Christmas miracles: Saints Peter & Paul parishioners provide financial support to help the disabled in East Africa

As a priest with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Njombe in Tanzania, Africa, the Rev. Nestor Mtweve's education and career started along a fairly usual path. He studied philosophy and theology, then worked as a diocesan priest in rural Tanzania - performing typical duties such as celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, baptizing and marrying parishioners, and ministering to the sick - until 2016.

The diocese had a rather unusual assignment for him in 2017: Father Nestor was asked to move 8,000 miles - across three continents - to earn a bachelor's degree and MBA at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. The four-year assignment was certainly rigorous, and it was also strategic: Father Nestor was to return to Tanzania with his new business acumen to establish systems, processes, and programs that would drive the people - and the diocese - toward financial sustainability.

With the goal of providing parishioners with means to support themselves and their Church through new microeconomies, Father Nestor moved into available housing at Villa St. Benedict, a Catholic senior living community, and went to work on his education.

An invitation

Not long after he began his studies in Lisle, the pastor of nearby Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Naperville, the Rev. Brad Baker, met Father Nestor through a mutual friend - and their friendship grew quickly. Eventually, Father Nestor was invited to move into the rectory at Saints Peter & Paul. "He's got a warm spirit, and a deep faith," says Father Brad, "and he's very bright, but in a very approachable way."

After moving to Naperville, Father Nestor continued taking classes at Benedictine University while celebrating weekend Masses and hearing confessions at the parish. Because of his kind nature, along with his strong faith and intellect, Father Nestor soon became a beloved member of the community and developed deep ties at the church.

Parishioner Steve Obendorf's first memories of Father Nestor were from his involvement with a new men's group at the parish, Fishers of Men.

"He started participating with us on Saturday mornings, getting together in faith and fellowship," says Obendorf. "He just became one of the men, being a spiritual presence with us. He did a couple of presentations, one on how they celebrated Christmas in Tanzania, and another on the challenges he was going to face as a priest once he went back to his country."

Obendorf, and many others, found Father Nestor to be a wonderful, holy, humble, and soft-spoken man - a true friend who gave them insight into the disparity of resources between Tanzania and the United States. Naturally, the men wanted to help Father Nestor's ministry once he returned to Africa, so they began researching the process of setting up a nonprofit to support his work.

"We knew he was going to have a pretty important mission when he went back," Obendorf said. "Ed Graham came on board as an attorney, and Steve Ryan was our finance guy. The three of us did some initial due diligence work on how to structure a nonprofit, keeping the parish council informed as we proceeded."

Returning to Njombe

Although it was hard for Father Nestor to leave Saints Peter & Paul, he returned - degrees complete - to Njombe in January 2021 to put into practice all he had learned in business school. In March 2021 he was appointed the managing director of INUKA Rehabilitation Hospital, a private facility owned by the Diocese of Njombe - the only one of its kind in Tanzania - that provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy services to children and other patients with disabilities. (Inuka is a Swahili word for "rise," or "get up.")

It was not long after assuming his new role that Father Nestor and his staff realized the need for another building - an outpatient clinic.

"In the process of providing rehabilitation services," said Father Nestor, "it was also discovered that our special needs children also suffer from other diseases like malaria, typhoid fever, urinary tract infections, epilepsy, and many others. Therefore, the rehabilitation center was turned into a hospital so that other medical issues could be addressed at one location."

Father Nestor knew that support from his friends in Naperville was crucial to improving general medical services.

2021 goal: Outpatient clinic

Back in Naperville, Father Nestor's friends launched the nonprofit Hope for Tanzania in April 2021. When it was determined that costs would be $250,000 to build and fully equip the new outpatient clinic, the nonprofit board got to work on fundraising.

Personal funding by the board, and a quiet ask of friends and family, allowed the project to move forward, getting the building under roof before the rainy season would start in November 2021.

In late October 2021, a very successful appeal was conducted over two weekends at Saints Peter & Paul that resulted in donations of $69,000.

In early December, Hope for Tanzania was designated as the beneficiary of Saints Peter & Paul's annual Light the Way auction and dinner, where another $114,000 was raised.

By the end of 2021, Hope for Tanzania at Saints Peter & Paul had raised $274,000, which was forwarded to the Diocese of Njombe for the completion of the project, including the delivery of a new ambulance - truly a lifesaving Christmas miracle. But the parish's patronage of Father Nestor's hospital wouldn't stop there.

Trip to Tanzania

After navigating COVID-19 challenges in 2020 and 2021, Father Brad was finally able to take advantage of a planned sabbatical in early 2022. "My intention was to take a sabbatical," said Father Brad, "and with the timing of Father Nestor going back, I built it around a trip to Tanzania."

Father Brad spent three weeks at INUKA, interacting with the staff and observing their life-giving work, and he was able to take part in an important ceremony while in Africa. On Feb. 8, 2022, Father Brad was present at the dedication ceremony of the outpatient clinic, where he opened up about his personal connection to the facility.

"I related that the mission of INUKA is very personal to me," said Father Brad in his trip journal. "My oldest brother Greg (now deceased) was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child. And then I spoke of my beloved niece Brianna, who is a child with disabilities. Within months following Brianna's birth, we were seeking medical opinions and assistance, because we knew she was not showing the same progression of development as her older brother. INUKA exists to provide similar services and support for families and adults in Tanzania."

Father Brad left Tanzania with a strong connection to the staff at INUKA, vowing to continue to support its lifesaving work.

2022 Goal: Therapy building and equipment

After his return to Saints Peter & Paul, Father Brad and the board continued to collaborate with Father Nestor to identify additional patient needs, such as a new therapy building with more treatment rooms, along with additional therapy equipment. A 2022-23 fundraising goal of $150,000 was established, and plans were made to host a donor event at Cress Creek Country Club in October 2022.

After an email campaign was launched in November 2022, Father Brad spoke at all the Masses at Saints Peter & Paul the weekend of Dec. 3-4, collecting over $60,000 over the course of two weekends. Cumulative donations for the second round of fundraising now total almost $130,000, and the committee is hopeful to check off all of its financial goals by early next year - thanks to the continued support of Saints Peter & Paul parishioners.

"I'm very humbled by the generosity," said Father Brad. "I wasn't surprised the first year of fundraising, because of the relationships that people had with Father Nestor, but I wondered if the support would be there on an ongoing basis - and it is."

Board members continue to work diligently to continue their ongoing support - raising over $400,000 to date - for INUKA, because of their relationship with Father Nestor and their dedication to help others in need, especially during the Christmas season.

"The whole thing has been a leap of faith," said Obendorf, who is a man of great faith in God and his mother, Mary. "It seems daunting to raise the money, but you make a commitment to help, and our Lord and our Lady take care of the rest."

Secure donations to Hope for Tanzania can be made at hopefortanzania.com.

ABOUT SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH

Saints Peter & Paul was founded in 1846 and is the oldest established parish in DuPage County - currently one of the most active in the Diocese of Joliet. Throughout its history, the parish has been a vibrant and vital part of the Naperville community through dozens of ministries that focus on parish life, worship, evangelization, and Christian service. Today Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School educates over 475 students in preschool through grade 8, and the parish serves over 4,000 families. Its campus includes seven buildings - including its stunning Gothic edifice with bell tower - on a seven-acre campus in the heart of Naperville, a Chicago suburb with a population over 145,000.

ABOUT HOPE FOR TANZANIA

Through the guidance provided by INUKA Rehabilitation Hospital's managing director Father Nestor Mtweve, Hope for Tanzania is a nonprofit organization supported by Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Naperville, Illinois. HFT provides financial resources for projects and initiatives aimed at improving the physical, mental and spiritual well-being for the men, women and children located primarily in the Diocese of Njombe in Tanzania, Africa.