Bishop Neary: Ordaining four men was just one of many highlights of East Africa trip

Bishop Patrick Neary, CSC, recently returned from a visit to his Holy Cross community in East Africa.

His visit included spending time on the campus of Holy Cross Lake View Secondary School in Jinja, Uganda. He celebrated a confirmation Mass there and blessed more than 200 students preparing for national exams.

“After Mass we blessed a new girls’ and boys’ dormitory, and to my surprise, the new main hall was named after me,” Bishop Neary said.

The following Sunday, he celebrated an ordination Mass for four Holy Cross deacons.

“The ordination liturgy was celebrated in the multi-level main hall and was attended not only the families of friends of the deacons, but by the students, teachers, and staff of the school,” Bishop Neary said. “The student choir of more than 80 students, known as the Holy Cross Anchors, sang superbly in a host of languages, even singing the Litany of Saints in Latin. I cannot express the joy it all brought to me, especially when the four newly ordained priests gave me their first blessing in front of the altar. I wish them all a lifetime of joyful and fulfilling priestly service of God’s holy people.”

The trip also included a visit to a Holy Cross Parish in Dandora, Nairobi, Kenya. Holy Cross established the parish in 1978 to serve the poorest of the poor in the city. The school there serves just over 1,000 children.

“The parish compound is like a city full of light, set on hill for all to see,” Bishop Neary said. “I was greeted by the kindergarten students who sang ‘Cross of our Hope’ to welcome me.”

“I was given high-fives by many children on the playground who ran up to greet me,” he said.

He also visited Brother Andre Hospital, located in the parish compound, which provides maternity and child healthcare, as well as outpatient and specialized clinics for the poor.

“After lunch with the seven Holy Cross priests and brothers who work there, I left with a heart full of gratitude for the work of Holy Cross Parish among the Holy people of Dandora,” he said.