MISSIONER NEWSLETTER – Spring 2025
Gabe Hurrish, South Sudan
Students at Tim Galvin Secondary School dive into their first-ever library experience, flipping through books they never imagined having access to. “It is a miracle we have all these books!” one student exclaimed.
“My child, choose instruction from your youth, and you will still possess wisdom when your hair turns gray.” Wisdom of Ben Sira 6:18
RIWOTO, SOUTH SUDAN—Most people cannot read or write in the area where I live. A library has never been seen, much less many books. These are very rare and often tattered and torn beyond repair.
Some time ago, the St. Patrick Missionaries created Tim Galvin Secondary School. It had a humble beginning with four classrooms, an administration block, and a small dining hall. Now the campus sports a girls dormitory; three large biology, physics, and chemistry labs; new latrines, wash areas, and staff rooms. Additionally, the long-awaited library and computer lab is finally completed. I am excited because I have been requested to manage and develop this Learning Resource Center.
Over the past several months, I have purchased a lot of stuff with the leftover funds from my very generous donors. There are posters, charts, graphs, books, magazines, and all sorts of supplies. It is so much fun to fix things up and tweet them to see what works best. I have decorated most of the walls with pictures and news items and maps of all sorts. One of the students exclaimed, “It is a miracle we have all these books!”
We can even use the library as a classroom. I no longer have to carry books back and forth. I have a functioning library where the students come to me for class and I simply put the text books, dictionaries, and other books out for them to use.
Eager students gather around the newly available books at Tim Galvin Secondary School, exploring stories and learning materials that are opening new worlds of knowledge and possibility.
This is a new idea for these Toposa youth who have never really had text books in classes. From grade 1 to grade 12, teachers mostly write on the blackboard and the students copy into their notebooks. They are used to copying everything without thinking about what they are actually reading.
When I give them the books and tell them to write down the main points, I actually have to teach that. I have to teach them how to scan for basic points, how to skim read, and how to do summarizing. This takes time and patience, but they are slowly getting it. Becoming better students, I hope.
Reading is an excellent way to improve English. What has happened is that the students are very keen to read stories. Of course, they also read some of the textbooks that they never get to read in class, but the majority of them like to read simple stories. They are particularly touched by human interest stories. They want to know how other youth live and what they experience.
I want to expand the library with more books including: biographies of leaders, sports stars, musicians and movie stars, stories of young people overcoming great difficulties to succeed in life, and history of Africa. This will take time. Books are not easy to come by and they have to be transported by land as the weight is too much for air travel. Slowly we will get this library in shape.
We also have a large computer lab now. The students are able to use the 20 computers we have at any time they are not in class. An Irish volunteer brought a series of videos on nature, history, and science. The students love to watch these. The English is too fast for them, but it forces them to try to keep pace. I would like to expand this video library also. These are very instructional and can grab their attention just like any videos online do around the world.
By the grace of God, Tim Galvin Secondary School will see this nascent Learning Resource Center grow into a wonderful place for learning in the coming years. I thank all of you for the wonderful support and prayers all these years.
If you would like to continue/start to support my mission this year, please send any donations to: MARYKNOLL LAY MISSIONERS, P.O. Box 307, Maryknoll, NY 10545. Please write my name in the comment line on the check so that my account will be credited.
With prayers and hope… Gabe
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!
Gabe Hurrish works in parish ministry at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Riwoto in the South Sudanese state of Eastern Equatoria. He has served as a Maryknoll lay missioner in South Sudan since 2018.
