Father Reginald, C.PP.S. was born in Katangara, Rombo District located in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.

When very young, he aspired to be a teacher. Growing up in a very devoted Catholic family, he became an altar boy and his dreams slowly shifted towards becoming a priest. That didn’t mean his call to the priesthood was without its challenges, but ultimately he knew it was the path he was to take.

It was during his time in Minor Seminary that Father Reginald learned of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood through fellow seminarians who were candidates for the order. Intrigued, particularly by the spirituality of the Precious Blood, he met with Father Francis Bartoloni, C.PP.S. who was then the Vocation Director for the Italian Province and it was he who invited Father Reginald to join the congregation in September of 1982.

While both have held many positions over the years, today both are members of the newly constituted Tanzanian Province and serve as Managers for The Mission Projects with Father Francis serving as Manager of the Mission Project Schools and Father Reginald as Director of The Water Project.

Growing up under the slopes of Kilimanjaro, water was available from the rivers running through the village. However, it wasn’t necessarily clean, safe water. Father Reginald firmly believes, like Brother Anthony, C.PP.S., that water is life. God provided it for us. We as human beings are largely made of water and where water flows, life can flourish.

Most notably for Father Reginald, is how access to clean water has helped to grow small scale farming activities along with helping Tanzanians, particularly women, improve their economic situation to better support their families and contribute to their communities.

Father Reginald is proud to be part of The Water Project. A lot of development has  occurred rather rapidly in Tanzania and he notes that The Water Project has played a large role in that development. As Manager, Father Reginald not only manages the every day administration of the office and oversight of the workers, but also puts emphasis on the public relations side of the business.

The Water Project is well known and has a good reputation and is seen as having integrity. The challenges, despite this reputation though, are great. With 4 years of consecutive drought, deeper drilling into acquifers needs to occur to reach water. Sadly, in some instances, despite the best efforts of  surveyors and our drilling team, water just isn’t there so another hole needs to be drilled. This extra work can be challenging for the workers, very hard on the aging equipment and a stretch on already limited resources, not to mention disheartening to those hoping to finally have access to clean water.

Father Reginald is very thankful for all of the support The Water Project receives. Every gift is put to good and efficient use, and he looks forward to sharing more stories with everyone about those whose lives have been greatly improved and those still in need.