Deacon Bill's Nigerian experience

As you know, Deacon Bill spent part of the summer in Nigeria observing and providing service to Catholic schools run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC's).  He worked primarily in Naka, Benue State and Ondo, Ondo State (Central Nigeria). The majority of students in Naka are from the Tiv tribe and those in Ondo are primarily Yoruba.  Both tribes are substantially Catholic.

Here are some photos from his recent visit.

Most of the villagers of Naka, and most of the students when not boarding at the school, live in round mud huts such as these:

 

Here is a photo of the road leading to the school.  It is traversed by foot, motorcycles and the occasional car.  It is the rainy season now so it is usually very muddy.  About 3km down this road was St. Therese's Parish where I attended daily and Sunday Mass. There were about 100 villagers for daily Mass. There were two Sunday Masses the 6:30am in English and the 10am in Tiv.

 

 

Here are some photos of Deacon Bill with students at the schools:

 

 

In addition to working with the secondary school (they use the JSS and SSS system - middle school and high school ages) students, Deacon Bill gave theological presentations to six Postulants of the Brothers of the Christian School.  Postulants are those considering a vocation as a Christian Brother.  If they choose to continue and if they are approved for admission, they will become Novices and spend about seven years in Nairobi, Kenya.  Here he is with five of his postulant students:

 

Nigeria has many vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. One seminary Deacon Bill visited had 800 seminarians (in one diocese alone!!!).  Permanent deacons, however, are new to Nigeria and Africa in general.  There are three permanent deacons in Nigeria currently.  When Deacon Bill asked how many of his students wanted to become priests or sisters, virtually every hand went up.

 

The Church in Nigeria is very grateful for the European and American Catholic missionaries who established the Church in Nigeria.  While it may seem that Nigeria has priests to spare, the fact is that the population of Nigeria is growing so quickly that many of the parishes have three and four "outpost" parishes they service. Most of these outposts are not financially able to become independent parishes yet, but undoubtedly will do so in coming years.

 

 

 

Pray for the growing Church in Nigeria! 

 

Feel free to contact Deacon Bill if you want to discuss his visit in more detail - deaconhynes@gmail.com.



 



SBS alumna, Dr. Horvath, named SUNY Fredonia President!

SAINT BENEDICT SCHOOL WELCOMES DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

     Thursday, May 17, 2012
     Following 8:15am Ascension Thursday Mass
     St. Benedict Church 
     1317 Eggert Road (corner of Eggert Rd. and Main St., Amherst, NY)

St. Benedict School will welcome Dr. Virginia Schaefer Horvath, incoming President of SUNY Fredonia, as a distinguished alumna speaker in celebration of the school’s 90^th anniversary.  From Buffalo to Ohio to Japan and to Fredonia, Dr. Horvath will share the highlights of the journey her life has taken since her 8^th grade graduation from St. Benedict School in 1971.  Topics will include the career path that has led her to her prestigious appointment as President, her experiences as a student at St. Benedict School, the difference Catholic education made in her life, and the importance of education in general. 

Dr. Horvath will become SUNY Fredonia’s 13^th President as of July 1, 2012.  A native of Western New York and a SUNY alumna, she has been Vice President for Academic Affairs at SUNY Fredonia since 2005 and holds faculty rank as a Professor of English.  As Vice President, she oversees a $26.9 million annual budget that includes all academic programs, Rockefeller Arts Center, Reed Library, information technology, graduate studies and research, Lifelong Learning, and a range of academic support services at SUNY Fredonia. She is also co-chair of the strategic planning committee that has developed the Power of Fredonia plan. Accomplishments in Academic Affairs under her leadership include the addition of numerous academic programs, the development of an annual electronic University Catalog, successful accreditation initiatives, significant growth in the international student population, more than 100 successful tenure-track faculty hires, updates to technology and classrooms, and the establishment of the Professional Development Center, the Fredonia Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center, and the Office of Student Creative Activity and Research (OSCAR).  She has collaborated on various initiatives with the Student Affairs and Advancement divisions.  She has been a member of Fredonia’s Student Association Board of Directors since 2005. 

Dr. Horvath is the daughter of Paul Schaefer, who remains an active and well-respected member of St. Benedict Parish and Holy Name Society.  Dr. Horvath is one of seven Schaefer children who have all gone on to outstanding careers, and who are all St. Benedict School graduates.  We hope you will join us for the 8:15AM Mass on May 17 and help us welcome Dr. Horvath home!