Health or Wealth

Coming to the end of a week of teaching English in Juba, Br Denis, now well recovered from malaria, commented light-heartedly to his class:

‘I’ll see you tomorrow’. 

‘Not tomorrow Brother’ one woman responded, ‘I have to do the washing’. 

‘Fine,’ jested Br Denis. ‘I’ll bring mine’. 

‘If I do your washing Brother, you will have to marry me’. 

Apparently that is a local, cultural expectation. Needless to say, Denis will continue to do his own laundry! But now we are ‘worried about’ Father Joseph whose ironing has sometimes been done by Asunta, the Sudanese housekeeper! Is there an expectation? 

Sister Margaret in Malakal recently had malaria, a rather prolonged bout that required several trips to the doctor. After asking some personal questions, the Muslim doctor expressed great surprise that she had never been married. In all seriousness, he suggested to her that her recovery would be helped greatly if she were to get married. Needless to say, she recovered without accepting that part of the prescription! 

We met recently with the very tall and gracious Dinka Bishop Rudolph of the Diocese of Wau. He was coming to bless our Catholic Health Training Institute in Wau. 

At the joyful opening and blessing, the Director of the Catholic Health Training Institute, Dr Maria Martinelli, a Comboni Sister, welcomed the guests and stressed the significance of the Institute motto: Knowledge, Integrity and Loving Care. Students can come from any part of the country, including the north, and be of any religion, but the Institute is setting high expectations for all of its staff and students [...]