The life and work of Patricia Brenninkmeyer.
Episode 1: The early life
Patricia as a baby.
Patricia on her graduation from St. AndrewsBorn into a wealthy and renown business family of Arnold and Catherine Brenninkmeyer in 1938, Catherine was nothing short of the ordinary child. Although her family just like everyone else thought she would venture into business, little did they know that this very child would grow to have such an impact on hundreds of families in Africa. From as young as 8 years of age, a seed was planted into this little life. An urge to see beyond the affluent life in Wimbledon, England where she had been birthed. This can be attributed to her teacher at the Agatha Schule in Mettingen where she was taking piano classes among others. This teacher often told her stories of the little black children in Africa, an encounter that birthed her passion and desire to visit Africa and even stay there. Even more, Rev. Fr Jan De Reeper(Mill Hill Missionary Society) , a Dutch missionary priest friend of the Brenninkmeyers often told the family of his encounters in the African missions all while they sat together at the dining table during sunday evening dinners talking just like any normal family would. These two individuals paved the way and determination of Patricia to move to Africa, an idea her parents never welcomed.
Patricia never believed in the power of education if it would not lead her to Africa where her passion lay. Her life in school would be best termed as both humble and humorous as her good results were laboriously attained as her parents instilled more of the effort into her academic life. In order to build her zeal to learn, her parents passed on a deal to her, they would both take a trip with Patricia and Fr. Reeper to South Africa only if she would take Latin lessons with Fr. Reeper in the morning hours then they could all spend the rest of the day visiting and touring the different sites in Africa. Patricia welcomed this deal and went on to attain A’ level in Latin! This trip opened her eyes to the harsh realities of life as these times were the peak of the Apartheid policy in South Africa.
The unfair treatment of the black people in their homeland by the Dutch people did not sit well with Patricia and contrary to her parents’ expectations of her abandoning her urge to move to Africa, this encounter instead created an even bigger zeal in Patricia to make an impact on the lives of these people. Upon her completion of her return home from the trip and completion of her Latin lessons, it was arranged that Patricia take on a finishing course in Rome and Perugia, Italy living with the Grail Society (also known as The Grail), a group of religious lay women known to the Brenninkmeyers.
Patricia was happy with her exposure to all the cultural and artistic wonders that the country had to offer, and with her new found freedom away from home and its expectations.Patricia’s wonderful gift of accepting and quietly relating to people from different backgrounds and abilities, drawing them to co-operate in common enterprise, is the hallmark of her achievements in both England and later, in Uganda.
In the struggles and formative experiences of her early life, in her interaction with so many different and often strong personalities along the way, we find the seedbed that gave shape to a life of remarkable dedication to the well being of thousands who are the richer for having known her and benefited from her.
Written by: Karungi Mary .P