Nazareth House Apostolate

Kadijah embodies the true spirit of “Nazareth” in Nazareth House Apostolate.

Nazareth is where our Lord spent his hidden life, where “nothing” was coming forth but tables and chairs, where He lived as we must live, where the Son of God was simply the son of Mary and Joseph.
The hiddeness and ordinariness of Nazareth is an icon to something beyond self. It is the accepting that people may say of us what others said of him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46, i.e. can anything good come out of this life of “ordinariness”and “hiddeness”, strategically placed in areas of need, making a difference by entering into the present moment? The formation of this apostolate is our answer and by entering into this answer, we become a residence of mercy for Him.”

Hidden, silently, Kadijah goes about her daily chores and her work as an integral member of the Nazareth House staff.

She is invaluable to our work, as the mother of the household, she has many talents as well as being the HEART of St. Laurence House.

Daily, unbeknownst to most, Kadijah is quietly preparing meals for those who are in need. A stream of people come and eat of her labors – hidden, receiving a meal in her backyard and going about their business. There was a time that I have been inside St. Laurence House totally unaware of all that she was doing right under my nose in the backyard. She gives company to the lonely, finds clothing for the naked, all these things she does daily and no-one knows about it. She just tends to the needs, silently and hidden. Nazareth.

Nazareth House is most honored to have Kadijah as a staff member, but even more so..Fr. Seraphim and I are most honored and proud to have her as our daughter.

James…you did well in finding this wonderful women. …But then again, we know your great wisdom and level headed thinking – therefore we wouldn’t have expected anything less of you.

Cheers to you, our beautiful, Kadijah. Have a wonderful day. We wish you many Blessings on this day, your birthday, and always. WE LOVE YOU DEAR KADIJAH!

Kadijah embodies the true spirit of “Nazareth” in Nazareth House Apostolate.

Nazareth is where our Lord spent his hidden life, where “nothing” was coming forth but tables and chairs, where He lived as we must live, where the Son of God was simply the son of Mary and Joseph.
The hiddeness and ordinariness of Nazareth is an icon to something beyond self. It is the accepting that people may say of us what others said of him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46, i.e. can anything good come out of this life of “ordinariness”and “hiddeness”, strategically placed in areas of need, making a difference by entering into the present moment? The formation of this apostolate is our answer and by entering into this answer, we become a residence of mercy for Him.”

Hidden, silently, Kadijah goes about her daily chores and her work as an integral member of the Nazareth House staff.

She is invaluable to our work, as the mother of the household, she has many talents as well as being the HEART of St. Laurence House.

Daily, unbeknownst to most, Kadijah is quietly preparing meals for those who are in need. A stream of people come and eat of her labors – hidden, receiving a meal in her backyard and going about their business. There was a time that I have been inside St. Laurence House totally unaware of all that she was doing right under my nose in the backyard. She gives company to the lonely, finds clothing for the naked, all these things she does daily and no-one knows about it. She just tends to the needs, silently and hidden. Nazareth.

Nazareth House is most honored to have Kadijah as a staff member, but even more so..Fr. Seraphim and I are most honored and proud to have her as our daughter.

James…you did well in finding this wonderful women. …But then again, we know your great wisdom and level headed thinking – therefore we wouldn’t have expected anything less of you.

Cheers to you, our beautiful, Kadijah. Have a wonderful day. We wish you many Blessings on this day, your birthday, and always. WE LOVE YOU DEAR KADIJAH!

Kadijah embodies the true spirit of “Nazareth” in Nazareth House Apostolate.

Nazareth is where our Lord spent his hidden life, where “nothing” was coming forth but tables and chairs, where He lived as we must live, where the Son of God was simply the son of Mary and Joseph.
The hiddeness and ordinariness of Nazareth is an icon to something beyond self. It is the accepting that people may say of us what others said of him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46, i.e. can anything good come out of this life of “ordinariness”and “hiddeness”, strategically placed in areas of need, making a difference by entering into the present moment? The formation of this apostolate is our answer and by entering into this answer, we become a residence of mercy for Him.”

Hidden, silently, Kadijah goes about her daily chores and her work as an integral member of the Nazareth House staff.

She is invaluable to our work, as the mother of the household, she has many talents as well as being the HEART of St. Laurence House.

Daily, unbeknownst to most, Kadijah is quietly preparing meals for those who are in need. A stream of people come and eat of her labors – hidden, receiving a meal in her backyard and going about their business. There was a time that I have been inside St. Laurence House totally unaware of all that she was doing right under my nose in the backyard. She gives company to the lonely, finds clothing for the naked, all these things she does daily and no-one knows about it. She just tends to the needs, silently and hidden. Nazareth.

Nazareth House is most honored to have Kadijah as a staff member, but even more so..Fr. Seraphim and I are most honored and proud to have her as our daughter.

James…you did well in finding this wonderful women. …But then again, we know your great wisdom and level headed thinking – therefore we wouldn’t have expected anything less of you.

Cheers to you, our beautiful, Kadijah. Have a wonderful day. We wish you many Blessings on this day, your birthday, and always. WE LOVE YOU DEAR KADIJAH!

Little Roo, affectionately known as SuperRoo, aka SOOPA-ROO)has survived a pretty severe case of mumps and has returned to Pre-School

Dressed in his school uniform, Roo stands in front of the St. Laurence House Refrigerator, waiting for his lunch to be prepared. I notice the banana cake in his hand…

James informs me that Roo is “eating everything and is hungry all the time”. Here is Roo’s packed lunch. A Bread roll, fried plantain, and french fries. (High carbs for an active boy). Banana cake in one hand, french fry in the other… ha ha ! Banana Cakes are Fr. Seraphim’s favorite, especially when they are made by Kadijah – she has a super special touch when it comes to cooking.

Little Roo, affectionately known as SuperRoo, aka SOOPA-ROO)has survived a pretty severe case of mumps and has returned to Pre-School

Dressed in his school uniform, Roo stands in front of the St. Laurence House Refrigerator, waiting for his lunch to be prepared. I notice the banana cake in his hand…

James informs me that Roo is “eating everything and is hungry all the time”. Here is Roo’s packed lunch. A Bread roll, fried plantain, and french fries. (High carbs for an active boy). Banana cake in one hand, french fry in the other… ha ha ! Banana Cakes are Fr. Seraphim’s favorite, especially when they are made by Kadijah – she has a super special touch when it comes to cooking.

Little Roo, affectionately known as SuperRoo, aka SOOPA-ROO)has survived a pretty severe case of mumps and has returned to Pre-School

Dressed in his school uniform, Roo stands in front of the St. Laurence House Refrigerator, waiting for his lunch to be prepared. I notice the banana cake in his hand…

James informs me that Roo is “eating everything and is hungry all the time”. Here is Roo’s packed lunch. A Bread roll, fried plantain, and french fries. (High carbs for an active boy). Banana cake in one hand, french fry in the other… ha ha ! Banana Cakes are Fr. Seraphim’s favorite, especially when they are made by Kadijah – she has a super special touch when it comes to cooking.

Little Roo, affectionately known as SuperRoo, aka SOOPA-ROO)has survived a pretty severe case of mumps and has returned to Pre-School

Dressed in his school uniform, Roo stands in front of the St. Laurence House Refrigerator, waiting for his lunch to be prepared. I notice the banana cake in his hand…

James informs me that Roo is “eating everything and is hungry all the time”. Here is Roo’s packed lunch. A Bread roll, fried plantain, and french fries. (High carbs for an active boy). Banana cake in one hand, french fry in the other… ha ha ! Banana Cakes are Fr. Seraphim’s favorite, especially when they are made by Kadijah – she has a super special touch when it comes to cooking.

Our dedicated teachers continue to give quality education to our students, despite the fact that we are surely becoming over-crowded and must expand the building soon. That will come AFTER we’ve secured a compound in Freetown.

New students from neighboring villages are constantly applying for entrance. I wish we had the space for them all. In time, we will.

One of our teachers, Manso (seen above receiving his paycheck from Mama Vicki), has taken another employment offer. We wish him the best. He has been faithful and a great worker. We are thankful for the years he has given to provide the students with education. He stood by them, on a volunteer basis, even when there was no building. We will miss him.

We have hired Mako Mansaray (James’ brother) to replace Manso. Having recently completed his university courses, Mako has been volunteering his time, tirelessly for the school and has great leadership skills. I still hold onto my prediction that he will someday be President of Sierra Leone, but for now, I am content with the fact that he is teaching our school.

The Students thank Fr. Seraphim (Hicks) for praying for them everyday.

One thing I was happy to see was that the kids were using workbooks and paper. I wasn’t sure we were able to afford that and glad to see that we are getting them – not free- but at least they are available to us. The children had been using personal sized slate boards to write their work on, erasing them and reusing.

We are equipped at the school, nothing like here in America, but we are able to fully function and the kids are learning. Just check out the report card and look at what they are learning!click on any photo to enlarge

Our dedicated teachers continue to give quality education to our students, despite the fact that we are surely becoming over-crowded and must expand the building soon. That will come AFTER we’ve secured a compound in Freetown.

New students from neighboring villages are constantly applying for entrance. I wish we had the space for them all. In time, we will.

One of our teachers, Manso (seen above receiving his paycheck from Mama Vicki), has taken another employment offer. We wish him the best. He has been faithful and a great worker. We are thankful for the years he has given to provide the students with education. He stood by them, on a volunteer basis, even when there was no building. We will miss him.

We have hired Mako Mansaray (James’ brother) to replace Manso. Having recently completed his university courses, Mako has been volunteering his time, tirelessly for the school and has great leadership skills. I still hold onto my prediction that he will someday be President of Sierra Leone, but for now, I am content with the fact that he is teaching our school.

The Students thank Fr. Seraphim (Hicks) for praying for them everyday.

One thing I was happy to see was that the kids were using workbooks and paper. I wasn’t sure we were able to afford that and glad to see that we are getting them – not free- but at least they are available to us. The children had been using personal sized slate boards to write their work on, erasing them and reusing.

We are equipped at the school, nothing like here in America, but we are able to fully function and the kids are learning. Just check out the report card and look at what they are learning!click on any photo to enlarge

Our dedicated teachers continue to give quality education to our students, despite the fact that we are surely becoming over-crowded and must expand the building soon. That will come AFTER we’ve secured a compound in Freetown.

New students from neighboring villages are constantly applying for entrance. I wish we had the space for them all. In time, we will.

One of our teachers, Manso (seen above receiving his paycheck from Mama Vicki), has taken another employment offer. We wish him the best. He has been faithful and a great worker. We are thankful for the years he has given to provide the students with education. He stood by them, on a volunteer basis, even when there was no building. We will miss him.

We have hired Mako Mansaray (James’ brother) to replace Manso. Having recently completed his university courses, Mako has been volunteering his time, tirelessly for the school and has great leadership skills. I still hold onto my prediction that he will someday be President of Sierra Leone, but for now, I am content with the fact that he is teaching our school.

The Students thank Fr. Seraphim (Hicks) for praying for them everyday.

One thing I was happy to see was that the kids were using workbooks and paper. I wasn’t sure we were able to afford that and glad to see that we are getting them – not free- but at least they are available to us. The children had been using personal sized slate boards to write their work on, erasing them and reusing.

We are equipped at the school, nothing like here in America, but we are able to fully function and the kids are learning. Just check out the report card and look at what they are learning!click on any photo to enlarge