WESTPORT — Many residents of southern Wisconsin will recognize the name of Fr. Paul Fagan.
Father Fagan was born near Prairie du Chien in 1932. After attending St. Francis Minor and Maryknoll Major Seminary, he was ordained in 1960. For the last 53 years, Father Fagan has served the people of Tanzania in Africa.
Sharing news of his work
Over those 53 years, Father Fagan has returned to Wisconsin and the Diocese of Madison every year to share news about his work in Tanzania.
Fundraiser for missionary priestWESTPORT — A fund-raising dinner to support Fr. Paul Fagan and his work in Tanzania, Africa, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m. The event will be held at St. Mary of the Lake School, Westport, and will feature a BBQ chicken dinner with all the trimmings, including homemade pie and ice cream. Fund-raising activities will include a priestly pie auction with local priests presenting their best baked pie for auction. Other activities are a silent auction, raffles, and beverage service. Advanced ticket sales are required at $25 per person. For those unable to attend, an online auction will be held between September 5 and 13 at the following website: www.BiddingForGood.com/TanzaniaHospital/RoadsToLife Many wonderful items have been donated. To purchase a dinner ticket or to receive more information, contact Kate Robbins at 608-592-3224. |
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There has been a wide variety of projects: evangelization, human development, road building, and education. Father Fagan has been spreading the Good
News of God’s love through pastoral and development projects that care for both body and soul.
As a Catholic priest, Father Fagan has baptized over 11,000 adults and children since 1967.
The first church he built was in 1978 at Ngulyati. Since that time, he has built five more churches and three new parishes have been formed from the original Old Maswa parish.
Currently there are five priests serving the spiritual needs of the people who now have welcoming, attractive churches to pray in.
Built/upgraded roads
In order to serve in these remote areas, Father Paul built and upgraded over 46 miles of roads. These roads have opened the area to commerce, medical care, and ambulance service.
Father Fagan used a 25-year-old dump truck, a 302A John Deere tractor with a front end loader, and a John Deere 4030 tractor to pull a 90+ year old grader for road construction.
Father Fagan also implemented forestry, agricultural, animal husbandry, and water projects. The construction of a grinding mill in 1977 saved women walking over 300 miles a year to have their corn ground.
Educational opportunities
Father Fagan created the “To Change Someone’s Life Forever Through Education” program giving educational opportunities to young men and women to improve their quality of life.
Educating girls is not a priority for most Tanzanian families. They prefer to get the cow bride-wealth that will be given for a daughter upon marriage. For that reason, Father Fagan has spent time, energy, and money to change lives . . . quietly empowering women.
Over 400 individuals have received help over the 17-year-old program. Young women are now working as clinical officers, nurses, mid-wives, teachers, civil engineers, electrical engineers, store keepers, cotton buyers, radio broadcasters, city planners, secretaries, accountants, small business operators, seamstresses, housewives, and mothers.
Providing health care
In 1983, Father Fagan began his work providing health care by opening the first dispensary in the Old Maswa area. It was soon enlarged by adding a laboratory, a maternity ward, and a Mother/Child Health Clinic.
Today, the need for improved health care facilities is greater than ever. In 2011, the dispensary was upgraded by the Ministry of Health to the status of a Health Center and today plans are underway to further upgrade the facility to hospital status.
The current Health Center features a 30-bed inpatient ward and treats an average of 560 outpatients and 110 inpatients per month. With the new hospital, expectations are to treat 1,500 inpatients per month.
Building new hospital
Father Fagan is currently back in Wisconsin visiting old and new friends. This year his focus is the building of the new health care facility: Songambele Hospital.
The budget is projected to be $5 million. Finding adequate funding continues to be a challenge. A local group of Father Fagan’s supporters will host a fund-raising picnic dinner on Sunday, Sept. 15, to help with this effort (see box for details).
At the dinner, Father Fagan will share plans for building and equipping the hospital. For more information, visit the website: www.roadstolifetanzania.org
The fund-raising event is sponsored by Don’s Marine, Leon’s Roofing and Siding, Inc., Stephen D. Brokish, CPA, Ace Hardware, Meade Construction Co. Inc., Piggly Wiggly of Waunakee, Rex’s Innkeeper, Conrad and Marjorie Blau, and Endres Manufacturing.