MISSIONER NEWSLETTER – Fall 2025
Stephen and Loyce Veryser, Tanzania
Workers installed new trusses and tin sheets at the Lake House of Prayer, racing to finish the roof before the rains—an act of faith and teamwork. The Lake House of Prayer, a joint ministry of the Archdiocese of Mwanza, Tanzania, and Maryknoll, is located near the shores of Lake Victoria. This unique retreat center has become an oasis of contemplation, meditation, and prayer for its neighbors, the archdiocese, and beyond. Watch to learn more.
As leaves change color and start to fall from trees in America, we welcome the relief of first rains to end a long dusty dry season here in Tanzania.
After two years of on-again, off-again work on the basketball court, we celebrated its completion with the 85th Bwiru Boys graduation ceremony on Oct. 16. Many thanks to all of you who made the project possible through your financial support, and to the teachers and students who put in so much extra effort to make it happen!
The last phases of the project included putting up a fence on the high end of the court for safety reasons, fabricating two small sets of bleachers, a finish layer of cement to smooth out the court surface, painting the key and lines, and installation of new poles to hold the backboards.
The newly finished basketball court at Bwiru Boys Secondary School stands ready for play—a symbol of persistence, teamwork, and hope brought to life through community support.
In an interschool competition in June, the Bwiru team placed among top in the country and one of the Bwiru students was selected to travel to Nairobi with the youth national team to represent Tanzania in a regional competition in July.
Since I started to manage the Lake House of Prayer retreat house of the Catholic Archdiocese in January, I have not been able to spend as much time at the school. In yet another chapter following a “golden thread” (in the words of Fr. Bede Griffiths) connecting chapters of my life, I find myself drawing on my experience teaching math and science, in guiding retreatants through spiritual exercises.
It is often said that only when you teach something do you really learn it. In accepting the invitation to do pastoral work at the retreat house, the “fishers of men” line in Mark occurred to me in another way. Where I used to manage development projects, now I am supporting people’s spiritual development.
I continue to be humbled and inspired by the deep faith of our regular attendees from the community to daily Mass at the retreat house. Recently I asked them a few questions for a class I am taking. When I asked why they come to Mass daily, one of them asked me in response, “Do you ever go a day without eating?” For her, “the bread of life” of prayer is as essential as eating food. Another attendee’s response revealed her intimate closeness to God, saying, “I have to greet my father when I wake up.”
The roof of one of the three buildings at the retreat center had been leaking for years and I had hoped to replace it before the rains started, but by the time we got settled again after our travels to the United States for the summer, sporadic rains had already started. We took a risk and tore off the old roof. We had a team of 12 workers who put up trusses (which are made on site here), in a day, and roofed it with the tin sheets the next day. As they worked, we watched a storm come through town, and straight past our neighborhood out to the lake.
I also “borrowed from Peter to pay Paul” (from our operating funds of the retreat house for the roofing) to cover the $5,000 cost of the project. I have a donor who has pledged $1,000 towards the cost and am inviting your support to help cover the $4,000 balance as a goal for Giving Tuesday.
If you’re interested in contributing towards cost of the roof at the retreat house, and thus support for spiritual development of Tanzanians, the easiest way is still to make a donation is through this link.
We invite you to walk with us as our “COMPANIONS IN MISSION.” Companions in Mission are friends and generous donors who give financial gifts on a regular (usually monthly) basis. For more information, visit Become a Companion in Mission. Thank you so much for your generosity!
Based in Mwanza, Tanzania, Steve Veryser is Maryknoll Lay Missioners' area director for Africa and Asia. He also teaches math to deaf students at Bwiru Boys Technical Secondary School. Steve and his wife, Loyce, have been Maryknoll lay missioners since 2018.
