Remarkable legacy of John Bradburne recalled this World Leprosy Sunday

Sunday 28th January 2024 marks World Leprosy Day. The John Bradburne Memorial Society endeavours to continue and uphold the legacy of ‘Servant of God’ John Bradburne, who was a Franciscan layman, who cared deeply for the residents at this Leper Colony. This included caring for the destitute, the blind and those living with leprosy who had nowhere else to go. They were marginalised and had been neglected terribly and abandoned by their own families.

John lived at Mutemwa for the last 10 years of his life until he was murdered on 5th Sept 1979. John is now on the path to being Canonised in becoming a Saint. Thousands of pilgrims visit Mutemwa all year around, which has become a shrine and place of prayer and intercessions.

There is much ongoing work still to be done at Mutemwa to not only take care of the residents and staff, but to also build and update the necessary sanitation blocks, the vegetable gardens need tending and maintaining the chicken and piggery projects continue to need funding. Water and solar electricity projects need continued monitoring. Then there is food to be bought and medicines for the clinic at Mutemwa which serves the community living there, but also serves the surrounding villages. Today, there are 32 patients along with their families and the staff living at the Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre. The community is a wide age group of individuals.

Leprosy is a curable disease, but unfortunately the stigma and lack of education associated with the disease, means that some people do not get treated early enough to prevent the development of disease and disabilities. We hope and pray that this will change.

Together with your kind support and prayers we will do our best to continue our promise to uphold John Bradburne’s legacy in supporting those living at the Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre. Thank you for your kind generosity and may God bless you.

JBMS, PO Box 32, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 0YB

T: 07979 187498    E: info@johnbradburne.com    W: www.johnbradburne.com

Charity Registration Number: 1046483