The parishoners of St. Thomas support Bread for Life through our monthly food drives. We also participate in the preparation and serving of food four or five weeks each year. Out work at the soup kitchen is scheduled by Bread for Life staff who coordinate volunteer groups is the community. Watch the bulletin and the homepage for annoucements regarding the dates and times of our work at the kitchen.
Early in 2017 Bread for Life will be adding programs and volunteer opportunities. Information will be posted here as it becomes available.
Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month, in the Parish Center at 7:00 p.m. The Guild tries to create a religious and social atmosphere among its members who are dedicated to work together in true Catholic harmony under the guidance of Saint Thomas the Apostle, our patron saint. We would enjoy meeting you. It’s a great way for you to get acquainted with your fellow parishioners.
The St. Thomas Parish Ministry of Prayer with Lap Blankets is generally held on the last Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the church basement. Anyone who can sew, crochet or knit is invited to participate in this charitable outreach. Lap Blankets are distributed to the sick and elderly at home, in healthcare facilities and hospitals. Thus far, we have given away over 1,000 blankets, thanks to our dedicated volunteers! Donations of yarn are always appreciated. For more information about this ministry, contact Rita Gilbert, 860-620-0246 or Sr. Marie at the convent, 860-621-1904.
Each of our lives is a good and perfect gift. At every stage, from conception to natural death, we are held in existence by God’s love. Every life is worth living. At St. Thomas Church, our Respect Life ministry combines outreach and support for the many life issues. Each year, a fundraiser is held to help benefit Carolyn’s Place in Waterbury, a Pregnancy Resource Center that assists women facing an unplanned pregnancy. On Mother’s Day weekend, our parish sells roses for mothers, and in support of Birthright of Meriden. Donations provide these non-profit agencies with the money for services, supplies and support in an on-going, loving and caring way. Our church bulletin posts information pertaining to upcoming important legislation. Notification of Rachel’s Vineyard is provided so women and men struggling with the emotional or spiritual pain of abortion can experience in a confidential, weekend-long retreat, the mercy and compassion of God. Every Fall, our parish participates in the 40 Days for Life Campaign from the end of September to early November. During this time, we can participate in the 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in an assigned Catholic parish in our town. Also, hours of prayerful, peaceful vigils at the Hartford GYN Center (abortion clinic) are held every Saturday morning. Prayer is powerful, so each month, our ministry provides our church with weekly intercessions sent to us by the USCCB. Selected intercessions are prayed by the whole congregation at all of the masses. It is our ministry’s continued hope to link our parish’s ministries. For example, we give the teachers and older CCD children life issue pamphlets to discuss during class time, so that they can form Catholic consciences and participate in social service activities. This year, our ministry has instituted through the generous talents of 3 quilters, a homemade quilt to present to a baby being baptized.
From the parish Bulletin September 27, 2020:
Your support of the Clare Nsenga Clinic in Cyanika, Uganda is making a difference.
Over the years, St. Thomas Parish has raised funds to expand and update the clinic. You’ve helped fund the building of a women’s ward & maternity unit, residence for health care staff, and construction and outfitting a brand new laboratory. Since political events led the to the closure of the Rwanda/Uganda boarder, the clinic has seen a dramatic decrease in patients, as nearly 40% of those they serve reside in Rwanda. Since that lessened the need for the construction of new buildings, we have made changes to how we use the funds you have raised to meet other needs. We have send $3,000 dollars to the Clare Nsenga Clinic to help offset expenses in the maternity and neonatal program. (We have committed to two more years of this funding.) Patients are charged $11 per delivery of a child. (Given the average annual income in Uganda is between $179 and $3,00, that is a considerable sum for the patients.) Many mothers were seeking to deliver children and home or in other places to avoid the expense, endangering the lives of mothers and infants alike. Thanks to the funding you have sent, deliveries at the clinic have dramatically increased. Please, continue to pray for the success of this valuable ministry to our brothers and sister in the Kisoro District. Thank you and God bless you for your support.
2020 update:
St Thomas follow-up
I recently completed a visit to Kisoro District, Uganda from Jan 16th – 31st. During my time in Uganda I and a team from UConn Health worked at the St Francis Mutolere hospital and the Clare Nsenga Clinic providing a variety of medical services.
I met with Fr. John Kamari, rector of the St Francis Mutolere Hospital. Fr Kamari had visited Southington in 2017 and had attended the second of our two Friendraiser events. St Thomas church has chosen to support a replacement vehicle for the rector to be able to minister to the vast geographic area of Kisoro, as his current vehicle is 30 years old and in very poor repair. He extends his thanks and appreciation for our support of his ongoing ministry to the parishioners of Kisoro, and we recounted many fine memories of his visit to St Thomas parish.
I also visited the grave site of Fr. John Vianney Mbonigaba, who is buried a short distance from the hospital. Fr. Mbonigaba recently passed away on January 7th from complications of cancer. Fr. John was the first Ugandan priest to visit St Thomas Parish in 2015 and was present at our first Friendraiser. We had a Mass at St. Thomas early in the morning of January 9th to coincide with his funeral Mass happening concurrently in Uganda.
The expansion to the Clare Nsenga Clinic funded by the parishioners of St Thomas Church is doing well. The Clinic has been upgraded by the Ministry of Health to a Level III Health center and is now staffed by a clinical officer (equivalent to an advanced practice nurse) and midwives, in addition to nurses, a lab technician, and other staff. While at CNC, I was able to do clinical work and met with the staff and local advisory board to discuss ongoing projects and operations. Recent political events along the Rwandan/Ugandan border had barred most travel of the local population between the two countries. With CNC located a mere 0.5 kilometer from the Rwandan border and with 40% of the patient base coming from Rwanda, a significant reduction of patients over the past year was noted. The local Ministry of Health had also reduced the medication allocations for the clinic, forcing a new fee for users which provided additional barriers.
In November, the agreement with the Ministry of Health was renegotiated to increase medication allotments and allowing for elimination of patient fees for routine medical services. This has resulted in a 450% increase in patient volume to the general service since December, and is expected to continue.
The maternity ward saw 42 deliveries in 2019. In addition, the unit has been used for overnight stays for children and others who have needed observation. Because of a patient fee of ~$11 charged per delivery to offset the costs of required supplies, many pregnant women received their prenatal care for no cost at the clinic only to deliver their child elsewhere under less ideal conditions. This avoids the fee, which although small, may be a substantial fraction of a household’s monthly income. In order to encourage safe deliveries on site, St. Thomas Parish has recently agreed to support the patient fees for maternity care. This will provide entirely free maternity care at the center. After my meeting with the local advisory board, the community been notified of this new policy, which has already been successful in increasing clinic services. In February alone, since returning from Uganda, an additional 17 babies were borne at the center.
Additionally, since June 2019, a project supported by students at the UConn School of Medicine is providing a perinatal intervention of “baby boxes” to improve perinatal health outcomes. This program supplies a locally-constructed bassinet with a layette of donated clothing and infant care products. The box provides a safe sleeping environment for infants up to 6 months old including, netting to prevent malaria at this especially susceptible age. This program is free to mothers who deliver at CNC and has been well received by the local community. This project has won local recognition at the University of Connecticut and has been entered into an international competition for addressing important public health needs in developing countries. A short video describing the baby box program and outcomes can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/373866554 .
The staff, Cyanika community, and local clinic advisory board all express their well wishes and thanks to the parishioners of St. Thomas for our ongoing efforts in supporting their community’s health needs.
Kevin Dieckhaus MD
From the parish bulleting September 16, 2018:
Thank you, St. Thomas Parish!!” This was the sentiment expressed to us over and over again by the people of Cyanika when we visited in June and July.
As a parish community, we should take pride in the beautiful buildings that have been built through our fundraising efforts. The buildings are clean, modern facilities that will enhance the health of the area around Cyanika. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to represent St. Thomas at the official opening, blessing and dedication of the birthing clinic. The ceremonies were attended by hundreds of people, including the Prime Minister of Uganda and many other government officials. One of the highlights for us was that on the morning of the dedication, there were two babies born – one just four hours before the ceremony.
The country of Uganda is one of unspeakable beauty - it’s landscapes and backdrops are breathtaking. But, even more so is the beauty of it’s people. The Ugandan people are open, loving, welcoming people. A people of great respect, humility, and faith. A people of contagious smiles. We were warmly welcomed wherever we traveled during our trip. This included Father John Vianney Kamari, who sends his greetings and prayers to all of you.
The people of Uganda truly celebrate their faith. They sing – loudly. They praise in a packed church – shoulder to shoulder. They dance and clap throughout the mass. What an inspiration they were in showing us how to openly and excitedly praise God.
On our next to last day, as we were walking down a dirt road to go to mass, we ran across a group of well dressed women who saw my son, Father Matt. They immediately ran over to him, knelt down in the dirt, asking for his blessing. Just one of many times we were shown how wonderfully faithful the people of Uganda are. There is little doubt that I saw the face and touched the hands of Jesus hundreds of times during our journey.
I urge you to continue to pray for the people of the Cyanika area and take every opportunity to continue to support these faith inspired people.
Gary Gworek
From the parish bulleting April 29, 2018:
Your support of the Uganda Health Program has done great work. Our parishioners, Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, goes regularly to the clinic in Cyanika to oversee the mission. He’s been given an update on work progressing with your sponsorship. Staff housing is complete with onsite quarters for a clinical medical officer, a nurse, and a nurse-midwife who can work fulltime at the clinic. A new maternity ward has been added and is fully equipped. This clinic not only provides for the basic medical needs of eight villages, but it has begun offering medical preventative services for pregnant women. The newly housed staff are expanding services. Dr. Dieckhaus will be going with our parishioner, Gary Gworek, and his son, Father Matthew Gworek, to celebrate the opening of the maternity building on June 30th.
From the parish bulletin December 10, 2017:
The Uganda project has been moving along steadily since our last friendraiser. I was able to visit Fr. Kamari and review progress at the clinic this past June and July, and we recently received an update on progress of the clinic expansion from our partners on the ground in Cyanika. The construction of the new maternity ward and staff apartments for the Clare Nsenga Clinic continue to be on pace for a planned opening in June 2018. The buildings are raised. Woodwork, tiling, plumbing, and electrical have now been installed. The grounds have been graded with the addition of a retaining wall. We are still awaiting final equipping and furnishings such as beds, furniture and medical supplies to complete this phase. An agreement with the Ministry of Health has been reaffirmed to provide additional staffing and operational support once the unit opens. I will be visiting Uganda in January and again in June with teams of doctors to provide medical services at the clinic and the Saint Francis Mutolere Hospital. Gary Gworek from St. Thomas will join us in June as we celebrate the official opening of the maternity center in Cyanika. The people of Cyanika have expressed to me their thanks, and wish me to extend their gratitude and well wishes to all in our community who have worked so hard to see this become a reality.
Sincerely, Kevin Dieckhaus
From the parish bulletin April 9, 2017
Update from the recent Uganda visit: I was recently able to visit Kisoro, Uganda, where my team of US medical doctors worked at the Saint Francis Mutolere Hospital providing for the medical needs of Kisoro for two months. I am pleased to report that the clinic expansion project in Cyanika has been progressing well. Two buildings are nearing completion near the present clinic building – a maternity / birthing facility, and a 5-unit staff quarters building. The buildings are framed and roofed, with work continuing towards tiling, electricity and plumbing. Staff housing is essential to retain qualified medical personnel in such a rural environment. It is hoped that within a few months and additional support for outfitting, that the maternity unit will open to provide a safe environment for mothers to deliver their babies. This is an important addition to the community, as our work has shown that currently almost half of births happen at home with limited or no medical support. During this visit, Saint Thomas parish supported sanitation maintenance and improvements to the water system at the Katarara School. The roof-top rain collection leading to a 10,000 liter water tank was improved to increase the capture, and a system for water purification was added, improving safe water access for the 600+ children at the school. During the visit, I was able to meet with Frs. John Bazimenyera, Ignatius Arinaitwe, and Fr John Kamari of Gisoro Parish in Kisoro to discuss ongoing collaborations. There are many opportunities. Fr. John Kamari was invited to visit St. Thomas parish in May, and is looking forward to meeting our parish community and taking part in our Uganda Friend-Raiser in May. The community of Cyanika continues to express its great appreciation for the generous contributions of Saint Thomas Parish to make these projects a reality. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Dieckhaus
From the parish bulletin January 1, 2017:
As a result of the successful Uganda Friend Raiser we held in 2015, the Uganda project is well under way. There are two new buildings which are almost complete, one for maternity services and one for housing quarters for some staff. We are now ready to take on the next phase of the project. Buildings that still need to be built include a Men’s ward, a Women’s ward and a Children’s ward. Check out the progress on the digital board near the ramp entrance to the church. The next Uganda Friend Raiser is set for May 5, 2017 at Testa’s. Fr. John Vianney Kamari from Uganda will be our guest at the Friend Raiser. All parishioners are invited to attend the first planning meeting for this great event on Thursday, Jan. 12th at 7:30 pm in the Parish Center. Decide to be involved. With the help of all involved, this Friend Raiser can be as successful as the first. If you have any questions, you may contact BJ Raby at 860- 628-9425.
From the parish bulletin September 4, 2016:
The Saint Thomas Parish-Uganda collaboration is progressing very well. I had the pleasure of visiting Cyanika,Uganda in June to check on the progress of the expansion of the Clare Nsenga Health Center. The fundraiser in October 2015 was a great success. Thus far, the proceeds have supported the architectural planning for expansion of the clinic and construction of two structures. The local community has identified on-site medical staff housing and the addition of an inpatient medical/maternal birthing unit as the most critical immediate needs for their community. I was pleased to see the site very busy with the construction. The foundations for a 5 unit apartment unit and a 12 bed medical unit have been poured and workers are busily making bricks and laying the walls of both buildings. Building is on schedule. The people of Cyanika asked me to express their deepest gratitude for the support that Saint Thomas parishioners are providing for their community. Photos from the visit can be viewed on the St. Thomas website! Kevin Dieckhaus