CARDINAL POLYCARP PENGO CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL
FINALLY OPENED ON JULY 30
A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HELPED US THIS FAR
Bishop Filbert Felician Mhasi - Bishop of the Diocese of Tunduru-Masasi, Tanzania
CLASSROOMS ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT - ADMINISTRATION BUILDING IN THE CENTER
KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM BEING CONSTRUCTED ON THE LEFT OUT OF SIGHT
ONE OF THE NEW CLASSROOMS WITH BLACKBOARD, TEACHER'S DESK AND CHAIR
OFFICIAL ENTRY INTO THE NEW SCHOOL WHILE SINGING AND CLAPPING
"THUMBS UP" IN GRATITUDE AFTER SEEING ONE OF THEIR NEW CLASSROOMS
STUDENTS SINGING "WE ARE HAPPY TODAY" AND GIVING A "THUMBS UP" SIGN
click on arrow, expand the screen and turn up the volume for a treat
A TEACHER AND A STUDENT TRYING OUT ONE OF THE NEW BLACKBOARDS
Bishop Filbert Mhasi told me on the day they opened, July 30, that they opened with their first 25 pupils. He expects others to be registered in October and even more in January. In January, he hopes to have more than 60 pupils in his new school - Cardinal Polycarp Pengo Primary School. Before he was chosen to be the Cardinal Archbishop of Dar-es Salaam, Tanzania, Bishop Pengo was the first bishop of Tunduru-Masasi Diocese where Bishop Filbert Mhasi is now the bishop. The school was named to honor Cardinal Pengo who died last year, right before Christmas. He had actually blessed the foundation of the school a year or two before. Construction had stopped because of a lack of funding. However, he died knowing that Father Knott and Father Judie had become involved in helping to complete it!
This is a unique Catholic school in as much as the local Muslim community leaders asked if their children would be allowed to attend. Bishop Mhasi welcomed them because he believes that it is a wonderful opportunity to address the chronic problem of Muslim-Christian conflicts around the world. His diocese is also predominately Muslim. Without his welcome, these Muslim children would probably not have access to education. As they grow up, the hope is that these children will remember this welcome from Christians and have a completely different attitude toward Christians - and Christians toward Muslims. The girls in the photo above, with white head coverings, are Muslim children.
Father John Judie, my brother priest from Louisville with whom I have partnered in this effort, took the first of three suitcases of school supplies to Bishop Mhasi. We were able to help Bishop Mhasi finish constructing the school, build some desks, drill a water well and buy some cattle for meat and milk, along with the water, for the school kitchen and dining room. New outhouses for the school were also constructed.
For more information about our work on completing this school, especially since last Christmas 2025, scroll down and read some of the past several month's blog posts about this project. To be able to welcome even more children, we still need help to complete the last two classrooms by Christmas of 2026. If you are moved to help with this effort to help Bishop Filbert Mhasi eliminate generational poverty, Muslim-Christian conflicts and alleviate any possible need for migration in the future, write your tax-deductible check to Father John Judie Ministries and send it to me. I will see to it that it is deposited locally in his charitable account.
One of the pressing needs right now is TEXTBOOKS to fit the primary school syllabus and other books for the LIBRARY (which Bishop Mhasi, surprisingly, has named in my honor). Sadly, we cannot accept donated children's books. Such paper would be extremely heavy! It would cost a fortune to send them over there - three or four times as much as they are worth! It would be much cheaper for them to buy the books over there with our donations!
Father John Judie Ministries Inc.
for local deposit into that account send you check to:
Rev. Ronald Knott
1271 Parkway Gardens Court #106
Louisville, KY 40217
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