Show-Me State Times

Fr. Thomas Sserwadda, a doctoral student at Saint Louis University (SLU), has helped connect students in Uganda with musical instruments through a recent donation project. Working with Jackson Pianos and several organizations in St. Louis, Sserwadda arranged for 20 pianos to be shipped from Missouri to Bukalasa Minor Seminary, located in the Masaka Diocese of central-south Uganda.

Bukalasa is recognized as the oldest seminary and school of education in Africa. Sserwadda, who attended Bukalasa as a teenager, credits his time there with shaping his vocation and connecting his faith to music. “My vocation comes from music,” he said. “Music called me to the charm of the liturgy and to the seminary. I felt closer to God through song and melody.”

He believes that every expression of true beauty through the arts can be an encounter with God. “Music and the performing arts move minds and hearts,” Sserwadda said. “They are expressions of truth, goodness and beauty through music and the ways in which we encounter God. You can create a visionary life through the arts.”

The project began when Sserwadda contacted Joe Jackson, owner of Jackson Pianos, after learning about their community efforts in St. Louis. Jackson supported the initiative by donating all 20 pianos and repairing them before shipment.

“Shipping a 40-foot container is a huge undertaking,” Sserwadda noted.

The effort raised $25,000 for shipping costs with support from groups including Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, Kansas City UNESCO City of Music, Hungry for Music, Sacred Heart Parish in Florissant, and SLU’s School of Education.

“The Archdiocese of St. Louis has been wonderful. The people of Sacred Heart parish really mobilized to help make sure we had well-being items to go with these pianos,” he said. The shipment included clothing, medical equipment, sporting goods, shoes, educational supplies, and books of music alongside the instruments.

Sserwadda resides at Sacred Heart Church in Florissant where he serves as priest-in-residence; 19 members from this parish traveled to Uganda with him in June to help unpack the container upon its arrival.

He emphasized that more than 500 students between ages 11-18 at Bukalasa Seminary will benefit from these instruments: “We are working to form the whole person.” He hopes many students will become priests, teachers, social workers or spiritual leaders.

“I want to build up the educational center on the campus so there is theatre, music classrooms and technology online,” Sserwadda said. “I want them to flourish in this place, build faith in themselves and go out to share that with the world.”

Currently under construction at Bukalasa is a new center for the arts featuring a 950-seat auditorium intended for educational activities and community engagement.

“There is joy and excitement in the gift of music,” he said.

Sserwadda’s doctoral research focuses on how performing arts can transform education—a subject guided by Jonathan Turk, Ph.D., assistant professor at SLU—by examining therapeutic benefits associated with musical engagement among first-year students using frameworks such as Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning framework.

“With Dr. Takako Nomi’s mentorship, I developed a research proposal grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning framework, examining how musical engagement can strengthen identity, resilience, and intrinsic motivation in first-year students.”

He also credited Molly Schaller (associate dean), Grant Kaplan (theological studies), Rubén Rosario Rodríguez (theological studies), all faculty members at SLU who contributed guidance during his academic journey.

“SLU has all of these ways of supporting students on campus,” Sserwadda said. “Having opportunities for engagement with social justice advocacy and self-discovery has been integral to the formation of my educational success.”

Through participation with SLU Department of Music led by Aaron Johnson and directed by David Kowalcyzk—and collaboration with University Master Singers—Sserwadda shared African rhythms within an intercultural exchange: “I was able to share African rhythms and stylistic traditions with the ensemble—an intercultural exchange that not only expanded their repertoire but also demonstrated music’s ability to bridge cultures and promote global solidarity.”

Sserwadda sees access to artistic expression as essential for both personal growth at SLU—and for his former schoolmates: “Music can connect people and enrich their spiritual life,” he said. “I hope that with the gift of these instruments our students see that people are thinking about them and their vocations as they pursue their education.”

At Bukalasa Seminary today—where academics meet practice—music serves not just as an extracurricular activity but also as a tool for cognitive development emotional healing leadership formation.