We sincerely thank you for your presence, support and active participation during Family Day 2026, held on 25 January, supporting the MCSPA and the New Ways for Africa Trust. Your presence and joy made the day truly meaningful and successful.

Family Day reminded us of the beauty of unity, shared values, and the importance of walking together as one chosen family of MCSPA. The smiles, laughter, cooperation, and spirit of togetherness were a clear sign of the strong bonds we continue to build.

We deeply appreciate everyone who contributed in different ways, through the New Ways for Africa Trust. Your commitment and goodwill do not go unnoticed, rather it is much appreciated!

May the spirit of the chosen family continue to inspire us to work with love, understanding, and mutual support in all that we do.

Lilian Omari

MCSPA,

We sincerely thank you for your presence, support and active participation during Family Day 2026, held on 24 January, supporting the MCSPA and the New Ways for Africa Trust. Your presence and joy made the day truly meaningful and successful.

Family Day reminded us of the beauty of unity, shared values, and the importance of walking together as one chosen family of MCSPA. The smiles, laughter, cooperation, and spirit of togetherness were a clear sign of the strong bonds we continue to build.

We deeply appreciate everyone who contributed in different ways, through the New Ways for Africa Trust. Your commitment and goodwill do not go unnoticed, rather it is much appreciated!

May the spirit of the chosen family continue to inspire us to work with love, understanding, and mutual support in all that we do.

Lilian Omari

MCSPA

On 14 January, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Paderborn (Germany), Most Rev. Matthias König, together with a group of five others, visited our mission at Muketuri, Ethiopia. The visit was a grace-filled encounter that has strengthened faith, hope and missionary commitment. Bishop Matthias’ visit was a great encouragement to both the members of MCSPA and the community whom we serve.

Bishop Matthias visited the St. Joseph Child and Mother Centre with its teachers, cooks, and workers together with the 400 kindergarten students. The students sang songs of welcome and proudly showed the visitors their handiwork. The group also met mothers and their underweight babies enrolled in the program, and they spent time in the Special Education classroom, listening attentively to the stories of the baby-sitters and 15 children living with disabilities. The words of comfort from the visitors were much appreciated.

Bishop Matthias expressed deep gratitude for the missionaries’ dedicated service to the most vulnerable and for the compassion shown in their daily outreach of serving others.

At the Eucharistic celebration, Bishop Matthias also encouraged the MCSPA members to live with missionary zeal and prayed for the people of the area. After the Mass, which was celebrated at the Holy Family Ecumenical Chapel, Bishop Matthias blessed the special-needs children one by one. It was a very meaningful moment of sharing in the suffering of special-needs persons and their families, often deeply marginalised in society.

The visitors also visited one of the community dining rooms in a village called Jebene, 23 km far from Muketuri where they saw people fetching clean water from the taps of a drilled well, the community vegetable garden and the dining room, where daily efforts to provide nourishment and care to 60 children were evident.

The visit concluded with lunch at the MCSPA house at Muketuri – “Bete Mariam” or House of Mary. We were all filled with renewed inspiration and gratitude. The visit reminded us of the call to serve with love, unity and perseverance in mission and reinforced the long commitment between the Archdiocese of Paderborn and the MCSPA.

Esther Kerubo

Muketuri Mission

[Ethiopia]

For more than 35 years, the Mission of Nariokotome has served the people of Turkana through essential projects such as drilling boreholes, digging dams, building schools and health centers, and supporting women’s empowerment programs. These efforts have been vital in responding to the daily challenges of life in a remote and difficult region.

Beyond these fundamental efforts, something quieter and perhaps less visible is taking place next to the mechanic workshop at Nariokotome: a carpentry workshop where furniture for churches, homes, and mission projects is made. What makes this workshop unique is its focus on wood carving. Here, craftsmanship goes beyond function and becomes an expression of care and creativity.

Two local men from Turkana were trained by an experienced wood-carver from Tanzania. Under his guidance, they developed their skills and now create beautifully-carved doors for churches and chapels, finely crafted benches, and pieces commissioned by the diocese.

This work reflects the vision of Fr. Paco, the founder of the community, who often said that building a dam with love is different from building one without love. The same is true for a door or a table. Carving is not just about producing an object, but about infusing it with intention, patience and care.

Missionary life in remote areas is often focussed on survival and utility. When art finds its place, it is a sign that the mission is thriving and making room for aesthetics. At the Nariokotome carpentry workshop, love is carved into every piece of work. And through this beauty, hearts are lifted and drawn closer to God.

Amanda Falgas

MCSPA Apprentice

Mizan Teferi [Ethiopia]

On December 26, we traveled 75 km from Naturomoe mission in Southern Ethiopia to Lotimor, a remote village in South Sudan at the foothills of Mount Naita.

We camped on the grounds of the old mission founded by the Saint Patrick’s Missionary Society, which now lies in ruins 25 years after the missionaries were forced to leave the place.

We stayed there for three days. It was an opportunity to speak about the importance of Christian unity across different denominations, as well as unity between the Toposa and Nyangatom, the ethnic groups that coexist in the area.

Jacob, a South Sudanese catechist, who – along with a few others – keeps the flame of the Catholic faith alive in this remote place, presented us with a list of people ready to receive the sacrament of baptism, and another list of 23 catechumens still under preparation.

On Sunday, December 28, sheltered by the ruins of the old mission, we baptized 182 persons. It was a day of celebration and color, where everyone danced and sang.

These visits overwhelm our hearts. Living alongside people who, despite being so isolated, remain faithful to the faith received from the missionaries, is an opportunity to witness a miracle from the front row. There, it becomes clear that God walks with them; He is the one who feeds and sustains them – otherwise, what is experienced there would be impossible to understand.

By Blanca Beltran, MCSPA

Muketurri Mission

[Ethiopia]