Did You Know that Chicks can eat Banana Peels?!

When Fr. Jerry and six other parishioners visited our sister parish in Uganda last summer, they saw first hand the success of the sustainable agriculture relationship that we have with them. For the past two years, the focus has been on raising chickens. BUT, its not just a matter of sending money so they can buy more chicks for the farmers, but the donations also go toward the education of the farmers.

These two photos show a workshop that was held recently for the farmers. The topic was raising chickens by feeding them left over banana, cabbage, and jack fruit peels as well as other food scraps, in addition to the usual poultry feed. They also learned how to gather local herbs to add to medicines to keep the chickens healthy. You can see how well attended the workshop was and some of the attendees are older children also eager to learn. On one of the photos in the foreground you can see the chicks that were at the workshop also!

THANK YOU to all who have donated so far. Donations can be placed in the houses in the Narthex or sent to the parish office. Checks can be made out to St. Eugene with Lenten project in the memo line.

We also are Growing in Faith with our Sister Parish. Please continue to pray for them as they pray for us.

Thank you from the Twinning Committee. 

This Year's Theme: Growing in Faith, Send More Chicks!

Growing in Faith, Send more Chicks! Last weekend kicked off the annual St. Eugene Lenten Appeal that raises money for our Sister Parish in Uganda, Our Lady Queen of Apostles. This year’s them is: Growing in Faith, Send More Chicks!

For 16 years, St. Eugene has enjoyed a Twinning Relationship with Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Nkokonjeru, Uganda.

For over ten years, we have supported sustainable agriculture projects and are helping to educate farmers so they can grow crops such as bananas, mango, coffee plants and many other vegetables as well as raise animals: chickens, pigs, rabbits or cows.

Last year and also this year we are supporting a chicken farm. Several St. Eugene parishioners along with Fr. Jerry journeyed last summer to Uganda to visit our Twinning Parish and saw the success of the chicken farm. Thus the theme "Send More Chicks!"

Our Lady Queen of Apostles parish buys chicks from a hatchery, they then sell the chicks to the farmers for a small fee. The farmers can raise the chicks for meat or to lay more eggs. Chicken meat and eggs are very good sources of protein and the farmers and their families improve their diet as a result of this program, but they also have been able to sell some of the eggs and chickens. This has allowed them to afford the school fees to send their children to school. The farmers recognize the importance of educating their children and very much want their children to be educated.

Thanks to all who donated to the Lenten Appeal in previous years. We hope you are generous this year also! Donations can be put in the houses in the Narthex or you can send a check to the rectory, made out to St. Eugene with "Lenten Project" in the memo line.

But more importantly we are Growing in Faith, connected by our Catholic faith, with our brothers and sisters in Uganda. We pray for them during our petitions at Mass, and they pray for us too. Last weekend during the Mass, we recorded our congregation praying for them. This video will be sent to our sister parish so they may know they are in our prayers. Please continue to pray for them in your daily prayers.