MISSIONER NEWSLETTER – Summer 2024

Gabe Hurrish, South Sudan

St. Mary Magdalen Parish Primary School has over 1,000 registered children. There are currently 20 teachers to handle 12 classes of rowdy and active kids, ages three to 25.

I continue teaching at Tim Galvin Secondary School, which is part of St. Mary Magdalen Parish, located in Riwoto, North Kapoeta in South Sudan. My subjects are English grammar, computer science, agriculture, and citizenship—as well as acceptance and tolerance of all ethnicities in a country crippled for half a century with inter-tribal and intra-ethnic violence and conflicts. St. Mary Magdalen Parish attempts to mitigate violence through sharing Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching.

Lots of challenges but never a dull moment!

Recently I attended an annual parent-teacher meeting at the parish’s primary school.

This school has over 1,000 registered children. There are currently 20 teachers to handle 12 classes of rowdy and active kids, ages three to 25. The catechist helps supervise the very young, who simply play most of this day. The teachers work from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and are only paid $200 per month. It is difficult to find trained teachers who will work in such conditions.

Due to the­­­­­­ lack of trained teachers in South Sudan, many teachers are from other countries—primarily Kenya and Uganda.

Tuition costs $39 per year for one child. If the family cannot pay school fees in cash, then they pay in chickens, sorghum, or firewood. Many students are sponsored by organizations, churches, or individuals.

The children are the agents of change. They have tasted knowledge. They are hungry for more. Little ones pester their parents to pay the fees so they can attend school.

Toposa, an ethnic group in South Sudan, are rather ambivalent toward organized school education. Many Toposa elders say: “What can we learn in school? Our traditional teaching is what we need to know; how to raise animals, cook, fetch water, collect firewood, etc.”

However, after eight years of presence in the area, the St. Mary Magdalen Parish School is gaining acceptance. At least 50 percent of the students’ parents showed up for the meeting. They were all dressed smartly and took the issues seriously. Everyone was encouraged to speak, and many women participated.

The discussion ranged from payment of school fees, to health of the children, to cleaning and dressing the children properly before arriving at the school. There was so much to talk about, and the participants were so engaged, that the meeting lasted four hours!

One thing I learned is that the children are now pressuring their parents to send them to school because they want to learn.

One woman said: “I regret leaving school early. I wish I had stayed. Now I feel somehow left behind. I don’t want my children to make the same mistake.”

Change is occurring in mission parish, even as it takes time. Slowly people are seeing the benefits of education. With education comes a wider view of life and hopefully that leads to positive change and improved living conditions. The children are the agents of change. They have tasted knowledge. They are hungry for more. Little ones pester their parents to pay the fees so they can attend school. We heard one young boy wakes his parents up every morning so that he can be ready for school on time.

I am so grateful for the education I am receiving from the Toposa, and I thank God for being able to learn from them.

I thank all of you for the wonderful support and prayers all these years.

Love and prayers, Gabe

P.S. The Secondary School received 15 new laptop computers. This is a real joy.  Makes teaching easier. We still don’t have a computer lab, but I teach in small groups in my little office.

Please consider supporting my mission work at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Riwoto, South Sudan, with a donation via the button below. 

If you are able, I invite you to walk with me as a “COMPANION 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!