Emily Neelon |
Upon entering the classroom, Fr. Fred Jenga doesn’t pass out a syllabus or assign homework. He sits down at a desk among his fellow students and listens to his professor lecture.
Jenga, a Holy Cross priest from Uganda, arrived at UP in mid-August in pursuit of a master’s degree in communication. This semester, Jenga will begin serving as the pastoral resident in Corrado Hall after the exit of Fr. Gary Chamberland, who moved to Notre Dame in December to be closer to his family. Although new to the position, Jenga has already made a positive impact on the Corrado community, forming friendships with residents and providing comic relief during the busy beginning of the semester.
Upon moving to the U.S. this past year, Jenga was forced to quickly adjust to a new environment.
“I had a lot of adjustments to make culturally and in terms of language,” Jenga said. “I have a lot of support from the people I work and live with, so that has made the transition easy. And the weather is very different from what I’m used to.”
Jenga grew up in the small African country of Uganda.
“It’s very sunny, green, with plenty of wild game,” he said. “It has different ethnic communities, maybe 30 each with its own culture and own dances and own language. That’s part of the beauty of (Uganda). Uganda has been the inspiration of many movies and documentaries. It has a very difficult political history.”
Jenga was ordained in 2005 and has been working for the Holy Cross Ministry, which utilizes media in its evangelization, for the past six years.
“I’ve been doing radio, television programs and writing for the local newspapers in Uganda, mainly about the areas of faith and religion and sometimes as a social critic about some issue in politics or the environment,” Jenga said.
Following his move to Portland, Jenga has only been minimally involved in these projects, occasionally contributing to the major newspapers in Uganda.
As the new pastoral resident in Corrado, Jenga will act not only as a priest, but also as friend and confidant to students. Corrado Hall Director Michael Wode believes Fred brings a fresh energy to the hall.
“I think Fr. Fred has made a big impact so far,” Wode said. “It’s really cool having someone from another culture and being able to learn about that. He understands our fun-loving, compassionate, quirky nature here.”
Jenga is attempting to make Corrado’s weekly mass more enjoyable and enticing to students.
“Right now he’s working on rejuvenating hall mass, making it more lively and making students feel more welcome and just have an opportunity to celebrate their faith whether they are Catholic or not,” Wode said.
Jenga hopes to incorporate African songs into future liturgies.
“I come from a 'dancing church' and therefore find liturgies that are too cerebral difficult,” Jenga said. “Hey, we are in our Father's house, let us celebrate!”
Corrado resident and sophomore Janie Higgins appreciates Jenga’s laidback nature.
“He’s really good at easing himself into a conversation. He’s not judgmental at all and he has a really good sense of humor,” Higgins said.
Faith has always been an integral part of Jenga’s life.
“I grew up in a family that is deeply devotional and Catholic,” Jenga said. “I got to know a lot of priests, nuns and people deeply engaged in the ministry and said ‘Perhaps maybe this is something I can think about (as a career).’”
After earning his master’s degree, Jenga hopes to work towards a doctoral program at an institution that will be determined by his Holy Cross superiors. He ultimately wishes to instruct at Tangaza University in Kenya.
“Some of the best journalists in East Africa are coming from this school,” Jenga said. “I’m preparing to maybe teach there sometime down the road. I want to help church personnel who are dealing with issues in the area of communication as well as the new generation of journalists.”
In addition to his hopes of becoming a professor, Jenga strives to make his mark on the world in other ways.
“I’m passionate about the area of media and religion,” Jenga said. “I hope to do research. And I hope to work with some organizations working for issues (concerned with) the common good.”
