Regina Academy Alumni, Maria Middleton Honored in Uganda

Maria Middleton, a 2017 graduate of The Regina Academy at St. John the Baptist, was honored in April with the dedication of a primary school in her name.

Maria’s diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor in early 2019 began a global outreach for prayers and healing. Nine months later, on what was expected to be her “expire date”, Maria and her parents traveled to a village in Uganda in appreciation for the prayers they offered for her healing. An indelible bond was formed.

The Maria Middleton Primary School (MMPS) opened its doors on February 19, 2024. The Think Hope Foundation through Building a Bridge to Uganda are transforming the lives of God’s beautiful children, bringing Hope to all who pass through the doors of this brand-new Primary School.

The school is located in the Village of Sodogo in the Adjumani District, one of the poorest districts in Uganda. MMPS will hold over 100 students in its first year. Brian and Susan Middleton traveled to Uganda for the dedication of the school.

Maria’s Catholic Education was essential to her as she expressed in a writing for Catholic Schools Week January of 2017: “The Regina Academy at St. John the Baptist is proof of God at work every day through Catholic education. Inside the four walls of the Academy, the Holy Spirit is in the hearts of all of the individuals. Each person is respected and given the dignity that God has bestowed. The main aspiration of the teachers is to guide the students to know, love, and serve God and ultimately reach our eternal objective.”

Maria expressed during her illness, “My emotions will rise and fall but my faith is not an emotion. It is a commitment, and I will not despair.” The last words Maria was able to physically write, eight months before her passing in 2020, were “Think Hope”.

Maria was born into eternal life on October 8, 2020.

Think Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to unleash the power of hope in a world of despair, one person at a time. The Regina Academy at St. John the Baptist is a ministry of the Think Hope Foundation. The Academy celebrates its sister school, The Maria Middleton Primary School, in guiding young children in the Catholic Faith to know, love, and serve God.

To learn more, and support the ministries of the Think Hope Foundation, please visit their website at www.thinkhope.org

To learn more about The Regina Academy at St. John the Baptist, please visit our website at www.RASJB.org