Ordination Five Young Mill Hill Missionaries to the Diaconate
Today, Saturday 23rd September, the ordination to the transitional diaconate of five young Mill Hill missionaries -François Bameko, Gabriel Lofembe, Olivier Lomboto (all DR Congo), John Peter Otieno (Uganda), and Pasala Sudheer (India) – took place at St Joseph and Mary parish Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, Kenya.
Watch ceremony live stream Recording:
https://www.youtube.com/live/vOdOcA_wPm0?si=pDsWZ5-RzazYiip0
This year 2023, we have been privileged as Mill Hill Missionaries to welcome 10 new members to the society as perpetual members. Five of these 10 were received in the society in Pune in India early this year. The other 5 were received this weekend here in Nairobi- Kenya.
The new members received in Nairobi are as follows: Olivier Lomboto, Gabriel Lofembe and Francis Bameko from Congo. John Peter Othieno from Uganda and Pasala Sudheer from India. This was the first time in the history of the society to receive 3 members from Congo at once.
The celebration of the perpetual Oath took place at the formation center Friday 22/9/23 presided over by Fr. Philip Amek Adede; General Council member and councilor for Africa. He assured the members that the society welcomes them with great joy to participate in its mission. In a well corded message to them and quoting from one scholar, he reminded them of St. Joseph who is a man who “gave all but said nothing.”
The following Saturday 23/9/23, was another celebration. The five candidates were ordained by Bishop David Kamau, Auxilliary bishop of Nairobi Archdiocese as deacons. The celebration took place at St. Joseph and Mary Parish- Shauri Moyo. Our Mill Hill parish in the Archdiocese. It was such a colourful celebration. Bishop Kamau reminded the candidates to keep in mind the vows they were undertaking and to remember that they no longer belong to themselves but to the Church.
We remain grateful to the parish community of Shauri Moyo for making a home for us as expressed in the short speech of Fr. Philip Adede. As is always the ‘tradition’, we shared lunch together before parting ways. We wish our new members all the best in mission and pray for the worldwide mission of the society. God bless us all.
Francis Makuba mhm
A short summary of the homily preached by the ordaining minister Auxiliary Bishop David Kamau:
“You are called, not by yourself, but by God. This calling is a humble vocation that requires your response. You are summoned for a duty, not merely for personal enjoyment. True enjoyment can arise as the fruits of fulfilling your duty. God asks us to dedicate both our present and future lives, similar to how He wanted Abraham to offer not only his life but also the life of his son.
For the deacons, they are called to surrender their entire lives to God through three vows:
1. The vow of Poverty.
2. The vow of Obedience and Respect for Superiors, recognizing that their lives will be guided by the Holy Spirit through their superiors.
3. Chastity or Celibacy, the greatest gift offered to God. While many take pride in having children, priests and religious individuals relinquish that joy to God. It’s not an easy path, which is why prayer is essential to manage it. Following the footsteps of Jesus Christ, leading to the Cross, is central to our lives. Prayer is our lifeline; without it, we sever our connection to our roots and lose our foundation.
We have our advocate in Mary, our Mother, and we should take our Rosary seriously. Those who entrust their lives to Mary experience a different path compared to those who don’t.
I entrust your lives to Mary as your mother, the mother of the Church, and the mother of all. Everyone present here has gathered to encourage and pray for you”.
Father Placide Elia, a Mill Hill Missionary.
