Fr Jean (“Jon”) Ngabo Segasinde will be with us for the Keep Calm hour March 4th. But the CTR Leadership wanted you to get a sneak peak of his story!
Fr Jean is an assisting priest at Light of Christ Anglican Church (an ADNE mission in Portland, Maine). Before coming to the US, he served the thriving Gatsata parish in Kigali, Rwanda, and also as chairman and coordinator for the Prison Chaplaincy and Reconciliation Program in Rwanda and D. R. Congo. During that time, he was a pioneering practitioner of Restorative Justice, in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. His work is featured in the documentary, Rwanda: Living Forgiveness.
Fr Jean was persecuted for this Gospel work, and in 2012 fled to the United States to seek asylum. His wife, Louise, and six children remained (and remain still) in a refugee camp in Uganda. In addition to suffering our country’s long and complicated immigration system, Fr Jean has suffered a number of tragedies and setbacks. In 2016 alone, his father died and Jean was unable to leave the US, he raised money for a used car but was immediately in an accident through no fault of his own, and his US attorney died suddenly and unexpectedly. But, in 2017, Fr Jean was granted asylum in the US and is now in the process of bringing his family to the States (a process complicated by the new presidential administration).
In the meantime, Fr Jean has pursued continuing education opportunities, taken multiple part-time jobs, even taught French to homeschool students. He also ministers with Fr Evan Pillsbury at Light of Christ. These funds, with additional donations from various supporters, make ends meet here and go to his family in Uganda. (Ugandan schooling is not free and is a continuing expense.)
Join us, March 4th in the Parish Hall, at 10:00am to hear more about his story!
Fr Jean welcomes your prayers and your direct contact. His information is below.
62 State Street, Apt. 35,
Portland, ME 04101
[email protected]
207-409-6746
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