Our Mission:
Seeds of Wisdom is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and support of self-sustaining, Catholic-based learning centers focused on academic opportunity and health education in partnership with the people of the Republic of South Sudan.
History of Seeds of Wisdom in South Sudan
Fr. John Lasuba
In October 2010, Father John Lasuba gave a presentation to the parish of St. John the Evangelist in Rochester. He touched our hearts with the stories of his life and the struggles of South Sudan. It was at this time he shared his desire to improve the lives of the children of his hometown of Yei.
As a result of his talk, a vision team of St. John parishioners came together, under the leadership of Fr. John. After months of research and planning, the non-profit organization, Seeds of Wisdom in South Sudan, was formed. Our first project will be to build a school in Yei, South Sudan.
Our founder, Fr. John Lasuba, was born in Yei, South Sudan and spent his younger years in that war stricken town that lies approximately 110 miles by road, southwest of Juba, the largest city in South Sudan. At the age of 6 he witnessed the murder of his father and three brothers by North Sudanese soldiers. He and his mother spent the next several years moving from place to place in an effort to avoid enemy forces. When Father was 11 they relocated to Juba and at the age of 12 he was able to attend school for the first time in his life. Eventually he entered the seminary and became a priest. Father’s first three years after ordination were spent in Juba. He then went to the liberated areas of Yei, his home town, and ministered to the people there along with the soldiers on the front lines. He was in the Yei area for 10 years before coming to the United States as a political refugee.
Father John’s commitment to the Catholic Church, Christian values and the efforts of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army put him in direct conflict with the Islamic led government of Northern Sudan. His life was soon in grave danger, and he had no choice but to flee the country.
Nine months after arriving in the United States, he was invited by Monsignor Gerald Mahon to join the parish staff at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Rochester, MN. He has spent the last six years in Rochester ministering to the parishioners of St. John’s and the Sudanese Community.
What We Do
Seeds of Wisdom in South Sudan is a nonprofit Catholic organization based in Rochester, MN. The primary purpose of Seeds of Wisdom (SOW) is to provide a quality Catholic education to the youth of South Sudan. Our first project will be the construction of a primary school in Yei, South Sudan. This school will educate children from the kindergarden through the 8th grade. If there is a need, our organization may eventually build a high school that will educate children from the 9th grade through the 12 grade.
In addition to providing a quality, fundamental education and ensuring that girls have equal opportunities to learn, we aim to: share the Word of God in celebration of His Creation where students come to know that behind the diversity of different cultures, customs and expressions, God created the human heart as one and the same. In addition to explicit and integrated religious studies, the school will provide opportunities for Sacrament preparation for not only the children, but their families as well. We will also work to prepare children to rise to their full potential and be in a position to pursue higher education.
Seeds of Wisdom was formed in direct response to the growing need for quality education facilities in South Sudan since the end of the war and the return of many refugees to Yei.