Sister Anita Marie Stacy

Like many people drawn to missionary service, Sister of Notre Dame Anita Marie Stacy’s call was unexpected, but it has brought countless spiritual and personal rewards.

At the time Sister Anita heard the call to serve in Uganda she was "quite happy teaching at Bishop Brossart High School in Alexandria (Ky.) I had been teaching there for 18 years and really enjoyed going to school every day," she said.

But when the Sisters of Notre Dame (Covington) decided to start a secondary school in Buseesa, Uganda, and the need arose for a math and science teacher, she knew that she was being called to work with the poor.

COURTESY PHOTO

Sister of Notre Dame Anita Marie Stacy poses with students from Notre Dame Academy in Uganda.

In 1995 the Sisters of Notre Dame had been invited by the bishop of the Diocese of Hoima to bring the Gospel message and education to the poorest of the poor in the country’s most remote areas. The Sisters opened a convent in rural Uganda with the goal of bringing quality Catholic education to the children. To that end, they established St. Julie Primary School in 1997 and Notre Dame Academy Senior Secondary School in 2003.

Along with Sister Mary Rita Geoppinger, Sister Anita played an active role in opening the academy, where she now teaches the secondary-level girls. The need for such a school in the area was clear.

"The Kibaale region, where we are located, is quite an out of the way place. It is even difficult to hire native teachers from Kampala to come out this way. Electricity has just recently been installed in the area, and only the dining hall at our school is hooked up right now. There is no running water, although we have storage tanks that provide water for the school and convent. The roads are extremely bad in getting to the school. It is really because of these disadvantages that we started the school in this area. The people here needed an opportunity for a good education for their children and that is what we wanted to provide"

"Most of our parents are peasant farmers who raise enough crops for their daily food and sell what is left," Sister Anita continued. "They have a very hard time paying for education for their children. They struggle much to do that. Generally, the parents appreciate education for their children, because they feel that it will enable them to have a better life than they have had. So they are willing to sacrifice to make this happen. At the primary level there is a government program where students may go to certain government schools for free. The problem is that these schools are not usually very good, and the students cannot pass the national exams in order to get into a secondary school."

It spite of the harsh reality of their daily lives, the faith of the people sustains them, Sister Anita said. "Most of the people have a strong faith in God that He will take care of their needs. They learn at an early age to accept tough situations with resignation. For instance, the sudden death of a family member is not uncommon. Since I have been here we have had the death of a young boy by snakebite, a woman dying in childbirth and a student dying of AIDS. Death is very real and very common."

One challenge the Sisters face is countering the cultural superstitions of those they serve.

"Some people in the village also believe in witchcraft and magic," explained Sister Anita. "They believe that people can put curses on other people. Some will say that spirits of deceased members of one’s family may roam around and disturb others. Although we Sisters are unfamiliar with such things, many students, for instance, are sure that bewitching a person through the power of a witch doctor is very possible. Little by little, we try to teach them that the power of Jesus Christ is stronger than the power of any evil. It goes very slowly."

The greatest personal challenge she has faced as a missionary is missing her loved ones at home, Sister Anita said. "One of the hardest things for me about being a missionary has been missing family and friends. Not being present at family wedding celebrations, the death of a Sister or parent of a Sister, not yet having seeing my twin grandnieces who will be almost two —these are the sacrifices that are part of this type of life."

What keeps her focused and committed to that call?

"Because I know what I am doing makes a difference and is life-giving, I am able to continue in the work that I know is really God’s work and not our own. Many times the results are not visible and the work frustrating and discouraging. The belief that slowly by slowly we are making a difference and doing the work God has called us to do makes us continue on."

Sister Anita says she has gained much from her service in Uganda. "I’ve learned that it is possible to live with much less than we have in the United States. Here the closeness of nature and the reality of life and death make God so real. The beautiful night skies, the animals and the natural terrains make God’s presence a daily reality.
"Here the value of family and personal relationships is more important then efficiency and other material values. I have learned a lot about life from experiences here and know I will never be the same. We are all really part of one world and connected in many ways, most of all by the God who loves us." — Eileen Connelly, OSU