Catholics link to Tanzanian town

Ever since an African priest came to Immaculate Conception parish in Glenville for a sabbatical, Gina and Trevor Schneider have made the poor of Musoma, Tanzania, their calling.

They even made a trip there after founding the Friends of Musoma Society to foster friendship, and to send medicine, money and other aid. The Society has supported a health clinic that provides lab-work and blood transfusions for up to 250,000 people; a home for the unwanted, dying and mentally retarded; schools for AIDS orphans; and a cottage industry that offers business opportunities to women.

"They have such a wealth of spirituality that they could give to us," explained Mrs. Schneider. "At the same time, we can give to them materially."

Small start

The African connection began when the Schneiders struck up a friendship with Rev. Laurenti Magesa, a Tanzanian priest on sabbatical at their parish. He told them about his hometown.

The couple began a pen-pal project, connecting Glenville faith formation students with Swahili-speaking counterparts in Musoma, and recruited a few parishioners to sponsor the education of youngsters who couldn't afford school.

The Schneiders also met members of the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa, based in Musoma, who were studying in the United States.

Exchanging info

While the Tanzanians were amazed at the easy access to running water and the relatively easy availability of cars, both of which are more than a luxury item in Musoma, the Glenville parishioners were impressed with the Tanzanians' vibrant worship, deep faith and community ties.

Both groups learned, said the Schneiders, that there was more about each community than what they saw on television and heard on the radio. It was then that Father Magesa asked the Schneiders to visit.

"I said, 'We gotta go there,'" Mrs. Schneider noted.

Firsthand view

The couple arrived in Tanzania with a slew of New York hats, stickers for the kids, few expectations and -- most importantly -- a medicine box for a health clinic run by the nuns they had met.

In Musoma, they visited a school program for AIDS orphans. Saturday sessions there are run by older teens, who rap about the dangers of the disease and the ways it can be prevented. Many of the children they entertained that day, said Mrs. Schneider, had AIDS; all of them had lost their parents to the disease.

Malaria

But AIDS isn't the biggest problem in Musoma. Malaria is. The mosquito-borne illness, Mr. Schneider said, "kills more children and babies than AIDS."

"The sad thing is that it's totally preventable," added his wife.

They learned about malaria and medical care by speaking with Sister M. Regina Mtowa, a registered nurse and member of the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa. She runs the health center, one of the few places where residents can obtain transfusions and lab-work.

Big needs

When Sister Regina told the couple what the health center needed the most, they were floored.

"We had in mind that anti-malarial drugs were the most important thing," Mr. Schneider said, "but it's transfusion bags. Those things save lives."

Malaria is treated with medicine and blood transfusions. Children in the later stages of the disease must often receive transfusions to replace burst blood cells; since there is no blood bank in town, a parent, relative or even one of the sisters donates blood.

Community

When the couple met with children whose education the Society is supporting, the Schneiders asked what their dreams were when they grow up. "One of the comments that we got was that the children wanted to be nurses, teachers and in the helping professions," said Mr. Schneider.

Rev. Alexander Choka, a priest from Musoma who is currently on sabbatical at Immaculate Conception, believes that response is evidence of his culture's emphasis on community.

"Community is such a big thing," he said. "You might be away for a long time; but, when you return, the whole village comes to meet you. Without the community, you would die. Serving the community comes first. Community is important to us."

Added Mr. Schneider: "We felt so welcomed. We really felt the community there in support, holding us accountable. The experience was enhanced in that way. This may be a community we never knew before, but now we are joined with them in a special way."

Gospel-inspired

At the House of Mercy, the sick and forgotten of the area -- a woman who was raped, a leper, a dying elderly man with no family, a schizophrenic -- find that community.

The Schneiders asked the priest who runs the complex why he engaged in that work. He said he wanted to "respond fully to the Gospel."

"Ever since then, I can't listen to a Gospel in the same way," Mr. Schneider said. "How can you complain again about your lot in life?"

Making a difference

At Immaculate Conception, sixth-grade religious classes raised money for the health center. Mrs. Schneider's youngest children, 7 and 11, want to get in on the act by running a bottle drive.

Their college-aged children, joked Mrs. Schneider, "wonder what's happened to Mom and Dad. The life we have here -- we have so much, and we can be so petty. We should look at where we can help."

Father Choka said, "We've come to like so much the exchange. The world you live in -- sometimes, you think that is all there is. But you find out that the world is there for you to learn. This is a great thing for us."

(The trip to Tanzania occurred over the Schneiders' 25th wedding anniversary, and the couple renewed their vows during a Mass at Father Magesa's parish. Mrs. Schneider rented a wedding dress, and Mr. Schneider, a native of South Africa who emigrated to America in 1972, wore clothes made by a street-vendor in Musoma. Instead of kissing, they hugged, because kissing in public is considered vulgar in Musoma.)

(2/24/05)