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Fr. Joe explains his inspiration and vision for Bethany Miracle Village. Read more about BMV in our donor newsletter. |
The Vision
- A thriving village community in Luweero district in central Uganda as a model and inspiration for village communities in Africa in the 21st century
- Individuals from different ethnic/tribal and religious backgrounds living together in harmony and working together in the various educational, agricultural, economic and community programs in the village.
- Children being raised in an environment of that ensures their basic health, the respect of their basic rights as well as the affirmation of their identity as God’s children
- Young people provided with the necessary education and formation programs to prepare them for servant leadership.
- Other communities inspired by the BMV model springing up in other parts of Uganda and Africa.
The Story and Inspiration Behind Bethany Miracle Village
The key inspiration behind Bethany Miracle Village is Fr. Joseph Kakooza-Nnyanzi. A Catholic priest of the Kasana-Luweero Diocese, Fr. Joe was born and raised in the famed Luweero Triangle of Uganda. Growing up under the brutal regime of Idi Amin, he saw a number of people in his village killed. He lived through the fighting in the 80’s were he witnessed the destruction of his village and home where he grew up. As a newly ordained priest he ministered to many young people sick with HIV/AIDS and buried many more. As a priest in this mostly rural diocese of Luweero, he has witnessed first-hand the abject poverty of the people, especially in the rural areas – a situation that makes them not only susceptible to despair, but also an easy target for militias that recruit them into thugery, tribal violence, and other forms of desperate living. The children and the young are the most vulnerable and when they are deprived of a stable upbringing and a good education they waste their lives through drinking, promiscuity etc.
This is one reason that Fr. Joe has particularly dedicated himself to the education of the young. A number of the graduates from Fr. Joe’s schools have now gone on to college and to positions of responsibility in the community. Increasingly, Fr. Joe came to see that educating young people in isolation is not enough, without an integrated vision and model of a thriving village community, which can provide a good supporting environment, but also serve as a model for a new future in Africa.
Bethany: The Raising of Lazarus
This is one reason that Fr. Joe has particularly dedicated himself to the education of the young. A number of the graduates from Fr. Joe’s schools have now gone on to college and to positions of responsibility in the community. Increasingly, Fr. Joe came to see that educating young people in isolation is not enough, without an integrated vision and model of a thriving village community, which can provide a good supporting environment, but also serve as a model for a new future in Africa.
Bethany: The Raising of Lazarus
The immediate inspiration, and thus the name, Bethany Miracle Village, came through an evening of sharing and conversation between Fr. Joe and his brother, Fr. Emmanuel Katongale.
As Fr. Emmanuel and Fr. Joe shared about the story of the Resurrection of Lazarus, which takes place at Bethany (John 11: 1-45), a number of elements within that story struck them as particularly pertinent to the situation of Africa: The fact that Jesus loved Lazarus; that Lazarus was sick and died; that through a miracle he was brought back to life; and that in bringing Lazarus back to life Jesus invited the community to ‘unbind’ Lazarus. The more the two brother priests shared about the miracle of the raising of Lazarus at Bethany, the more they began to see how all these details could be applied to the situation in the village communities in Luweero. The communities are much like Lazarus, in need of a miracle to bring them fully into the life that God intended for them. A critical component of raising the communities is the raising of a new generation of servant leaders through education, who will then be able to uplift other communities and the generations to come.
As a result of this conversation, work on Bethany Miracle Village began.
Fr. Emmanuel, formerly a professor at Duke Divinity School and a founding director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation, currently a professor of Theology and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, acted on this conversation as well. He established Bethany House through which he coordinates various activities, retreats, and pilgrimages, and shares stories of hope in Africa. He also has a plot of land near Bethany Miracle Village called Bethany Land Institute, in which he is continuing the work of greater environmental stewardship, as called for by Pope Francis during his 2015 visit and in his recent encyclical, Laudato Si.
The Situation in Luweero and Kikube Village
Children and adults in Kikube lack access to clean water, they have little or no access to sanitation or health care, a number of people are HIV positive and there are a number of orphans as a result, the crops are poor and failing due to long stretches without rainfall and the depletion of the soil, and there are no education facilities aside from the small primary school. In terms of raising up African villages, Kikube is a particular challenge. It will take a miracle.
As Fr. Emmanuel and Fr. Joe shared about the story of the Resurrection of Lazarus, which takes place at Bethany (John 11: 1-45), a number of elements within that story struck them as particularly pertinent to the situation of Africa: The fact that Jesus loved Lazarus; that Lazarus was sick and died; that through a miracle he was brought back to life; and that in bringing Lazarus back to life Jesus invited the community to ‘unbind’ Lazarus. The more the two brother priests shared about the miracle of the raising of Lazarus at Bethany, the more they began to see how all these details could be applied to the situation in the village communities in Luweero. The communities are much like Lazarus, in need of a miracle to bring them fully into the life that God intended for them. A critical component of raising the communities is the raising of a new generation of servant leaders through education, who will then be able to uplift other communities and the generations to come.
As a result of this conversation, work on Bethany Miracle Village began.
Fr. Emmanuel, formerly a professor at Duke Divinity School and a founding director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation, currently a professor of Theology and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, acted on this conversation as well. He established Bethany House through which he coordinates various activities, retreats, and pilgrimages, and shares stories of hope in Africa. He also has a plot of land near Bethany Miracle Village called Bethany Land Institute, in which he is continuing the work of greater environmental stewardship, as called for by Pope Francis during his 2015 visit and in his recent encyclical, Laudato Si.
The Situation in Luweero and Kikube Village
Children and adults in Kikube lack access to clean water, they have little or no access to sanitation or health care, a number of people are HIV positive and there are a number of orphans as a result, the crops are poor and failing due to long stretches without rainfall and the depletion of the soil, and there are no education facilities aside from the small primary school. In terms of raising up African villages, Kikube is a particular challenge. It will take a miracle.
