner of life, and also in words by talking plainly about what we believe and about what Holy Scripture teaches.

At our concluding session in the afternoon, Abbot Michael mentioned again a problem that was addressed by several participants at the beginning of the workshop: “the many novice masters” in our monasteries. Too many monks want to be directly part of the training of the young monks. It is true, the various community members’ observations about our men in formation are very important. However, they should be encouraged to talk first to the novice master, who then brings up the issues in an appropriate manner with the men in formation.

We have so many reasons to be profoundly grateful: to Fr. Christian for all his hard work with coordinating this workshop, to Fr. Bakanja in Kurasini, Dar es Salaam, who assisted with travel arrangements, pick up and drop off, to Abbot Placido and the monks of Ndanda for their generous hospitality, to our excellent presenters, to Abbot Michael who served as moderator and gave us encouragement, especially at the beginning and the end of the workshop, to computer wiz Abbot Blasio of Waegwan, who put together the presenters’ talks and many more useful materials on memory sticks that we could take home, to Fr. Otto of St. Ottilien who organized the music, who sang and played the guitar, and, last but not least, to our superiors who sent us to this very special event. We experienced a great workshop, Tanzanian culture, and, in Ndanda, a thriving monastic community. Perhaps most importantly, we could sense that we are part of a global congregation and not left alone in the often challenging work that we do.  

 The Tutzing Sisters had invited me once again; and I paid them another short visit.  Sr. Uta Maria showed me a photo album of Sr. Andrea who had lived in Tanzania for decades and is now back at Immaculata Monastery in Norfolk, Nebraska. Then Sr. Ottilia and I walked across the street to the convent of the African Benedictine Sisters. Their Sr. Gabriela sends greetings to Br. Bon in Muensterschwarzach. –We sang Vespers one more time at Ndanda Abbey and then ate supper in the abbey refectory.  

Day 13
4/29/18

Abbot Michael, Fr. Frank and Br. Thaddeus hit the road very early. They traveled to Kilimahewa in order to meet Fr. Beda, and then Dar es Salaam in order to catch their plane to Europe. At Ndanda Abbey, I presided at the Brothers’ Mass in German. Fr. Polycarp had asked me to do this. It was a wonderful experience with the gospel of the vine and the branches. Afterward I met Sr. Barbara from Tutzing; she with Fr. Severin had put together the beautiful Liturgy of the Hours that the Ndanda monks celebrate daily in their abbey church.

Breakfast followed with Abbot Siegfried, Br. Andreas, Br. Florian, Br. Godehard and Br. Thomas in the refectory. I packed my suitcase, took some snap shots at the 7:00am Mass in the abbey church, which was filled to standing room only, and then purchased a rosary at the church door that was sold on the occasion of 150 Years of Missionary Work in Tanzania (1868–2018).

Fr. Christian gave Fr. Otto and me a ride to Mtwara. We passed by a large cement factory owned by a wealthy Nigerian business man. In the city I noticed the three-wheeled taxis, again the much higher amount of traffic, and the many, many motorcycles. Our first stop in Mtwara was at St. Paul’s Parish in the Majengo district. In the church, we arrived at the tail end of an English language Mass. Finally, our trip ended at the abbey’s beach houses in Shangani. A group of St. Paul’s Parish’s women catered excellent food for the group of formators who had arrived in two cars. Then swimming followed and rest. Br. Andreas, Fr. Otto and I enjoyed supper at The Southern Cross, a good restaurant in walking distance of our accommodations. We sat by the beach and watched a glorious sunset. Namshukuru Mungu! Thanks be to God! 

Day 14
4/30/18

At 6:30am I presided at Mass in English with Tutzing Sisters at St. Scholastica Community. The psalm response of the day expressed much of what I felt about this whole trip: “Not to us, Lord, not to us, to your name give the glory.” The Sisters have a wonderful chapel, oriented eastward and illuminated by the rising sun. After breakfast with the Sisters, Sr. Raphaela gave me an extended tour. We started with the monastery where a building with more rooms for Sisters was added. Currently, eight professed Sisters live there, plus one novice.

The next stop was at Stella Maris Hostel on the same compound. It serves students of Stella Maris University (2011). St. Mary’s Dispensary (2011) is also located on the same grounds. Even though it is registered as a dispensary, it functions more like a hospital: It has patient rooms, X-Ray, ultrasound, and more.  It was nice to meet Sr. Martha again, the first Tanzanian woman who joined the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Ndanda.

A little farther up Shangani Road, is located the St. Michael Education Centre (2013) run by the Tutzing Sisters. Ein Herz fuer Kinder, a campaign of the German tabloid Bild Zeitung, helped finance it. Sr. Yusta is in charge. On the right side, there is the kindergarten. The language is English. At a very early age, these kids learn how to count in English, etc. They even get homework.  For food they get uji to drink which is rich in calories and protein.

Michael Archangel Pre and Primary School is located on the left side; it was officially opened in January this year. The plan is for it to have over 500 students in seven grades with two tracks and forty students in a class. The architectural design of the school building is very beautiful.

Now a longer drive was required, at the end of Shangani Road to the left, past Stella Maris University (which is connected with the Catholic University at Mwanza) and the cathedral. There we took a right down Mkoani Road. Before the Church of All Saints at Magomeni, we took a right again, past many new and nice homes, and arrived at Aquinas Secondary School (2011), also managed by the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing. Sr. Paula, who had studied at Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota, is the business administrator there. Most students of this co-ed school hail from Mtwara; some, however, come from farther away, Newala, for instance, or even Dar es Salaam. The grades extend from Form I to Form VI. The multi-purpose St. Benedict Hall is located close to the entrance (2015). The residence halls are full; a new one for girls is planned. Also, they want to get the majority of their electricity from solar power. Currently they are digging ditches for underground power lines. We also visited the Sisters’ home, called St. Tekla. Sr. Consolata, the superior, however, is currently on home leave in Germany. The Sisters have significantly expanded their ministries since I was there the last time!

While the confreres from Kenya and Zambia left by bus in the early morning, many others are still here. We shared lunch with Abbot Plasido of Ndanda. Then we swam again; high tide was at 4:32pm. [Supper at the Southern Cross.]

Day 15
5/1/18

At 6:00am Abbot Placido took the Korean monks and me to Mtwara Airport. He answered some of my last minute questions. What is the name of the trees on Mkoani Road which bloom in beautiful red-orange? They are called Arobaini, which means Forty; allegedly they help against forty different illnesses. For the airport, we turned right in the district of Magomeni. The Precision Air flight left fifteen minutes early when all the passengers were present. It was hard to leave this place. It felt like leaving home.

Approaching Dar es Salaam from the air in daylight we saw the many skyscrapers that exist there now! So much development has happened in the meantime! Much of this general development of the country is beneficial for the people. Sr. Dr. Raffaela told me that in the hospitals she sees some illnesses much less frequently than in the early 1990’s. Formerly many people had bilharzia, hook worms and tropical ulcers. These illnesses are related to dirty drinking water, lack of shoes, and malnutrition. Nowadays she sees much more high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and even dementia. The life expectancy of the people in the country has significantly increased (to almost 62 years according to Wikipedia).

Mzee Hoodi picked me up at the Julius Nyerere International Airport. I changed some dollars into shillings, which I used for the driver and for buying a big Tanzania map as a souvenir. Mzee took me via Nyerere Road to our guest house at Kurasini where I met Br. Bakanja, Fr. Sebald, and again Abbot President Jeremias, plus Abbot Pambo from Mvimwa, and Fr. Anastasius. The latter four attended a meeting related to the structural changes in the congregation of the Chipole Sisters. This group is meant to assist with bringing about these changes. After a good lunch we returned to the airport. I departed on Ethiopian Air to Addis Ababa on time at 4:45pm. [I enjoyed watching a German horse movie, Wendy]

Day 16
5/2/18

This was a long day because I gained eight hours returning to the US. My neighbor on the flight was an Ethiopian woman. She was an oriental Christian wearing a white veil and traveling to an event in Atlanta, Georgia. Flying was completely new to her, also eating with knife and fork. I politely offered her some assistance. My second neighbor was the retired Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Malawi, Rt. Rev. Jackson Biggers. He had experienced Malawi under British colonial rule. The country gained its independence in 1966. His whole diocese is near Lake Nyassa. They feel very connected with the Catholic Church. Re-reading Abbot Siegfried’s short history of Ndanda helped me to recapitulate my experiences on the journey. We had a stopover in Dublin, Ireland, without getting out. The journey continued via Washington Dulles and Chicago O’Hare to Omaha.  Deo Gratias! I am profoundly grateful to God.