For twenty five years, my life has been linked to this community; twenty two of them in Africa, and the last thirteen years as a priest. It is not easy for me to look back and to try to summarize my vocational journey in a few lines. I cannot say that I was a very religious person at first. I “discovered” God gradually, through the evidences, through an endless symphony of people, events, challenges, joys and defeats, which, I would say, were orchestrated by God Himself. 

I come from a humble family that migrated to Barcelona in search of work. When I was around sixteen or seventeen years old, I went through a phase of disenchantment with what society had to offer. I used to dream, in the rainy autumn evenings about changing the world with my songs. It was not that I had many songs or that I was any good at music, but it was more an aspiration than a fact! I suppose that almost everyone experiences something of the sort at that age, but at the end of it all, crude reality always ends up imposing itself. Before we realise it, we are swept away by a flash flood of events indispensable for our survival: studies, finding – and keeping – a job agreed, the almost-compulsory relationships, getting a car and a house, starting a family, making friends … The beast ends up drowned in the troubled waters of social responsibilities, taking with it all those chimeras; they are left aside on the background, forgotten in the drawer of those pleasant and naïve teenaged dreams. I was lucky to meet certain people like Angel, Lourdes, Paco and others who offered me a saving hand and took me out of those raging waters, opening the gate of a new world where I did not have to exchange my dreams for a plate of lentils. God erupted in my life and offered me a real way of materializing my utopic unquietness.
The first thing that attracted me was the life in common; I liked it so much that I decided to remain. In Western societies, friendship has been relegated to a secondary role, below that of couples. It is not easy for us to accept as valid any type of love, outside the context of family that is not sexual. Learning to live friendship as a complete way of loving helped me rediscover the words and actions of Jesus, which then became alive and full of sense to me.
The Gospel became a reality and an interactive map for my daily life: “… And he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ … And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (Mt 25:31-46). The next logical step was to put into practise what I had read from the Gospel and to not be indifferent to the sufferings of others. This was what pushed me to go to the missions in Kenya to help. During the years that I was in Kenya, God erupted in my life and offered me a real way of materializing my utopic unquietness. 

The love, charity, compassion and generosity towards the suffering, brought me to discover Christ and my vocation in following Him – to be a “sheep”.
All this may sound too idealistic, but it is not. In the words of Leonard Cohen, “Love is not a victory march; it is a cold and broken halleluiah”. It is not easy to go out of ourselves and set the needs of others before ours; to abandon comfort zones, routines, plans and securities that one tends to create and to put everything at the service of an unknown person who comes to your door. This is a difficult task. It is usually a disturbing, burdensome, cumbersome and costly task. It does not flow out automatically from us, we need some- body to help, correct and admonish us. Thanks to people like Paco, I experienced that often we are the ones who put limits to reality, and that what we think as impossible is in reality possible; that God is a factor we need to take into ac- count. We fear dying to ourselves and sacrificing for others. Each sacrifice is a small death on the cross and that scares us. But even though it may look like a contradiction, after the cross there is life. It is precisely when you lose yourself to make others happy, that you find true happiness; you experience the resurrection (cf Mt 16:24-26). 

It was through Paco that I discovered my priestly vocation; that the Eucharist is nothing other than the celebration of the fact that Jesus sacrificed His life for us, that He gave us all that He had, His flesh and blood to feed, cure and free us. At the same time, the Eucharist is an invitation to imitate; it is the sacrament of love, charity, generosity and compassion. It is a sacrifice of giving food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, hospitality to the stranger, visit to the sick and the prisoners, opening the eyes of the blind, among other noble works of mercy. The Eucharist means going through, in our daily lives, the cross and the resurrection of Christ. 

I am still on this long journey of apprenticeship in love. It is a never-ending journey where every stretch is different, unpredictable, and never stops surprising me. If I had to choose a text that could define all this, then I would take one from our patron, Saint Paul the Apostle:
“If I have the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophesy, understanding all the mysteries the- re are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its full- ness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but I am without love, it will do me no good whatever … In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.” (1Cor 13:1-13).

Fr. David Escrich, MCSPA 

More than 23 years ago, when our magazine In Itinere began its first publication, I wrote an article in this same section and gave an account of the feelings and thoughts that were in me when I had then recently received the grace of priestly ordination. “The Year of Grace”. Re-reading it recently, I asked myself whether this novelty that I had in me when I received my priestly ordination is still as alive and strong today. That joy of being a priest, which over flowed when I wrote my earlier article, was it still the crux of my life? 

This year, 2019, I celebrate 23 years in the priesthood: 23 years of joy, 23 years of grace.

It is a complicated question and I should be honest with you and more so with myself. I could get by with some superficial and sweetened eulogy or praise at becoming a priest; I have heard much of this especially during the past Year for Priests recently closed by Pope Benedict XVI. I could also be caught up in a pessimistic and gloomy analysis, with neither hope nor future, precisely in a year in which the priestly order is being questioned and the value of a priest in the western world is being undermined. 

Let me start with this conclusion: Yes, 23 years of joy and grace! I think I am being honest when I say so and not because I am forced to say so or because it is theright thing to say. Had they not been years of joy and a feeling of grace inmy life, I would have made some excuse not to writethis article! By saying so, I mean that this is the honest and concise answer that arises in me in response to this question. 

Happiness has a complex meaning although we use it banally and with a poor philosophical base. In short, I think the problem lies on where in our lives do we place the experiences of pain, suffering and of our human limitations in a limitless universe. That is why we are unhappy. In most cases, we are unable to internally transform our sufferings into moments of joy in our pilgrimage of God’s plan for us. And here is my poor summary that gives meaning when I say that I am happy. 

In these 23 years, I have gone through times of happiness as well as harsh experiences of pain and suffering. The day to day life of a missionary priest, in remote lands and at the first line of evangelization such as where I am currently in the northern part of Turkana, filled with life’s constant challenges: hunger, diseases, violence, ignorance… It is tough and it toughens one up as well. However one can find happiness in seeing that one’s little contribution could help to alleviate somewhat all this pain and this gives a double joy and softens one’s heart. Believe me, it is one of sublime happiness to see a hungry child eating; or to catch the contented smile of a woman who no longer needs to walk a long distance because she now has the water source nearby; or to detect the vital energy of the youth who feels useful because of work and not condemned to live in a spiral of violence; or to catch a glimpse of the look of an elderly lady when her face lights up at your visit, or the jubilation of a community that lives and dances the hope of their renewed faith … 

Other painful experiences come as a result of losing or being separated from our loved ones. Unfortunately, I have had these experiences as well and they call for a great effort not only rationally but above all emotionally. 

Trying to build happiness on what is absent is tough, but one overcomes this with the hope placed on new dreams, in seeing that Christ still knocks on the doors of many who are willing to follow him and in the joy of seeing that God’s plan is immense and definitely happy are those who have lived and experimented it until now. 

In the 23 years there have been times of crises and feeling low. I do not believe in those who say that they have never undergone an existential or a vocational crisis. Every change in the rhythm of life, each apparent created security; every pride or falsely acquired right may shake, at one time or another, our vocation. But it is like a disease plaguing a child: every flu or malaria makes the child grow some centimetres taller. Every fall, confronted by love, is an elevation in our pilgrimage; every crisis, an opportunity to better ourselves and of humbly accepting that He, who is almighty, demands but always sustains us. 

It has been 23 years of living at various missions, in different realities, and on two continents, and finally returning to Africa, to Turkana. It has been 23 years of trying to give all to the call received, and to extend this call to others with some success and without chaos. It is also of wanting to serve others and of seeing that Christ is in the lives of those who surround me. Now, more than tired, I am hopeful and strengthened by these past years, which make me stronger and more trusting that the love of Christ will penetrate the hearts of all those whom God sends to me.

Fr. Alejandro José Campón 

Eleni Tsegaw, a member of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle, describes her vocation that arose from leaving her home country of Ethiopia and the joys that have filled her life as a missionary.

I had just finished high school and I was thinking what to do with my life, whether to continue studying at college or perhaps start working. While pondering on this, I met Cecilia from the Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) for the first time. She had been a year in Ethiopia to carry out projects aiding the most needy in the Valley of Angar Guten. What she was doing seemed very interesting; I wondered why she was doing this, what moved her to come from so far. Why was she helping people with whom she shared neither bonds nor connections? But I kept all these questions in my heart as I did not speak English and Cecilia could not speak Amharic! 

Cecilia suggested to me to study English so that we would be able to talk and so that she could explain to me all the things she wanted to develop in Ethiopia. I studied English for six months so as to have some spoken foundation. Then I travelled to Angar Guten to see what they were doing and what they had there. I was very impressed by all that they were doing there: they had a dispensary and a mobile clinic.

Guten, at the time, was a small village that lacked electricity, water and many other things. Initially the Oromos and the Gumuz inhabited the Valley of Angar Guten, but with the famine of the 80s, the Ethiopian government brought in other tribes from northern Ethiopia, like the Amhara and the Tigray. This made the Valley a very special place to work in, as the needs of each tribe had to be catered for. I used to walk in the afternoons with Cecilia, and the children followed us all along the way. She suggested that I do something for these children as they could not go to any nursery as there was none around and so only a few of the children could go on to primary school.

In the beginning I saw clearly that something had to be done for those children. They were in need of many things. My intention was to stay for a short period of time and then return to Addis to continue with my studies and with my life. But God had other plans. It was for me to follow Him, not just for a short time but for the rest of my life. This was something I did not understand at that time.

That first trip was very special as I got to know regions of my own country for the first time. So I returned to Addis Ababa to study child-care. All that time I could not stop thinking about the children of Angar Guten. On finishing the course, I returned with Cecilia and we started there a nursery – the first one at Guten! In fact, it is more a Centre of Life than a nursery because there is a place for everyone: children, mothers, older siblings etc. There are even Muslim children; everyone has a place there.

We carried out different activities for the children and their mothers, and I eventually got more involved in it that, unknowingly, I even forgot the idea of returning home to Addis Ababa to go on with my life. My life was now at this place, with these people – Cecilia, Paco, all the members of MSCPA.

One of the many visits of Paco to Ethiopia marked my life until today. Then he said that it was necessary for me to leave my country, at least for twenty years. I thought he was joking! He also told me that no one is a prophet in his own country. Now I know it was a way of opening my eyes. He saw in me the possibility of flying, like an eagle and being free to do good.

At the time it was very hard for me to understand the depth of this message. Now I see that it was providence: the hand of God inviting me to be part of the universal Church, to a wider, more bountiful and complex plan.

Leaving my country gave me the opportunity to travel to Bolivia and to live there for more than a year, at Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba. There we worked at various development programmes. In Colombia I lived at La Calera, on the outskirts of Bogota, and worked in mother and child care. Afterwards I went to live in Germany with a group of young women from our community, all from Africa. In the beginning it was difficult because of the language, climate and culture. Eventually all that difficulty transformed into a gift for our lives. We learned how to move around the world, to find extraordinary friends who are still present in our lives and who keep supporting us.

During those years at Paderborn in Germany, we were never alone. Others from the community, such as Paco, would always come to visit us. They always encouraged us to push on. There we unrelentingly went about giving talks on Africa in parishes, schools and to different groups.

With each talk I realized how much I yearned to return to Kenya or Ethiopia, and how my vocation was becoming stronger. I also realized that when I gave another picture of Africa, people would fall in love with Africa and they would be ready to help. Not all in Africa is tragedy as is often portrayed in the media. It is a continent full of joy and with people who possess enormous potential, just waiting for someone to lend a hand.

Afterwards I went to live in Mexico and started from scratch once again – each new beginning was hard for me; now, I had to speak Spanish, make new friends … new house, new people. With the help of Lourdes, Rosa and the other women from the community, everything became easier and I gained a lot from those years. We worked in the neighbourhood of Ajusco, in the outskirts of Mexico City. There we worked with families who had migrated from other parts of Mexico without anything to find opportunities in the big capital.

We have always focused our interest on children because they are the most vulnerable. Hence we had a nursery, which later turned into St. Joseph’s Mother and Child Centre. I was impressed how each time we asked for help in the country, people would always respond positively and we never lacked support. Both, the Central de Abastosand private companies would donate their products for the smooth running of the Centre.

But the story does not end here. After getting used to Mexico and its people, I left once again but this time to Africa – to Kenya, to Turkana. And the story began again: new language, house, people …

When I look back, I can only say my life has been a blessing as it has been years of moving from one place to another, and it has brought me a lot of happiness. Today I want to thank everyone, especially Cecilia, because she stirred up my vocation and helped me to be strong and to follow Christ; Paco who pushed me to leave my country and showed me that I could move to anywhere, to be universal – to live anywhere with different peoples and feel that every place is home.

I now understand my vocation as a small seed that God placed in my heart, which even I did not know existed in me until I met Cecilia and she awakened it. Then others came: Paco, Lourdes, Scholastica and all the others who have helped me along this journey, who have made me strong, humble, patient, demanding … so many things that I would run out of ink in describing how much they have all contributed to my life. I would like to invite many other young persons who come to visit us in the missions to take that next step – that of staying here forever and living a fulfilled life of service for others. Because I discovered that this was the path to happiness.

Eleni Tsegaw MCSPA

I was 19 years old when I first met the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle. During a Eucharist celebration, that was when I began to understand God’s immense love for us. I then realized that I didn’t just know, but at the same time felt God’s immense love in my heart. I was filled with joy!!!  I immediately felt a compassion towards all those that were in need and wanted to let them know that God really loves and cares for all of us.

I knew that proclaiming Christ is a call for all who are baptised, but the question that kept nagging me was; how was I supposed to do this? This is something many people neglect. All this should come from the heart and I believe that it is a call from God. 

My journey began as I took a walk with Patrizia Aniballi and other members of the MCSPA 19 years ago. I came to know them through Mrs. Esther Mwarabu who was working with the missionaries in Turkana. She had come to my village in Hola, Tana River County to pick one of my cousins who had earlier agreed to join the missionaries but changed her mind and refused. Esther Mwarabu then decided to visit our house so that she could talk to my mother and I about the missionary life in Turkana.  My mother agreed that I visit Turkana to see whether I liked or not and together with Esther Mwarabu we travelled to Nairobi to meet Patrizia Aniballi and then to Turkana.  Turkana was a place I only heard of in my History classes but I never bother to even check its location geographically.

I decided to be adventurous and embarked on a long journey towards Turkana. Through the journey I beganto understand that adventure is not only travelling around the world, but travelling down the roads of the hearts of people I meet every day. To me adventure is an encounter; it is a kind of love I want to lead.  Adventure is a conversion that lasts a lifetime, so incredible that it surpasses our greatest expectations.  Adventure calls for courage, which leads to hope and joy.  

Be courageous!  As St. John Paul the Great says:

 “Do not be afraid!  Open wide the doors to Christ!  Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure!” 

I remember about Esther Mwarabu’s visit to my village, I think of God’s call to live a missionary life, and my response. God issued the invitation, and I had the choice, to take it or to leave it. I will be forever grateful that I chose to follow.

When I first began considering missionary life in the beginning, I certainly wasn’t thinking about sitting it out or how I would eventually feel about the choices I would make. My questions majorly centred on what will my family and friends thought since I was not educated as Catholic but in the Methodist Church, What would my life be like as a missionary? And, finally, how do I know that Missionary life was right for me?

Some years after when I became a full member of the Missionary Community of St Paul, I went to give a missionary animation talks in one of the schools. During the talk a student asked me this question, “so Lenny, why did you became a missionary?’’ No matter how many times I’m asked this question, and in how many different ways, I’m never prepared for it. I then realized that’s because the answer has to come from the heart, not the mind alone thus it’s not easy to put into words.

When I began considering missionary life, I didn’t know exactly why I wanted to become a lay missionary. All I know is that there was an attraction inside of me that I could only express vaguely. Perhaps the reason can be found in a song called, “I hope you dance.’’ By Lee Ann Womack. It’s a song about loving, making choices to live life fully, to respond to the calls that are deep inside of us and to risk looking like a dancing fool in order to follow our deepest yearnings.

As I struggled to get in touch with my feelings, I responded, I wanted to love God as much as I could, and I felt the best way for me to do this was to be a lay missionary. My reason then and now is still the same. Love. Although it wasn’t without twists and turns, and many questions along the way, I’ve found my identity in being in MCSPA; serving God, especially towards the children, women and the elderly. I encounter each an everyday in Nariokotome Mission.

Lenny Jillo MCSPA

Looking back on how I began my vocational journey towards joining the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) and eventually becoming a priest, it is impossible to put the sequence of events on paper. If I am to put down each and every detail about it, then volumes of publications will be printed. I will therefore point out the land marking moments that defined the story of my vocation to the priesthood.

I went to St. Mary’s Minor Seminary in Kwale district, a minor seminary belonging to the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa for my Secondary education and it is in this school that I first came to know about the existence of the MCSPA. There were some students from Turkana and Tana-River who were being sponsored by the MCSPA and thus some of the members used to come to visit them. By this time no impact or sort of attention had been drawn from me towards this group since the intention was to join the archdiocese of Mombasa if at all I was to continue with the vocation to priesthood. 

The year 1998, while in Form Two (second year of my secondary education) can be defined as the year that marked the beginning of my journey with the MCSPA. This year, tragic as it was, can be called a “year of blessing in disguise”. I call it so because it is the period that my father passed on (5^thMarch 1998) and it is in the same year that I met and had some sort of lengthy and deeper dialogue with Fr. Alex Campon about my vocation and possible future plans. It was a routine in the minor seminary for the Rector (Headmaster/Principal) to invite a priest for our monthly recollection every last Saturday of the month. The June of 1998, it was Fr. Alex Campon, a priest from the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA), who came to give us the monthly recollection. He came with another colleague priest and when the time for individual confessions came before the Mass, I happened to go to Fr. Alex and after the formal confession process, we engaged in a conversation which had to be cut short since there were other students in the line. The conversation continued later after the Mass. The death of my father created some sort of serious thought about my vocation since at one point in time I remember telling him that I would wish to serve God although at that moment I did not know in what capacity.

The end of this land mark conversation was an invitation by Fr. Alex to visit one of their missions, Wema Catholic Mission in the diocese of Malindi. This invitation was honoured during my August school holidays. I went for the first time to Wema Mission in August of 1998 in the company of Thaddeus Jilo, Dominic and Francis who were under the care of Fr. Alex during their studies at Kwale seminary. The journey was relatively long bearing in mind that the bus left Mombasa (Bondeni) at 6:30am and arrived at 3pm in Mininjila, a small shopping centre where the bus stopped for some passengers to alight since the final destination for the bus was Hola. Wema mission is 7 kilometres from Mininjila junction and there was no public transport to the mission, we had to trek the 7 kilometres to our destination. The trekking seemed long since it was the first time of my adventure to this mission.

After this visit, I was always in touch with Fr. Alex through post mail (letters) as the era of mobile phones, email and other social media technology was not so common in the Kenyan society. It was a slow type of communication but at least we got in touch. I did not go back to the mission for the rest of the years until after the completion of my Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE). After completing my fourth form of high school and getting the results, I worked as a casual clerk at the sea port of Mombasa in the container depot. In March of 2001, I had another meeting with Fr. Alex at the Holy Ghost Cathedral in Mombasa CBD. This meeting was to define whether I have agreed to come and see the missionary life or I would opt for another kind of life (remember I was earning my own money and paying my bills). It was a tough moment for me to make a decision since deep down in my heart I knew that I wanted to follow the missionary life yet the joy of being independent and earning a salary was also in the picture. I gave myself a span of 2 months to think over the matter; in the meantime the communication with Alex was through mobile phone so it was easier and effective. 

Fr. Alex, was patient with me. I cannot clearly say what he saw in me that made him be constantly in touch. In May 2001, I met him at our usual meeting point, Holy Ghost cathedral – Mombasa. We had a relatively long talk and this was the talk that made me make the move to go to Wema mission, not as a visiting student as it happened 3 years back, but a “come and see”, ready to taste the missionary life. Even though I had been to Wema Catholic mission, in Malindi diocese before, the arrival this time was a different one. I was going there with a purpose and a decision to make at the end; to continue with the missionary life or quit and go back home.

Life was good in the mission since the people, both in the mission and the parish, were welcoming. The native Pokomo people were good to me, they made me feel at home. With other young people in the mission and with the help of Fr. Alex and other priests around I managed to be incorporated in the daily life of the mission. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and when three months were over, I was faced with the difficult task of decision making. I knew that this is what I wanted to do, to stay and respond to the call in the capacity that God will grant me. On 16^thAugust 2001, Fr. Alex called me after breakfast for a talk in the office. He asked me a question, with a typical phrase from him, “How is it so far?” and my response was that am fine and liking the place. The next question followed, “So are you staying with us or you are going back to Mombasa?” I gave him my reply again, but this time more elaborative. I wanted to stay and contribute to the building of the Kingdom of God. I moved to the main St. Paul’s house as an indication that I had made a step and accepted to start this new journey of my life. 

I lived in Wema Mission for 6 months until December 2001 when I went to Turkana in Nariokotome. This was the longest journey I had ever done in my life. We went by road all the way from Wema to Turkana. The journey took us twoy serviry days with difficult roads and terrain coupled with a dry and hot climate of very high temperatures. I was not convinced that I would stay for long in this place. However, as days went by I saw and found a new meaning of the place and the people. The simplicity of the Turkana people moved me; they have little material wise but they still manage to be happy. I learnt to appreciate and stop the complaining attitude, they taught me simplicity. I found myself falling in love with the place and the people and it is from this attitude that I managed to spend the three years of my life in Turkana without going back to visit my mother and siblings. Regardless of being far from my family and missing them in many instances, Turkana as a region taught me survival skills and what it means to live and serve a people different from my own. It was the first time that I had been away from my home and family for more than four months. It was not easy. I stayed in Turkana for three years and this period was vital in shaping my vocation to priesthood. 

In 2004, I went to Uganda for my Philosophical studies at Queen of Apostles Philosophy Centre in Jinja (2004-2007). Upon completion, I proceeded to Makerere University for my Post Graduate Diploma in Education from August 2007 to September 2008. All this while, I was in touch with Fr. Alex and his encouraging words and support helped me finish the studies successfully. 

I came back to Kenya in October 2008 and went to Lobur Mission in Turkana. Life was different again with a new reality distinct from that in Uganda. I had to adapt to the climate and the rhythm of non-scholarly life in the mission. While in Lobur Mission, I assumed pastoral responsibilities and other apostolate in the mission. I stayed in Lobur for 2 years and a half, that is, from 2008 to August 2011. 

In August of 2011, I began my Theological studies at Tangaza University College in Nairobi while residing at the nearby Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College. This was another complete different reality of formation life. It was the last stretch of formation towards priesthood and thus everything had to be done in a manner that corresponds to it. The integration of spiritual, human and academic formation was vital during the formation period. I was in Tangaza College from 2011 to 2015 where I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Sacred Theology from Pontifical Urbaniana University-Rome, and a Diploma in Theology from Tangaza University College. In May 2015, I was ordained deacon upon which I was posted to St. Paul Nariokotome Mission for my diaconate apostolate. I worked in Nariokotome until 12^thDecember 2015 when I was ordained to the priesthood by Rt. Rev. Dominic Kimengich of Lodwar Diocese. Life as a deacon in Nariokotome brought back the old good memories of going for Masses in the different outstations in the parish. It also rejuvenated the bond with some people who were there when I came to Turkana, Nariokotome Mission in particular, for the first time 14 years back. My ordination to priesthood marked the realization of a long awaited desire and fulfilment. It was a dream come true after a long period of formation journey with many challenges that sometimes made me think of giving up: I thank God and all those who helped me with words of encouragement during those difficult moments.

Looking back at my vocational journey, I can only summarize it as a miracle since I do not have enough words to exhaustively narrate it. It is a journey of small steps coupled with perseverance and prayer. This year marks my 4th anniversary to priesthood and I still experience this powerful miracle every day of my life in the ministry. Thank you Fr. Alex Campon for your support and other MCSPA fraternity who in one way or another played a part in this great journey of my vocation. God bless you all!

Wycliffe Ochieng – MCSPA

I am John Amadi Obila and I was born and raised in an Anglican family. When I was about 10 years old, I remember my parents used to take me for Sunday School and that was when Christian teachings and values began taking shape in me. However, during the upper primary school days until throughout high school, I was not much of a church-goer; even my parents did not go to church regularly. We would march to church only during Christmas, and, unfortunately, I did not find much meaning in attending the services and Sunday School at all.

After high school, when I was about 20 years old, I struggled very much so as to support my family especially since I was the first born in the family. I worked as an untrained teacher at a private primary school for 1 year. Thereafter I moved to a larger town at the invitation of a friend; there I worked as a waiter in a restaurant. Thereafter, I moved to Kisumu city to join my cousin in a small business to try to eke out a living. In Kisumu city, I was exposed to another kind of life, so different from the village; there, I experienced much in terms of social life. I used to commute very early everyday to town and return very late in the night. I was not content and certainly disillusioned with much in life. I wanted something more fulfilling. Many critical questions began surfacing in my mind – How would my future be like? What was my purpose and calling in this world? Why certain things happen to certain people? And so on … It was all so disturbing!

It was during those days of so many questions about the world and my existence, that a relative of my family came into the picture – Fr. Steven Ochieng. It was one evening in December 2010 when I my mother suggested to me about going to a mission called Todonyang in Turkana; that was where Fr. Steven, my mother’s cousin, was parish priest at the time. Fr. Steven happened to be in Kisumu then and the following day I went to Kibuye Catholic Church where Fr. Steven was to celebrate mass, and we met there after mass. We immediately made arrangements to travel to Turkana. As I did not know Turkana, I was accompanied by a young man from the mission called Robert who was very willing to travel with me to Lodwar town and then on to Nariokotome Mission. 

The journey from Lodwar to Nariokotome was one of those that I will never forget as it was really challenging and still an amazing experience for a first-timer like me. We arrived at Nariokotome Mission in the evening, totally caked in dust all over our bodies. Despite the bumpy roads and dust, I thanked God for granting us a safe journey. It is all still fresh in my mind. It was a Sunday and the usual weekly session of catechesis was on going. We attended the catechesis session, although we were very exhausted from the long journey all the way from Kisumu. Finding myself in the midst of a gathering of people from different backgrounds who were sharing their thoughts on Scripture, surprised me. I was happy with this and I really liked the idea that people could share and comment on the readings, and describe how the scriptures influenced their lives. That kind of sharing eventually gave impetus to my desire to be a missionary. I had not had an opportunity to be in such a gathering where people talk about God.  In my previous life back home, at no time did I experience such a kind of sharing; it was just attending church on Sundays and that was all. 

Todonyang Mission is where the foundation of my discernment and formation was laid, and it began with Fr. Steven as my mentor. I cannot afford not to state there that I encountered beautiful moments living with Fr. Steven; he was not only a father to me but also an educator and a formator, from whom I have learnt a great deal especially from the spiritual engagements that we had during meals, evening prayer and mass that I attended everyday. All this galvanized my aspiration to follow in his footsteps. My idea of God was transformed from the prior belief that I had, and this was as a result of communal living and the sharing during catechesis. Through all this, I encountered Christ in the people I shared my life with. The communal life has been amazingly beautiful to me especially since I come from a society that is centred on the individual. 

I am therefore grateful to Fr. Steven for having invited me and for the love he showed me, and how he continues to journey with me to towards becoming a better missionary. I finished my degree in philosophy and development studies last year with the University of South Africa and am looking forward to pursuing theology. Currently, I am studying an accountancy program at the Technological Institute of the Philippines; I hope that the knowledge and skills learnt can be of service in helping with the accounts of the houses and missions and also for teaching Mathematics at the Payatas livelihood centre in Metro Manila where I am presently residing. 

At Todonyang Mission, I used to accompany Fr. Steven to the out-stations for masses, to bring good news to people living in harsh conditions. We were going to the schools there that provided food and education to the children; we even went with the mission nurse. I was involved in helping the nurse give medication to the sick of those areas. The organization of educational workshops and peace talks for purpose of establishing peace between the Turkana and the Dassanech tribes people along the border areas were a constant activity since they was always conflict between the two communities as a result of inadequate pasture and water. Living and witnessing all this in the flesh at Todonyang Mission, made me want to be on the side of the vulnerable, the poor and the underprivileged. I felt for them and was motivated by the desire to do the same as Fr. Steven did. At the same time, I was under pressure from my family who wanting to pull me back to the village as I was the first born. I have remained adamant and insistent over the years, trying to make my parents understand my decision to be a missionary, and that I really want to help others and to bring some light to those in darkness. It has not been easy with my parents because of their expectations of their first-born to support the family especially the younger siblings. 

My spiritual journey has always been premised on my keen observation and listening to people, and through that I obtained some inspiration. I am also grateful for the privilege of meeting the founder of MCSPA, the late Fr. Paco … may his soul rest in eternal peace. Fr. Steven introduced me to him and I stayed with him for about 2 months until the time he passed on. I had edifying moments of discussions with him, and I remember so well how he enjoyed reflections from the divine office. We would read paragraph by paragraph and reflected on them through discussions and I was really moved by that. I cannot forget the practical activities that we were involved in such as the building of gabbions, giving food and clothes to the children, etc. Thus a sense of humanity and generosity was inculcated in me through these encounters.

Paco would occasionally let me know how he saw me, how I might have changed for the better in the way that I understood things and led my life; those words of Paco are always imprinted on my mind. He showed me that we had to be fruitful by doing good.

I am currently in Manila, Philippines, where I am involved in our outreach programs such as teaching at the Payatas Livelihood Center, doing home visitations, visiting the prisoners and doing vocation promotion in other parts of the Philippines, with Fr. Francis guiding us. I find joy in reaching out to the needy and responding practically to their needs through the development projects that we have drafted.

John Amadi

Senior Apprentice, MCSPA.

I am Ambrose Wanyonyi and I was born in the western part of Kenya. I spent most of my childhood in a village near Kitale town. I am currently a senior apprentice with the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle, better known by our acronym, MCSPA.

My journey to missionary life dates back 8 years ago, on completion of my high school education. Brian Werunga – whom I knew ever since we were children – at that time had just spent a year with the MCSPA. Brian returned to our village for a couple of days and shared with me the “breaking news”: he had met some missionaries who reside in Turkana, and he was impressed at their generosity in restoring hope to people of this marginalised region of northern Kenya. 

The news about the missionaries did not move me much at first, since I hardly knew much about what missionaries were all about anyway. Nevertheless, I felt somewhat eager to see what all the fuss was about. So in the beginning of 2011, I set off together with Brian to Lodwar and I was introduced to Fr. Francis Teo, a member of the MCSPA, who was then the Vicar General of the Diocese of Lodwar. It all appeared like going and staying with a priest in the parish … it didn’t look anything extraordinary at all!

Then, for my first weekend in this region, we all went up to the remote area to the north of Lodwar, to the mission of Nariokotome. Now, things began to look different! I was able to meet many other members of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle.

While Turkana is generally a semi-arid place, the mission looked different. Here, in the middle of nowhere, there was life! Because of the lack of rain and the apparently barren soil and scorching sun, it may not be easy to agree with me when I say that one could easily fall in love with this place. It is here that my whole understanding of missionary life deepened. Living and learning the charism of the missionary community continues to strengthen my vocation. I have no doubt that this is the correct choice that I have made. 

The unity and bond among people of different nationalities was surprising to me at first, but as time went by, I developed a better understanding of this way of life, a life in common. The love of Christ is felt in the people of the house and living together becomes more and more fulfilling. This closeness is propelled by one purpose, to give all to those who need more than what we need, and to bring them closer to Christ. 

I think this is the one thing that I admire most in my journey with the MCSPA: when you are able to go out of yourself and just give without expecting any returns. I am always touched by the words of Cecilia Puig, a senior member of the MCSPA, “there is much joy in giving than in receiving.” It is in this giving, that I am able to help myself more, and this strengthens my vocation. 

This missionary community or house, as we say, has become my home. It is hard to speak of a material or visible sign that one is being called to follow a vocation as a missionary. I think the recognisable sign is when there is deep joy in simply belonging to or being a part of this house. It is through these 8 years that I have continued to grow more seriously – in mind, heart and soul – in my vocation to the priesthood. I am not yet there, but it is my aim, with the help of God. Fr. Francis, the one who has mentored me throughout and to whom I owe my gratitude, has been the “driver” ever since I started out on my vocation journey. He has given the greatest support to bring me this far. These years have come with challenges of all sorts. However, Fr. Francis has stood by my side to guide me and to help me stand up again and to continue the journey, happier still and with more focus and commitment.

And I know that I need to serve God better from now on.

Ambrose Emmanuel Wanyonyi, – Apprentice, MCSPA

It all began in September 2009 at Nakuru College where I met Laura, a young lady who had been with the Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle (MCSPA). Laura explained to me about these missionaries and invited me to visit them at their different missions in Lodwar Diocese, Kenya.

At that time I didn’t know anything about missionaries except for what I had learnt at school. Laura encouraged me and told me that if I became a missionary, my generosity and love would reach far in helping others.

After completing my studies in 2012, I contacted Josephine Amuma and she invited me to visit the MCSPA mission in Turkana. I was eager to know who they were and why they had come from far away to live with people in the middle of the semi-desert.

When I reached Lodwar, it was another adventure for me because there were no sealed roads to go to the mission, only the dirt tracks that the missionaries used to go to the different villages. I finally reached the mission of Nariokotome. I was left speechless at how the missionaries had come from so far to help and yet I was not even aware of what was happening in the northern part of my own country! I did not expect to see what I saw at that moment. It impressed me so much that I decided to choose to live this kind of life with the members of the MCSPA so that I could help others by caring for them, and starting from my own country.

I was moved at how the missionaries were carrying out their tasks and apostolate with generosity and love and to whoever that came knocking on the door for assistance – some solution would always be found!  I marvelled at how they had turned a semi-desert land into a lush garden, and showing that, with patience and perseverance, vegetables and fruit can grow in a semi-desert like Turkana!

Seeing people without much water or food to eat or clothes to wear opened my heart to share all that I had and love others as God has loved us without choosing; real love does not expect anything in return.

I was touched, and I said “yes” to joining the MCSPA missionaries who had come from different parts of the world so that I could serve freely the people of God. I believe that God is calling me to serve all his people. It is through that kind of love that life can be changed and all this starts with me. It doesn’t matter how much one does but it is the love that one puts into doing that really matters.

I am now living in Ethiopia and I give thanks to Laura and all those who have showed me the way to go out and love as God has loved us.

Esther Kerubo, 

Apprentice MCSPA

Why take this way? This is a question I am often asked by many people, especially my former classmates. It is difficult for them to understand why I decided to do something so different in my life.

It all started on 28^thFebruary 2011, when I said “Yes” to Fr. Avelino, a priest and member of the Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle. I remember vividly that day under a tree in Thika (central Kenya) when Fr. Avelino invited me to go with him to Turkana and to see for myself what they do. I had never been in that part of the country, but I had read, back in my school days, about the Turkana people who are known to be warriors. For this reason I did not share with many friends and family about my going there since I was afraid that they would discourage me from doing so.  

I was born in the central region of Kenya. The land is generally fertile and rain is never a problem. However when I reached Turkana, for the first time in my life I experienced extremely high temperatures. I started wondering if anyone could survive such conditions. What encouraged me was seeing the people of the land so happy and positive despite the harsh conditions under which they survived.

I was warmly welcomed by the members of the Community who come from different parts of the world, but who have formed a fraternal bond, guided by the same charism, and moved by people’s suffering. When I saw how the members were united, I immediately decided to leave my former life and embrace this new journey. I had also the privilege of meeting and staying with the founder, Fr. Paco. May his soul rest in eternal peace. I owe him my life here. He was the one who moulded me and showed me the realities of life.

I have usually been good at working with youth, and I have been doing so in Turkana for several years. It gives me joy to see the young people smile. In that way they are able to overcome all the trauma they have gone through. I stayed in Nariokotome for five years and then I went to our mission in Malawi. There, I was introduced to another life and culture. I was working with a fishing project, establishing fishponds in different villages, interacting directly with the people on the ground.

Again, I left Malawi and moved to South Sudan. We are trying to rebuild the mission of Ave Maria in the Diocese of Tombura Yambio. It was constructed by the Comboni Missionaries decades ago. It feels an honour to step into the shoes of these early missionaries. In South Sudan I often have to lead the Liturgy of the Word, visit remote villages and take communion to the sick and elderly.

It is now eight years since I chose this path and I have never regretted it a single moment. I look forward with zeal, as St. Paul says, to finish the race that I have started.

Thank you, Avelino, for inviting me to this life. Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. To all the members of this wonderful family, I thank you as you continue helping me to get up especially when I am down.

So going back to the question often asked of me, “Why take this way?” I guess its because I shall never pass this way again, and so if there is something good that I can do for others, I shall do it now!

In our youth group in my home parish we had T-shirts with the quote from Stephen Grellet printed on them: “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” 

This quote has been for me an inspiration in my life and vocation. I find in it an answer, when I am asked why I decided to take this way.

Peter Chege, Apprentice MCSPA

My journey to being a missionary was one of many curves and turnings. At a very early age I knew that I wanted to be a Priest. At Nakuru where I lived with my family for ten years during my adolescent years is when I discovered my vocation to the Priesthood. Through a very encouraging and concerned Parish Priest I became an altar server and later on joined St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary in Molo.

While at the seminary my vocation became stronger. The rector then was a very gentle and demanding man at the same time. He inspired most of us towards the Priesthood. The said rector is currently my Bishop in the Diocese of Lodwar. All along my idea of the Priesthood was of the diocesan kind since all the Priests that I came across were Diocesan.

This however changed when I went to Turkana through the invitation of a friend of mine to visit Turkana. Turkana was a new discovery to me. It may have been in the same country but it might as well been another country all together. The people, the place, the smells, everything seemed so different and difficult and yet surprisingly exciting.

I met European missionaries so fascinated by the place and doing a lot for the people, my country men. This was a great challenge to me. I felt like, if they can be happy staying in a place that most of us Kenyans shun, a place that we consider difficult and forgotten, I could also be part of the change process, be an agent of hope. I was happy and committed for some time.

However after four years I left the Community, I left Turkana to try a new life. By God’s grace I found my way back to the Community. As they say, the rest is history. I became a missionary through the guidance and support of Albert and many other MCSPA members.

I’m currently working at Nariokotome Mission as the Parish Priest and as the Director of St. Joseph Primary school.

Denis Odongo, MCSPA