Brothers from New Orleans and Rome visit Amatongas

Three Brothers of the Sacred Heart visited Amatongas last week and brought great joy and renewed energy to everyone. Br. Ronald Talbot, Provincial of the New Orleans Province, Br. Ronald Hingle, 1st Councilor and Vocation Director in New Orleans, and Br. Paul Montero, General Councilor from Rome, but also from the New Orleans province, spent a full week visiting, meeting and working with the students and brothers in Amatongas.

Brothers gather to sing community song to students

 While the brothers visited we celebrated the January and February birthdays of our resident students. Eight students received various small gifts which included Mardi Gras beads brought by the brothers from New Orleans. A week after the celebration and the students are still wearing their much loved beads.

Br. Ronald Talbot distributes birthday gifts

 The brother visitors joined us each evening for supper with the students and enjoyed the challenge of speaking English to our students. Our students take English classes, but find the language to be very difficult.

Br. Ronald Hingle eats is evening meal with the students

 Official declaration of our school in Amatongas was received just before the brothers visit. You may have heard that the official name of our school is now Escola Comunitaria Sagrado Coraçao de Amatongas or The Sacred Heart Community School in Amatongas. The Community School part is needed for the Mozambique Education System and basically means the school is a Diocesan School.

Brothers gather for a picture with the official declaration
of our school in Amatongas

 All of the students wrote thank you letters to our brothers in New Orleans and a few of the letters were read aloud to the brothers the night before their departure. Special thanks was expressed to Br. Noel for his families contribution to the repairs of the bathrooms and to the communities of the New Orleans province who have sponsored 10 of the students.

Students read thank you letters to the Brothers

 We are still awaiting the arrival of our piglets as three of our sows are preparing to give birth. However, while the brothers visited, one of our goats gave birth to three little babies.

Br. Chris with the newest member of the Amatongas family,
a baby goat. One of three born while the brothers visited.