The Christophers: Deacon’s Work Brings Light to Africa

Tony Rossi

Director of Communications

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In a previous column, I shared the story of Deacon Don Grossnickle, who was diagnosed with stage four heart failure 10 years ago. At the time, he was given only two years to live, so he credits God—and his rigorous exercise regimen—with keeping him alive much longer than expected. He also feels that God has some work for him to continue, specifically, what he considers to be the greatest mission of his life: the Microfinance Alliance Africa Projects Foundation (or MAAP Foundation).

More than a decade ago, during a trip to Uganda, East Africa, to celebrate the ordination of a seminarian who had worked in his Chicago parish, Deacon Don came upon a maternity clinic that broke his heart because so many mothers and/or babies were dying for lack of care. After he returned to the U.S., he asked God what he could do to help these people. At first, he collected and sent over money for “malaria medicine and also medicine to pay for baby deliveries. Just $10 to $20 is all it requires.”

Deacon Don credits the Holy Spirit with leading him to the concept of “sustainability” and “microfinance” as better options. During a “Christopher Closeup” interview, he explained, ”The Africans are all busy with microfinance. Everybody grows to eat…If you have an excess, you sell it [to raise money for what you need], and that’s microfinance.”

Deacon Don shifted his attention to raising sums of $5,000 so the people in this particular Ugandan community could set up small cow, pig, or poultry farms that could earn $200 to $300 monthly. Profits could go towards their clinics, making them self-sustaining. 

“It became a community development project,” Deacon Don said. “The original clinic that I visited grew and grew and outlived its problems of bankruptcy and became financially strong. After that, we said, ‘Can we do this somewhere else?’ And we did. We’ve been doing that ever since for impoverished Catholic-oriented parish clinics. This year, we’ll be adding 10. We have 43 projects so far. The Holy Spirit has really empowered us.”

Deacon Don then shared the story behind one of the MAAP Foundation’s beneficiaries: “Justine died on the way to the hospital [to deliver her child]. Justine and her unborn baby didn’t get to the parish clinic in time. The priest that was taking her to the hospital didn’t get there in time. Consequently, the priest that buried Justine and the baby came to us. We did a $5,000 project, and today, 10,000 people in his parish now have the opportunity to come and get free assistance to deliver babies. Justine had bleeding, and it’s very common in the rural areas of Uganda to have bleeding complications. Without expertise, they will die. There are no such things as doctors in rural parish-run clinics. So it’s a great story, a memorial to Justine and the priest that reached out to us…It illustrates the power of people to make change, to light a candle from darkness.”

When asked how he himself lights a metaphorical candle when facing times of darkness, Deacon Don concluded, ”I light it through prayers of gratitude. Some people count sheep. I count opportunities that I have grasped with the Holy Spirit together, side by side, just as Jesus sent out His disciples two by two…There’s great joy in counting our blessings of opportunities to bring light.”

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note THE GREATEST AMONG YOU WILL BE YOUR SERVANT, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org