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 

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

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

Growing up it never occurred to me that one day I would be a missionary, my understanding of being missionary was shaped by what I learned in school, to me a missionary was someone who had come from Europe to spread the good news of Christ’s salvation in Africa. 

This totally changed when I met Fr. Alex Campon a Spanish missionary priest of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA), most notable thing I remember in those early days when I began my missionary vocation in Turkana was waking up early in the morning preparing land for growing crops and planting trees with the local nomadic Turkana people in the almost barren land of Turkana which I thought was “madness” at that time little did I know that God was calling me in that way, now I trust that God writes straight in crooked lines. Going for “round masses” as we used to call them helped me hear the life stories of struggle of the local poor nomadic people and I came embrace the invitation that Christ was calling me to follow him through Fr. Alex Campon. It was not only to follow and remain dormant rather it was an invitation to share my life, capacities, and talents consequently from these experiences the Lord planted in me a great desire for missionary vocation.  

Even though at times the work, traveling around in an unforgiving terrain felt like a “punishment” and exhausting, at the end of each day I felt more refreshed and full of life than ever before. In Turkana I became aware of the adventure and the difficulties inherent in following Christ and in the midst of this spiritual transformation of sorts, I was learning and observing first-hand the ministry of long-term development being guided Fr. Alex Campon and the wider community of the MCSPA.

As a missionary in my own country among the poor nomadic people of Turkana, I have come to learn that direct service to the poor requires serious, consistent self-examination, deep prayer, and willingness to be converted and unlearn many things. No one serves perfectly, gives completely or works flawlessly. What is important is that a person knows and experiences the call to missionary vocation as a call from Christ, I don’t serve because it is good to do so, but I serve because I have been called in love and my response is to choose to return love.God created me in love, and has called me to life in service of others. In the poor, in those I work amongst, I see and know the Lord. I see the crucified, suffering Christ more often in the person broken by hunger and struggling to feed themselves, in that elderly person who has no one to take care of him or her, in that abandoned child and in many cases of desperation.

Through these experiences I have developed a burning desire to be more than just a participant in life, but to understand a spiritual calling to serve the Church. The strong presence of God actively working in my life has led me to seek a deep understanding of my personal spiritual growth. I am filled with joy to have responded to the call of Christ to become a missionary and now that I am in my final year of theological studies at Loyola School of Theology (LST) in Manila, almost being ordained deacon it gives me pleasure that I will further my life rooted in Christ and at the same time understand God’s intention for God’s creation and human potential, proclaiming and becoming an authentic witness to the Word of God in an intelligible manner as a future priest to the People of God, in the blessed land of Turkana where my missionary vocation was born.

Victor Otieno, MCSPA.

For more info get in touch with us via email on : admin@mcspa.org

As a young boy, I admired our parish priest, Fr. Raphael Ochanda, of St Michael’s Parish at Sigomere in Western Kenya. He was a simple man and believed in practical things. What made me admire him most was when I saw how he would be covered in dust while repairing his car. This struck me very much because of the idea I had before of a priest as someone “holy” and above all the grime and dirt. Thus, a light ignited in me and I told myself that I must be a priest one day. I started organizing games in which we would pretend that we were celebrating “mass” and I was the “presider”. Although I harboured this secret desire, I never managed to get near the altar as an altar server. However, this interest continued inside me throughout my primary school days. This feeling all but diminished when I entered the teen phase in secondary school. I lost interest in the priesthood and in the Church as a whole. I stopped going to church and instead kept myself busy doing odd jobs that could bring in some income for my private needs.

After secondary school, I moved to Kisumu city with my cousin. It is often said that God calls us in different ways and when He hooks us, we cannot escape. One day, while I was helping at the farm of our neighbour, Mama Quinter, who was sick at that time, I saw her daughter, Quinter, who had gone away from home for some time, entering the house with a visitor. Curiously, I went to ask Quinter who the visitor was and where had she been all this time. She told me that she was with a group of missionaries based in Turkana, northern Kenya. After narrating to me all that the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) was doing in Turkana, I became interested in the work of the MCSPA although I was quite uncertain of how I could help. When I told her of my interest to go and visit, Quinter introduced me to Josephine Amuma, a member of the community, who arranged for me to go to Turkana. I was thus introduced to Fr. Paco who was later to become my guide and mentor. 

To this day, I am convinced that the first week in Turkana was the worst thing that I had ever experienced! I still thank God that there was no means of public transportation from the mission which I could have taken to return to Kisumu! The heat was too much for me to bear and I did not understand the language of the people. These factors made me feel that I could not fit in with the people.

However, when I gradually came to unveil the hidden beauty and happiness that lay in this dry part of Kenya, and among the local nomadic Turkana tribe and the members of the MCSPA, that light that had been extinguished during my teenage days rekindled with a new vigour. Working in the vegetable garden and attending the Eucharistic celebrations were my best moments. Masses in Turkana were marvellously long! Where the missionary community was concerned, it was amazing to see people from different backgrounds living together with love and understanding. I was very moved and decided that this was the life that I wanted to live. 

I stayed with Fr. Paco during his last two and a half years and I learnt a lot from him. Being a practical man, I learnt how to do many things starting from unclogging blocked sinks to praying the rosary. He stressed vocation promotion and caring for the vocations that God sent us. According to him, one should not live alone like an island. Instead one has to go out and call people to share the joy that one is experiencing. He made me realise the importance of vocation promotion. His departure left a void in my heart and the hearts of many who knew him. Paco’s fraternal correction, which was tough for me at that time, helped and shaped me to be who I am today. He was to me a true shepherd who was ready to leave the ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness and go for the one lost sheep and being him or her back to the flock safe and sound. After his death, Fr. Antonio became my mentor and guide, and thanks to him I have reached where I am today. Antonio tried his best in helping me continue with my vocation. He helped me and continue to help smoothen the sharp edges in my life so as to bring me back on the better path.

It has been a difficult journey for me with all its ups and down. I have had to prune away many things in my life and that has not been easy for me! And still, I find more joy in being there for the people and helping out as best I can. I have never felt like giving up because I find joy here. It is through dying to ourselves and living for others that we acquire this internal and satisfying happiness. Now that I have started theology, I pray that I will not lose focus during these four years and that one day I may be ordained a priest, the kind who finds joy in serving others rather than in being served!

Zacchaeus Okoth Oduor

Senior Apprentice of MCSPA

For more information get in touch via email on – admin@mcspa.org

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.
Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his holy name.His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.
The Lord listened and had pity. The Lord came to my help.For me you have changed my mourning into dancing: O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

Psalm 29:2. 4-6. 11-13.