St. Maurus Abbey Hanga, Tanzania

From Andrew Krueger 2005 Hanga volunteer

"One of the monks about forty years old died here unexpectedly from heart failure. The average life expectancy is something like 44. While it was sad for the community, crowds of people came in support and it was a really good cultural experience. The ceremony was leagues away from anything I'd ever expect in the States--long church services, women wailing at times, lots of music.

My birthday celebration was great. One of the monks decorated our place with balloons and beach balls and surprised us when we got home. Lots of monks and others showed up. After drinks and presents a group made their way down the hall with a large cake singing, "Cakey, cakey, cakey" and clapping their hands. The group stopped in front of me and the song changed to "Cut the cakey, cakey," repeated over and over until the cake had been entirely cut. Then the song changed to a Swahili word for distribute and, of course, "Cakey, cakey, cakey." It was fun to experience a birthday in a new culture.

One of my goals was accomplished when last week I had four separate encounters with siafu. Siafu are the crazy ants that you will often see on animal and plant shows. One of the columns was protected by soldiers, so I made sure to sit and observe and play with them for a while. Anything you dip towards their stream of movement gets absolutely devoured. It's crazy."

From Paul Conroy 2005-2008 Hanga volunteer

"I have been in Tanzania for a little over a month now, and I have quickly gotten used to eating the same foods every day: a lot of rice, occasionally pasta, meat sometimes and a lot of bread. At the end of a meal if I am still hungry I stuff my face with a few pieces of bread with sugar and bananas. The bread is homemade and very good. While I still have the occasional craving for a Saint John's buffet or McDonald's dollar menu, I am content with everything we are provided here. Our menu is much more diverse than many peoples'.

My knees have finally become adjusted to the hard wooden kneelers at church. The first time we knelt on them, two minutes into it was like "O, Sweet Jesus, there is no way I can do this!"

But now it is no big deal except when we pray the rosary; that gets a bit long.

A very interesting part of life here I have slowly gotten used to is hand holding. People hold hands everywhere.

Men walk down the street holding hands, women and men, women and women, children, everyone. It has taken a little getting used to holding hands for an extended period of time with people as we sit and try to converse or walk down the dusty road. But it is part of the culture and a very interesting one I am happy to experience . . . usually. I am doing very well here and am having an amazing time. Africa is wonderful."

Three months later .....

"My main job is teaching Form One English to fifty Tanzanian seminarians, ages 12-30. I have also helped build a two-story greenhouse out of mud, embarrassed myself playing soccer with the young monastic community, gotten a little too close to a deadly snake, gazed in awe over the infinite African wilderness and experienced the unparalleled hospitality and friendships of the Hanga Abbey and Tanzanian communities.

Africa has awakened all my senses -- the taste of a succulent mango fresh off the tree, the feel of a finger-sized centipede creeping across my bare foot, the smell of a saturated earth breathing the cool sigh of relief after a long awaited rain, the sound of my students greeting me with " Good morning, Teacher" and the sight of a shoeless child chasing a herd of goats into the setting sun.

Being an absolute minority is also an insightful experience. But the most important thing I have learned is seeing a different face of a nation damned by the outside world as a hopeless abyss festering with HIV, civil war and destitution. My experience is of a people filled with pride for their country, optimism for their future, resiliency in the face of difficulty and proactive determination. This is Tanzania and what an incredible place it is.

I would like to say "Thank you" again to the Saint John's monastic community for allowing me this life-changing experience. Your community has played such an important and influential role in my life, I cannot thank you enough. Nashukura sana kwa yote! (Thank you very much for everything!)

While I am thousands of miles away I can feel the Benedictine spirit of Saint John's more than ever."

Monastery Facts

Hanga Abbey was founded as a Monastery on January 15, 1957 as the first “all African” monastery, pledged to adapt itself according to the African mentality, culture, and way of life. Hanga Abbey belongs to the Saint Ottilien Congregation based in Germany. For the first ten years, Hanga Monastery had four German monks from Paramiho Abbey running the Monastery. In 1965 the Monastery was approved by the Holy See and became the first all African Monastery, so the German missionaries returned to their Monastery of Paramiho. Hanga Monastery was elevated to the status of Abbey on December 13, 1993. There are currently 144 professed members of Hanga Abbey.

Hanga Abbey provides many services to the surrounding village including medical treatment through the monastery dispensary, daily transportation to the regional capital of Songea through the monastery’s bus company, Amani Express, a clean water project pumping water to the village from twelve kilometers away, and education through the two secondary schools, one primary school, and one trade school that the monastery operates.

Visit the monastery’s home site.

Work of the SJBVC

SJBVC volunteers live

in the guest hostel maintained by the monastery. Each volunteer has his own room furnished with a bed with mosquito netting, a desk and chair, and a personal bathroom with a sink and shower. Very often, there are other volunteers who come and live in the hostel while working in some capacity for the monastery. Meals are provided by the monastery and eaten in a separate guest dining room. The common cuisine includes rice, beans, ugali, greens, and some type of meat.

The daily work of volunteers covers a wide

range. Past volunteers have spent most of their time working in the schools both teaching and working on other projects. These projects have included organizing and cataloguing donated books to build a library, setting up and training students how to use computers, and starting a website for the Abbey. Since the Abbey is always involved in many different projects, it is easy for volunteers to find work that is meaningful to them.

As with many of the other SJBVC sites, the simple day to day interaction between cultures is work in itself. Though volunteers may not maintain consistent nine to five jobs for the monastery, the relationships built are value enough.

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