Msgr. Frank Bognanno, a priest of the Diocese of Des Moines for more than 60 years, shares how a trip to Tanzania opened his eyes to a crisis most of us never think about: children getting sick from the water they drink at school. Through the Purify Project, about 60 water purification systems now serve communities across Tanzania, with 25 more sites still in need. He explains why clean water is life-giving both physically and spiritually, and invites listeners to help finish the job.
Msgr. Frank Bognanno, retired priest of the Diocese of Des Moines and longtime friend of Iowa Catholic Radio, joins Deacon Mark Campbell from his new home in Georgia to talk about his decade-long mission to bring clean water to Tanzania.
Msgr. Bognanno recalls his first visits about ten years ago, when the water was so unsafe he couldn't use the tap to brush his teeth, and when the local bishop told him the region's number one problem was "water, water, water." He describes schools collecting rainwater off rooftops into tanks, children falling ill and missing class, and the moment students asked him to take the very first drink from a newly installed purification system.
Through the Purify Project, roughly 60 purification systems are in place, checked regularly by a full-time local engineer known as "Engineer John." About 25 more sites still need clean water, and Msgr. Bognanno makes a simple case: we have clean water, we have the means, so let's get it done. As the man who helped bring Pope Saint John Paul II to central Iowa, he knows big projects are possible.
The inaugural Water for Life Gala honoring Msgr. Bognanno (Saturday, October 17, 6–9 p.m., Echo Valley Country Club in Norwalk) is sold out, but you can still learn more and give at PurifyProject.com.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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