Spring 2009 - Seattle University

People
Sisters Jane Frances Nabakaawa (left) and Antony Tebitendwa share a laugh over whether to cover their veils with their hoods on a cold winter afternoon.
without fear and to use my talent of
teaching fully.”
Lynn Chappell, one of the Sisters
of Providence who has worked with the
Ugandan sisters, was in the same class
with the first Daughters of Mary who
came to Seattle, and has maintained a close
relationship with them since.
“The sacrifices they’ve made in coming
to a new culture so far from friends and
family are amazing,” Sister Chappell says.
“Some have had family members die [while
attending SU] and didn’t get back to see
them again. It’s a huge sacrifice for them.”
But such personal difficulties and hardships
are minor compared with what many
of the Ugandan women have experienced.
Sister Nabakaawa recalls when she was
9 years old and forced to hide for three
months in a forest with her family to avoid
Amin’s soldiers. When they came out of
hiding they returned home to their farm,
which was destroyed. The traumatic event
was a turning point in their lives, Sister
Nabakaawa says.
“God protected us, then my parents
devoted themselves to helping the children
who were orphans,” she says.
Sister Nabakaawa credits this period in
her life for her devotion to the poor and to
children, in particular. She marvels that at
SU, students and faculty who have never
known poverty want to do something to
help the less fortunate.
“In me there is a trait of caring for the
poor and the needy, having experienced
suffering myself,” she says. “Looking at the
spirit of helping here at Seattle University,
I feel fulfilled.”
—Cheryl Reid-Simons
6 | People