We are neither adrift in memories
Nor trapped by illusions
For YOUR STORY
Marks this unique anniversary
A rebuilding of your efforts
Within our community of kindred spirits
Gathering us here
To honour your life’s meaningful deeds.
Your spirit lingers in every whispering leaf,
A gentle reminder that your work lives on.

The trees give LIFE
Manifestations of your will
Planted abundantly in Turkana’s soil
As apprentices in all our missions
We now tread in your footsteps
Striving towards the essence of your vision
YOUR VISION guides us
Like the sun nurturing new growth
Lighting the path for those who follow

A calling that nurtures life …
There you rest
In eternal peace, yet ever present
In every sapling, we find the echo of your dreams
A testament that your spirit endures
Rooted deeply within us all.

By Louis P. Mkweza
Junior Apprentice (MALAWI)

On 15 February all the members of Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) living in Turkana together with more than 500 faithful gathered at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle at Nariokotome Mission to commemorate the 12th death anniversary of our founder, Fr. Francisco Andreo or simply Paco as he preferred to be called.

At the same Thanksgiving Mass, the ashes of the late friend of Fr. Paco and the Community, Mr. Roy Gontier, were also blessed and inurned at the columbarium. Roy was a most able pilot who passed away on 27 June 2013. Roy did many flights for the missions and often flew Paco to Nairobi for his medical checkups. These memories and stories were shared with the congregation gathered at mass.

The event began at the church graveyard where various trees were planted. Fr. Alex Campon, assisted by Deacon Stephen Iyerio, presided at the Eucharistic celebration in the company of Fr. Joseph Ebenyo, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Lodwar, and all the MCSPA priests living in Turkana.

In his homily, Fr. Alex drew similarities between Paco and Pope Francis in their acts of compassion toward the needy and hungry, and the care for the environment. Cecilia Puig, in her tribute message, encouraged all to use every drop of water to plant trees in their homes, schools and everywhere. Mr. Derek Seton, a close friend of Roy read a brief euology and tributes from Roy’s family.

This was followed by songs, a dance and poems by students and pupils of Nariokotome Girls and St Joseph’s Primary School.

Finally, there was the blessing of the trees and all the children present were fed.

As Cecilia remarked, “Let us keep Paco in our memory until we change our dear Turkana into a garden.”

By Brian Odhiambo Nyamuok,

Nariokotome Mission

Today, being the feast day of St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict (and our nominated patron saint for rains), St. Scholastica’s Mission at Dakuna, Ethiopia, joyfully celebrated the occasion with the Catholic faithful and villagers from Dakuna.

The Holy Mass was presided over by Abba Nathanael, with Abba Geremew concelebrating. During the celebration, Abba Nathanael explained to the faithful the life and significance of St. Scholastica.

Following the Mass, a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony was held as an expression of thanksgiving. Tea and bread were also shared, fostering a spirit of community and joy.

And as expected, a downpour followed!

By Lydiah Obok MCSPA
Dakuna, ETHIOPIA

Today, we are happy to celebrate the appointment of a dear friend of the MCSPA, Abuna Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie, the Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries, as the Auxiliary Bishop of Addis Ababa.

Representatives of the Catholic Church from across all regions of Ethiopia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and America were present, including many missionaries, making this a most moving and universal celebration: the Church united in joy and strengthened by the bonds of collaboration and faith.

We pray for Abuna Tesfaye’s new appointment of shepherding the Ethiopian Catholic Church hand-in-hand with Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel in these challenging times.

May God bless you, Bishop Tesfaye and do count on our prayers!

By Amanda Falgas and Maria Vidal
MCSPA Junior Apprentice
ETHIOPIA

On January 25, 2025, the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) held our annual Family Day at the Women’s House in Nairobi. Families and friends were invited for the celebration. This followed the General Assembly of the membership of MCSPA.

The celebration coincided with the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, our patron saint. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Most Rev. John Mbinda of the Diocese of Lodwar. The bishop encouraged all to continue with the spirit of servitude towards the needy and invited more people to embrace the missionary life.

The event also marks 10 years since the launch of the New Ways for Africa Trust Foundation in Kenya. Furthermore, this year the ongoing tree planting project commemorates the late Fr. Paco’s legacy for the care of the environment.

The Foundations’ board members encouraged families and friends to use the Trust to channel financial support for the different missions’ projects.

Finally, Fr. Andrew Yakulula gave a vote of thanks to all who came and turned the day into a joyful gathering of family and friends!

By Lydia Imbala MCSPA
Nariokotome Mission

Lobur Mission is known for its agricultural programme called Furrows in the Desert (FID) which has been in existence for more than 12 years. This mission is located in the semi-arid Turkana County at the northern part of Kenya. The activities of FID includes desert farming which also includes vegetables and maize, hay farming and dairy goat farming.

FID has also introduced a new poultry farming project focussing on layers. This new farming project has made Lobur Mission more agriculturally orientated.

The poultry layer farming project was started by Fr. Joseph Githinji and John Rhiga in 2022. The project was fruitful in 2023, producing a daily average of 210 eggs which we were able to supplement the food given to undernourished kids at the Mother and Child Centres (MCCs).

Lobur mission is under Sts. Joachim and Anne Parish has 12 MCCs with a total of 2000 children. The age range of the children is between 3 to 7 years. This project plays the role of improving the nutritional health of the children at the centres. Each center receives 8 trays of eggs in a week.

With this egg-supplement, the contented villagers are more eager to send their children to the MCCs resulting in an increase in the number of children. These centres are not just feeding centres but are also places where the children receive basic pre-primary education and daily life skills such as hygiene and sanitation. This project has helped to boost our education activities for children.

This year 2025 we see a need to add 150 more layers so that we can provide for an additional 2 more MCCs, that is an additional 210 children. We are looking forward to reaching out to many more children who still need help and attention for their nutrition and education.

By John Rhiga
MCSPA Apprentice,
Lobur Mission (KENYA)

On 10th January 2025, Most Rev Mathias Konig, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Paderborn (Germany) visited Benga Mission, Malawi. Bishop Mathias was welcomed by Fr. Fernando Aguirre, Fr. Manuel Hernandez and Fr. Stephen Ochieng. The MCSPA and the Archdiocese of Paderborn maintain a strong working relationship as the MCSPA has a presence within this German archdiocese as well. During the visit, the bishop and his team met and shared with our young men who are aspiring to become missionaries.

Fr. Steven Ochieng guided the guests around the mission. They had a chance to see the animal farm where chickens, goats, rabbits and pig are reared. They also visited the soap factory, the up-and-coming bakery, the school, the elderly Day Care Centre and the Parish Offices. Bishop Mathias was impressed by the progress made at Benga Mission over the past 12 years and expressed his gratitude to God and to the MCSPA members. Hence, in his homily at the community mass, Bishop Mathias encouraged the young men to stay committed to their vocations and asked everyone to pray for more vocations, especially in Germany, where vocations to the priesthood and religious life have been on the decline. He added that the increase of diverse religious communities in Germany, including refugees from conflict zones and rising Muslim population, poses a challenge for maintaining faith. Thus, he asked for our prayers.

The following day, the bishop presided over the mass at the main parish church with our school children and some of our parishioners. At mass, the group of Catholic Women’s Association (CWA), all beautifully dressed in their finest, brought gifts to the altar but most importantly, they gave Bishop Mathias a carved map of Malawi as a parting gift, a symbol of the warmth that the people of Malawi are known for.

The guests also had an opportunity to appreciate our Formation House that is under construction at Balaka which was also an opportunity to greet our young men studying philosophy at the Inter-congregation institute there.

By Stephano Ziba
MCSPA Apprentice, Benga Mission [MALAWI]

Both Nariokotome and Kokuselei Missions were delighted to have visitors from Strathmore University of Nairobi and their Kenyan and international partners come by our missions in the Diocese of Lodwar. The visiting team carried out educational activities in English, leadership workshops, youth mentoring and mentoring of women in micro-businesses during a week leading up to Christmas.

The girls appreciated the opportunity to learn leadership skills to become more responsible and better learners. The women’s group from Nariokotome were happy to gain knowledge for future business initiatives that would improve their livelihoods, while the youth also appreciated the opportunity to interact with the team, learn about mental health, personal relationships and guidance to improve their academic level and possible future career.

The MCSPA thanks the “Another Kind of Christmas” team and Strathmore University for their support in the education of children and youth from their missions in Nariokotome and Kokuselei.

Diana Trompetero and Fr. Zacchaeus Oduor, Members
Kokuselei and Nariokotome Missions (KENYA)

On December 27, we traveled along the road to Mount Naita, which took 3 years to construct, crossing the mountains to reach a village called Lotimor in South Sudan. We went there to celebrate Christmas with the people and to baptize many catechumens who had been patiently waiting for years for a priest to visit them. Priests of the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, founded the mission at Lotimor but had to leave shortly after.

When we arrived, we settled and camped at the former mission compound. The day after our arrival, we baptized 45 children and youth who joyfully welcomed us into their “church” which was the shade of some huge trees.

We attempted to reach remote communities such as Lorengalup towards the plateau, but when it proved too difficult, we decided to stay an extra night so that they could come to a nearer village to meet us.

Children, women and even elderly people walked barefeet for hours over scorching stones to reach the chapel. They arrived singing and dancing, and when asked if they were happy, they answered, “Very happy!!!” At the celebration that day, we baptized more than 200 catechumens!

We were surprised and deeply moved to witness such strong faith – a faith that crosses mountains, and spans over many years without the Eucharist. We thank God for the gift of bringing His grace to them once more this Christmas.

Amanda Falgas, MCSPA Apprentice
Ethiopia

The children of Ave Maria Kindergarten and Centenary Cross Kindergarten – two of the 3 kindergartens that the MCSPA runs in South Sudan – had a wonderful end of the year celebration.

The top class of both schools ended the year in style and with a remarkable celebration organised by their parents and the school administration. There was a procession from the primary school down to the kindergarten and it stretched for about 2 km! The children, dressed in their graduation attire, were escorted by the Ave Maria brass band. This attracted the attention of most of the children in villages along the way but especially the little ones. From a distance you could hear a child saying to the mother, in the local language: “Mama I would like to go to school like these children”.

The “graduating” children were so happy and they truly earned all this celebration. Later, in front of their parents, the children showed their talent in song and poetry. Their parents were proud to see their children receive awards and certificates that enabled them to pursue their primary education. It was an event to celebrate a simple occasion but one that meant the world to the children and families of a little forgotten village of South Sudan. It reminded me of another exceedingly important event that occurred 2,000 years ago in a little and insignificant village of Judaea except that that event of the birth of the Child passed largely unnoticed.

It is our wish and joy to make our children love school and to encourage more parents to send their children to school. We hope that by 2030 all children between the ages of 4 to 8 years will be sent to school without us (the school administration) following or requesting the parents to do so.

With these beautiful photos we give thanks to all who supported this year’s Ave Maria Educational Program – Education for Peace!

Lillian Omari, MCSPA
Ave Maria Mission (SOUTH SUDAN)