What to do after college?
For many this is never a question: Seek the loftiest, highest-paying job possible with your new bachelor’s degree. Fr. Lawrence Mudduse could have chosen this path, having obtained degrees from Lewis University (B.A., communication) and St. Mary’s (B.A.) in Mundelein. But his heart led him back to his home country Uganda, where he now works for a Catholic parish in the town of Kabona.
In addition to giving sermons and doing goodwill work for the locals, Muddusse oversees the diocese’s publications and press work. It is not among the highest-paying jobs in the world, even by the standards of a Catholic priest’s humble salary. In fact, it costs Mudduse money to work there, since he finances the schooling of some local children.
“My kids that I sponsor are doing well. I have paid through the nose to take them back to school in terms of tuition. I have spent $4000 on them. That is the sacrifice I have made: to educate these youngsters instead of having a vehicle to take me around…” he said.
To compound the issue, resources and access to learning tools are limited. Things that are in cheap abundance here are “exorbitantly” priced in Uganda. Mudduse has trouble getting his diocese financiers to fund the monthly church magazine. When simple things like paper are available, they are often of poor quality. “The internet here is very poor and expensive,” Mudduse said.
In August, Mudduse designed the magazine for his parish, but the necessary materials used in publishing -ink and paper- were not available until one-and-a-half days before the magazine was to be published. The power went out a day before the magazine was to be finished, so they sought out someone with an electrical generator to power the printer. They found one, hours before the magazine was to be passed out to parishioners. There was no magazine binder, so Mudduse and his colleagues put every magazine together by hand, which took about seven hours.
We finished the printing at 11:30 pm and started embarking on binding the magazine manually. It was like walking downtown to Chicago from Northbrook or Lewis University. We had to bind 1000 copies,” Muddusse said
Muddusse said he misses the convenience in American life. So why would one choose a hectic, often thankless lifestyle instead of a lucrative job with benefits? Mudduse seems resigned to this aspect of his vocation. Is the sacrifice worth it to him? Based on his being there for six months and having no intention of leaving, it seems to be.
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