As Mission Month unfolds, we turn our gaze to the sun-drenched fields of Umuaka, Nigeria, where the Latin Mass echoes like a clarion call amid the rhythm of daily life. Father Angelo VanderPutten, FSSP’s devoted shepherd at Nne Enyemaka Parish, shares a story that’s nothing short of miraculous: a parish pulsing with faith, family, and fervent charity—all sustained by your generous hearts.
Picture this: Fifty bright-eyed children, guided by six joyful nuns, fill a small school with laughter and lessons rooted in tradition. Fr. Charles Ike assists Father Angelo, while another Nigerian discerns his vocation in seminary. The farm buzzes with life—75 pigs rooting in the soil, 800 chickens scratching in the dirt, and gardens bursting with lettuce, cucumbers, okra, avocados, papayas, corn, and citrus. Nine boys board here while learning practical skills that equip them for self-sufficiency and faithful service in their communities.
But it’s the spiritual fire that truly ignites. Fifty souls receive Our Lord daily in Holy Communion; 30 were sealed with Confirmation last month. Two Sunday Latin Masses draw the faithful, followed by mandatory catechesis. Book clubs for men and women meet monthly; a women’s sodality tends to new mothers, offering meals and care for two weeks post-birth. The choir lifts polyphonic praises while societies like the Purgatorian and St. Anthony’s Guild foster devotion. Each year, the 33-day Consecration to Mary draws hearts closer to her Son.
Your support doesn’t just fund bricks for the rising convent or salaries for the teachers, a nurse, mechanic, architect, and welder. It transforms lives: $3,000 for a boy’s eye surgery, assistance for struggling families, glasses and surgeries via monthly optometry trips. No person in need leaves empty-handed; poor families find solace. As Father Angelo notes, “Life in the parish is very active, and we praise God for the good that is being done.”
Because of you, the light of ancient faith now outshines the shadows of want, drawing souls to the altar in Christ’s embrace. Father Angelo offers the first Sunday Mass for your intentions, with daily prayers ascending from this vibrant outpost. In a world dimming with secular shadows, your gifts keep the flame of tradition alive—forming priests, families, and citizens in Christ’s unyielding love.
As the Gospels teach us, charity begins with one step—yours.
