Holy Cross - District of East Africa

Bugembe Parish

Holy Cross Parish was created in 1990 and is one of 19 parishes in the diocese of Jinja. Amidst a community of very active Anglicans and Moslems, Holy Cross has fostered a very strong, large and growing faith filled Catholic community. Parish staff, including catechists, social workers, and three headmasters, work beside Holy Cross members to improve education, social work, pastoral activities and sacramental ministry. The goal of the parish it to invite people to translate the Gospel message into their own lives.

There are four centers, two are considered urban and two are rural. The main center is Bugembe, which is currently in process of building a new church. After spending holiday celebrations under tree shades or in temporarily constructed structures, the parish decided that it needed to build a larger permanent structure. Parishioners and friends continually make contributions and construction continues as these contributions are received. They hope to complete construction of the church by September 2005. Bugembe is also the site of parish offices, a primary school and the residence of priests and some brothers who minister to the parish. There is also a men's formation house in Bugembe, where the candidates spend their first three years in formation while working on their philosophy degree. The second center is Wanyange, where there is a church, primary school, and Holy Cross Lakeview SSS. There are three other residences for Holy Cross members in Wanyange, Dujarie House, where the brothers who minister at Holy Cross Lakeview reside, Olivette house, where the sisters who minister in the area reside, and Mary Concepta, where the women sister candidates and novices reside. The other centers, Buwekula and Kalungami, are rural and offer mass every Sunday.

Bugembe Parish Ministries

Holy Cross Lakeview Senior Secondary School

Holy Cross Lakeview SSS was founded in 1993 in response to the needs for affordable, Catholic secondary education in Bugembe Parish. Under the direction of Sister Mary Louise Wahler, CSC it succeeded in being the fiftieth best school in Uganda in its first year, and has improved its academic performance each year. Fr. Basil Moreau, CSC once said that "the mind should not be cultivated at the expense of the heart", and Lakeview tries to stress a balance between good academic performance and the development of the whole person by providing a counseling program, career counseling, practical subjects (including fine art, music, home management, business studies and agriculture) and an active sports program.

From its humble beginnings with 1 full-time and 6 part-time teachers of "O-level" (first four years of secondary), it has expanded to add "A-level" education (advanced level), with an enrollment of over 700 students. It has added a boarding section for both boys and girls at the request of parents, and now over half of the students are boarders. The students come from both town and rural environments as the school's reputation has spread. There are a significant number of students from both Kenya and Tanzania, the Kenyans are attracted by the similarity to the British system and Tanzanians are attracted by the higher standard of English language. There is a strong relationship between parents and the school, and the school tries to help parents budget for the school fees and pay fees gradually, as parents who can pay the fees at the beginning of the term are the rare exception. The school offers holiday work programs for students who need financial assistance.

The school has undergone some changes, with the Holy Cross District of East Africa taking over responsibility of the school from the parish, and just this year, the administration changed with Brother John Flood, CSC taking over direction of the school. In spite of these changes, however, Lakeview continues to focus on its mission "Education for Service," and nurture well-rounded students who will make positive contributions to society.

Primary Schools

Holy Cross Parish has a vision of evangelizing the Gospel Message through education. It supports 3 local primary schools which offer a holistic education, catering not only to the academic needs of the students, but also to their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. It infuses Christian values and morals into academics in order to inculcate good Christian values in its students. Fr. Hesse was the impetus behind advancements in the schools, soliciting funds to construct the classrooms and other structural needs. Fr. Mugera and Fr. Wamala have continued this work, as well as holding regular meetings of the individual School Management Committees and staff from the schools to continue the dialogue of how best the schools can improve. The parish priests also attend to the sacramental and religious educational needs in the schools and run seminars for teachers to promote the incorporation of Christian Religious Education into the curriculum.

Holy Cross Primary School - Bugembe

Founded in 1991 at Bugembe Parish Center, Holy Cross Primary, with classes Primary 1 to Primary 4, replaced a struggling primary school that had been established in 1976. Classroom construction began to replace the thatch roofed mud classrooms, and with the aid of surplus school fees, fund-raising ceremonies, and external contributions, the school complex has grown to include 9 classrooms accommodating Primary 1 to Primary 7 and a boys and girls hostel, administration offices, and a staff room. The nursery school operates in a temporary wood frame building and acts as a feeder for the primary school. There is an enrollment of over 400 pupils in P1-7.

The School Management Committee oversees the operation of the school and cooperation with government standards, thus ensuring quality education. They also promote family involvement, community activity in the school, and strive to create a general ethos of service among teachers and students. Parents and teachers have organized themselves into an active PTA, which sensitizes the community to appreciate education and to promptly pay school fees so that children do not miss class. With demonstrated support from the community, the school has become financially self-sufficient, operating on collected school fees and a small UPE grant that is offered to private schools. The school struggles to offer scholarship aid to orphans and very poor students.

The school only accepts students with demonstrated good academic performance and discipline, as reflected in their previous school reports. It follows the National Primary School Curriculum, and prepares pupils for the Primary Leaving Examination. It has gained a reputation in recent years because of improved performance on these Leaving Exams, and is now placed among the best schools in Jinja District.

The school also acts as a site of promoting positive extracurricular activities by allowing community members access to a football pitch, basketball court, netball court and tennis court. This space provides a meeting ground for youth of all faiths to interact and grow together.

St. Andrew's Primary School - Wanyange

The school was founded under the name Wambuza Primary in 1968 by the Catholic parish to serve the local community. It was temporarily closed during the Amin years, but was re-founded in 1988 for the purpose of providing an affordable Catholic education for children in the Wanynage area. When Holy Cross arrived in 1990, they were interested in continuing to develop the school, and worked with the head teacher to repair the old school buildings and hire more qualified teachers. They renamed the school St. Andrew's in order to emphasize its Catholic character. In 1993, Holy Cross Lakeview SSS was established nearby, and due to its increasing student population, St. Andrew was moved down the hill, and now sits next to the sub-center church.

The school mission is "to educate and produce well-disciplined, self-reliant, and God-fearing citizens" and strives to build a foundation for life long learning among its students. It emphasizes discipline and fosters leadership opportunities through the Pupil's Governing Body. The pupils participate in extra-curricular activities, such as gardening and tree planting, promoting job creation rather than job seeking. The school also promotes evangelization by providing students the opportunity to study catechetics and liturgy. It has nursery to Primary 7, and the academic performance on the National Primary Leaving Exams has been improving steadily since the school began. Currently, the school has an enrollment of 300 pupils and a staff of 13 teachers. The school has a diverse student population as a result of industrial activities in Jinja district, which promotes the use of English, which is advantageous because the Leaving Exams are set in English.

The school is managed by the School Management Committee, and its PTA seek to increase community support of the school. These groups also aim to make the school financially self-sufficient, while ensuring high quality education.

St. Jude Primary School - Buwekula

St. Jude was established by Christians in the community in 1964 with an enrollment of 80 pupils in 4 classes - nursery to Primary 3. Teaching began in grass thatched classrooms, which were constructed by the community, and the school persisted throughout the years despite a cyclical rise and decline in its enrollment. When Holy Cross came in 1994, the school was in a period a great decline, however, the Christians committed themselves to support the school, by educating their children there and contributing to its growth, both monetarily or through labor. Holy Cross agreed to support the school in 1996, and the Center Council was re-energized in their efforts to sensitize the community about the importance of good education. The community responded immediately - the foundation was poured and the community volunteered to transport building materials, which motivated Holy Cross to increase their contribution to the building expenses.
The school now has an enrollment of over 300 pupils with classes from nursery to Primary 7. Its operation is overseen by the School Management Committee, and there is an active PTA and dedicated faculty. St. Jude is surrounded by government schools, which offer free education at the cost of high enrollment, poor facilities, and crowded classrooms. It therefore strives to offer better education, as it works towards self-sustenance.