Maureen Crowley
Heil

Years ago, my family and I were members of a large, vibrant parish in Allentown, Pennsylvania—so large that we had three masses daily! Bringing in priests from outside the parish was a necessity.

One quickly became my favorite. He had a kind face, a radiant smile and gave homilies that nourished my soul. Staying after mass to chat, I learned that he was a missionary priest from Uganda. The concept intrigued me: we received missionaries from Africa. In fact, his order was issued for this very purpose.

Founded by two Comboni missionary priests to evangelize Africa and the world, the charism of the Apostles of Jesus commits them to the service of the poor and the most vulnerable. In the same spirit, these two Comboni missionaries had made space years before in one of their orphanages for an eight-year-old boy.

They could hardly have known that he would one day become a priest Apostles of Jesus.

Fr Paul Gaggawala, AJ shared stories of life as a Ugandan Catholic, both the blessings and the hardships. He told me about the Ugandan martyrs, twenty-two young men who gave their lives rather than renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The father explained that witnessing their sacrifice kept the faith alive in Uganda even after the missionaries were expelled. Every time we talked, he said the same thing: “Maureen, you have to come to Uganda!

A few years later, I was offered a job in this missionary ministry in Allentown. I have met many people, each with incredible stories of faith and sacrifice; Father Paul kept Uganda in my heart. Every time he came home, he brought me photos and stories to help me in my work. A school built in a village, an enlarged orphanage, an open clinic…

After my move to the mission office in Boston, I called Father Paul and told him it was time for me to go to Uganda. He put me in the capable hands of a local AJ priest who led me to projects that we helped them fund. I couldn’t believe my eyes when we turned a corner on a dirt road and there was the very school that Father Paul had given me pictures of years before. I had told his stories; now I saw the work of his hands.

Father was reassigned by his order and returned to his beloved Uganda a few years ago. He started a retreat center where one of his greatest joys was teaching children to recite the rosary. He returned home to God on January 10, 2022 after battling COVID19.

Let him dance with the Martyrs.

– Maureen Crowley Heil is director of programs and development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.

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