A Mount St. Mary’s University summer service trip to Tanzania exceeded the expectations of Emily DiGiovanni, C’25, an elementary education major. “I knew I would gain insights that would stick with me forever, and that I would make connections I never forget, and I did,” DiGiovanni reflected. She was one of six Mount St. Mary’s University students and alumni who traveled to the Congregation of the Resurrection parish and schools in Buhemba, Tanzania.
DiGiovanni shared this experience with two alumni, three other current students, and two faculty members, Professor of World Languages Susann Samples, Ph.D., and trip leader Charles Strauss, Ph.D., associate professor of history. Strauss’s 13-year-old son, Charlie, completed the group.
In Tanzania, the Mounties stayed with and worked alongside another beloved Mount community member—Professor Emeritus Rev. James Donohue, C.R. “Fr. Jim,” as he’s known around campus, is a priest and member of the Congregation of the Resurrection and has worked at his congregation’s mission parish in Buhemba, Tanzania for several years.
“The travel time and distance alone made us all aware of how far away from home we were, but within minutes of 
reaching the parish and school community, we experienced the hospitality and joy of the place. We felt like we had found a second home with Resurrectionist priests and the people in Tanzania who have welcomed them,” said Strauss.
The group spent their two-week visit assisting in the work of the Resurrectionists, attending Mass at their church, observing classes at the parish’s elementary school, touring the soon-to-open secondary school, and meeting school students and local families.
“We had many conversations in the evenings to ‘unpack’ all that everyone experienced in their new surroundings in Tanzania,” Donohue shared in his five-part blog series, written for the Congregation of the Resurrection website.
Particularly memorable days included seeing 150 parishioners being baptized or receiving their First Communion, walking eight miles of Tanzanian countryside to visit the homes of sick locals, and exploring Serengeti National Park and Lake Victoria. Despite their short visit, members of the group formed meaningful bonds with the students and locals around the parish.
“What was most special was meeting people, going into their homes, and sharing a meal with them. Sometimes I went with our group, other times I went with the novices. It never mattered who I went with, the people were always welcoming,” said Matthew Schwanke, C’24, one of the alumni who went on the trip.
For DiGiovanni, the hospitality of the Resurrectionists and especially the locals was also a highlight of her experience. “One particularly memorable moment was when children from the school invited me to their homes to meet their families and have a meal with them. I felt so loved in their community and felt at home,” she noted.
That feeling of finding a “home away from home” was deeply impressed, and both Schwanke and DiGiovanni shared that they plan to go back to Buhemba as soon as they can.