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St. Luke Catholic School is sharing the experience of Catholic education with children in Nairobi, Africa. One of the ministries of the Marianists is Our Lady of Nazareth located in the Mukuru, Nairobi’s largest slum. According to the Marianist website, mukuru means “garbage dump” in Swahili. (www.marianist.com/oln) Our Lady of Nazareth and St. Luke Catholic school have become sister schools.
The students at St. Luke and Our Lady of Nazareth will be pen pals. St. Luke has already received several letters from some of the eighth graders at Our Lady of Nazareth. In support of this endeavor, the students at St. Luke used the $1,100 in funds raised from their October Civvies Day to sponsor 10 students at Our Lady of Nazareth. The sponsorship covers the cost of tuition and a school meal for one year.
As a token of appreciation for the relationship between St. Luke and their school, Our Lady of Nazareth sent a gift to St. Luke, a batik. The batik is a traditional art form using dyes and wax to create an image. It is a beautiful depiction of The Last Supper. Father Marty Solma, SM, provincial of the Marianist Province of the United States, explains how the students at Our Lady of Nazareth like coming to school because it is safe, hospitable, and friendly. In the video on the Marianist website, Father Solma explains the how the Marianist community works to end the cycle of poverty for these students and their families by providing a quality education for the students, faith formation for all, and skills training for adults.
The link between the two schools supports the archbishop’s values of stewardship and unity by creating a relationship highlighting the importance of global relationships and solidarity to the students in both countries. The students in both schools will experience the lives of fellow Catholics as they grow and learn together through the letters they share with each other. As stated by Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, at the Catholic Charities Prayer Breakfast, “Love and the common good demand more than giving of our things. They demand giving all of ourselves, they demand unity and solidarity.”
For more information about St. Luke Catholic School, see website at www.stlukecatholic.org, or call (210) 434-2011, ext. 126.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”9599″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]