The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is bidding a sad farewell to four of St. John's Seminary's best and brightest who have served internships and transitional diaconates locally --- but now must return home to Uganda where they will be ordained to the priesthood for service in their home dioceses.

In their five years at the Camarillo theologate, the four --- soon-to-be Fathers Richard Kayizzi, Kizito Henry Ssendikwanawa, Charles Ssebulime and Matthias Mulumba Wamala --- say they have learned a great deal not only about theology and the priesthood, but about America, the American Catholic Church and the church of Southern California. The experience, they say, has been challenging but richly rewarding --- academically, pastorally and culturally.

In the process, they have gained a new appreciation for their ministry and the people they serve. And, they hope, those they have served and befriended here have gained equal appreciation for the church and people of a country halfway around the world.

Before they left for ordination in July, the four met with The Tidings to discuss their experiences.

Q: What has surprised you about your experience here?
Ssendikwanawa: During my first year here, I worked at a Thousand Oaks convalescent home. This kind of place is something that does not happen, does not exist in my culture. I was taken aback because. at first glance, it seemed like the people were throwing away their parents or older family members. In my culture, all the family members take care of their elderly; we do not send them to convalescent homes.

But as I became more familiar with the situation, I could see and appreciate why some families choose this method of care --- the need to work, the pressures of raising their own families, and the fact that they often cannot give their elders the quality of care that a convalescent home can."

Kayizzi: When I served my internship at St Raphael's in Goleta, the people accepted me and cared for me in a way I did not expect; I had heard people here were slow to accept strangers, but that was not the case. They were very open to helping me. And I was amazed at the way they were so involved in their parish; they give wholeheartedly to their church.

Ssebulime: I had a picture of America as being not a very religious country. But here I saw so many people coming to church, with so many Masses scheduled to serve them. I never knew people so active and involved as these. I've been to Europe, and I did not see that kind of commitment in their parishes. So that was a surprise to me.

Wamala: There is one thing I have not figured out: With all of these great numbers of people going to church, I do not understand why vocations are going down. If people have such faith and love their church, which they clearly do, I would think there have got to be vocations. At home, we have parishes and missions, and priests go out from parishes to the people. But the model here is to have many parishes for the people to come to, and you wonder sometimes, how can they maintain so many?

Q: Talk about your experience here.
Ssendikwanawa: I've enjoyed my five years here, and I've learned a lot. The academics have been a challenge, but now I feel I can answer so many questions I could not before. It's a challenge to meet all the expectations but I feel I have grown.

Kayizzi: The community at St. John's has been very supportive. To be able to connect with them has been a great help and I will miss them. There has been a lot to do in a limited time, and I have had many questions. But I've been able to learn a lot that I can take home with me.

Wamala: Leaving one's country to discover oneself in another is an amazing experience --- like rediscovering yourself. You don't know what to expect when you go to another place, another culture. So my anticipations, dreams that I had were sometimes fulfilled, sometimes not. When you meet people, you change, for better or for worse, and you are not the same person when you return home. To keep the balance is a challenge.

In parishes where I have lived and served, I have met wonderful people who have stretched me, helped me grow. But you might say I have gone through an identity crisis: I grew up in a small area where everyone knew everyone else, and I have come to a place so much bigger, and has caused me to ask myself, Who am I at St John's? That was hard to discover. The system here is different --- more work, a faster pace, much to absorb. But I never knew how much I could do in a limited time. St John's gives you the chance to discover your potential.

Ssebulime: I like the openness of the community at St. John's, more open than my home community, and St. John's gave me the chance to see and do different things. In academics, the courses gave a wide range of subjects on different aspects of life. That was my biggest challenge, the pressure to do a lot. But I enjoyed the process, and I have much now to take home with me.

Q: What have you been able to teach the people here about Uganda? And what can you take back home with you?
Wamala: When people talk about Africa and Uganda, they tend to lump everything together --- one people, one culture, one country, one continent. I hope our staying here has given the people we've met an idea of how complex our home is, that perhaps they get a different image of the people who come from Africa.

The way to break stereotypes is to meet people. When you meet people and begin to understand people, old attitudes disintegrate and you begin to love them. That's the starting point, and I hope we've been able to give that to people here.

Ssendikwanawa: I hope we've been able to leave them something about liturgy --- specifically, that we can dance in the celebration of Mass. I've met people who ask, how can you dance in church? I say, of course you can, when you are alive with the Holy Spirit and the love of God. What I'm taking from here is the idea that people should feel they have ownership of their church. It is not just the priests; it is everyone who makes the parish alive.

Kayizzi: Uganda is a place where there are different nationalities, different tribes, just as Africa is different countries, and I hope I have been able to impart that knowledge to the people here. As I go back home, I am impressed at how the faculty here at St. John's walks with you, encourages you, and cares for you as an individual person. I hope to take that back to our seminaries.

Ssebulime: I also leave an open invitation to the people here to come and visit Africa. Many here have an image of the church in Africa as a place where everyone is suffering, all are poor, and many are. But they are happy as well. There is much people can learn if they take advantage of the experience. Some have done that and have enjoyed doing so.