Basankusu, DR Congo: Fr Stanislaus Bondoko MHM Silver Jubilarian

The first priest of the Missionary Society of Saint Joseph Mill Hill (MHM) of Basankusu, the Reverend Father Stanislas Bondoko Bolinga, celebrated this August 30, 2023 his silver jubilee in Basankusu in the Province of Equateur in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During an exclusive interview granted to a colleague of ACP, the Priest of the Roman Catholic Church expressed his feeling of satisfaction in these terms:

“My joy is great to see this memorable day when I received my priestly ordination at the hands of Bishop Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi of happy memory. This is why I glorify the name of God because it is good for me. Becoming a priest is a privilege and a responsibility for me. A privilege because God chose me in a community and he called me to serve his people; and a responsibility because I have such heavy tasks to accomplish in the face of Church and the nation. I have the responsibility to show the people of God the right path they must follow to inherit the kingdom of heaven and also to give an education to the population and especially to young people because the Church of tomorrow, the country of tomorrow is in the hands of well-educated young people. Responsibility is also the fact of becoming a priest and bearing witness to faith in Jesus Christ in order to serve his Church”.

Known as Father Stan Bondoko, this man of God indicates that one does not become a priest to become a billionaire but to serve the Church of the Lord and love his people, by practicing love, humility, politeness, obedience to everyone, without discrimination of race or social rank. You have to be the leaven in the dough and above all walk in the light of Christ.

Reverend Father Bondoko then invites the community to read the Gospel according to Matthew in its fifth chapter starting with verse 13 to 16 in order to understand how we should live in this world.

“This is the verse that I like very much, it is for this reason that I invite all priests and servants of God to read it well in order to keep the attitude of a good Christian”, he said. – he adds.

At the same time, Father Stan made a vow of reconciliation. “I ask forgiveness to anyone for whom I have been an obstacle or a disturbance, anyone who saw that I hurt him, let him forgive me for the love of the Lord, I too forgive anyone who hurt me in one way or another and may the Lord forgive us,” he said.

Celebrating 25 years of priestly life is an advantage for me, because some others have not had this opportunity and on this I invite all priests and servants of God to give themselves wholeheartedly in the service of the Lord, to help those who are in need and always present a good behavior in front of everyone although the difficulties are many but with prayer we will always be victorious.

Note that Reverend Father Stan Bondoko Bolinga was ordained on August 30, 1998 by Monsignor Bishop Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi in the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral of Basankusu. He is the first black priest of the Saint Joseph Mill Hill Missionary Society in Congo after the whites in the Diocese of Basankusu.

Father Stan traveled to several countries in the world as part of the development of the Divine work. He took this opportunity to thank “all my ecclesiastical authorities, our superiors and more particularly to Monsignor Joseph Mokobe Ndjoku who to this day remains my model and my reference”, he concludes.

Giresse O. Gere Pongo

Source: Losako.cd