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technicians, and 73 nurses andsupport personnel from Sokoto,Zamfara, Katsina, Zaria, and KadunaStates. More than 5,000 patientswaited to be attended to by theCatholic caregivers — but only 1,000were able to be seen in the timeavailable.The community of GidanMaikambu, which served as hostcommunity for the outreach, came toa standstill due to the number ofvisitors. The joy of the hostcommunity was palpable —the peoplehad never witnessed an event of thismagnitude. At the end of the six-hourintensive medical attention given bythe doctors, pharmacists, and nurses,we paid a courtesy visit to the Hakimi,the traditional ruler of the LocalGovernment.At the palace, one phenomenalevent happened. Before we left hispalace, the Hakimi requested forprayers to be said. I directed one ofthe visiting medics to pray and theHakimi was quite pleased at the endof the prayer. This gesture for us wasquite symbolic because of the religioustensions and lack of cohesion we aretrapped in. All we pray for is thecourage to always confront ourdifferences and our challenges asconstructively as possible.With the success recorded duringthis outreach, continuity in this regardas a means of evangelization isnecessary. This phase of outreach wasmade possible by financial assistancefrom good Samaritans from Lagos,Asaba, Abuja, Europe, and America.More can still be achieved with suchsupport.One Muslim lady by name HajaraMohammed told me in Hausalanguage, “Kazama ma na gwamnati,fada,” meaning, “You have becomeour government, Father.”Well, the life of the missionary isbeing all things to all people (1 Cor9:22).Summer 2019The Missionary Society of St. Paul6

Veteran Missionary Visits Malawiby Father Joseph Bola’ Kolade, MSPTSponsor a MissionaryPriest Today!The Missionary Society ofSt. Paul has more than 100seminarians studying for thepriesthood, with all of themsupported by the society. Itcosts more than 3,000 tokeep each student in theseminary for one year—thisis a challenging task for thesociety. You can be of greathelp. Please contact us tosponsor a seminarian ormake a financialcontribution toward histraining.Please use the enclosedenvelope or send your donationto the address below.Missionary Society of St. PaulMission Development OfficeP. O. Box 300145Houston, TX 77230-0145Phone: (713) 747-1722Email: usamsp@yahoo.com7he homecoming visit of abeloved former pastorbrought immense joy tothe people of Holy FamilyParish Bowe in Mzuzu Diocese ofMalawi this past summer. Rev. Fr.Emmanuel Adindu, MSP, visited theparish from May 22 to June 7, 2018.Fr. Adindu’s return was reminiscentof St. Paul, who sometimes revisitedplaces he had evangelized — toencourage and strengthen them in thefaith (2 Corinthians 13:1-2).Judging by the reception accordedhim, it was clear that Fr. Adinduworked very vigorously among thepeople during the ten years he spentwith them. He came to the missionon December 20, 2003 and left onJanuary 7, 2014. Within his short buteventful return visit, Fr. Adindu stillspoke the language of the peoplefluently. This shows he trulyintegrated himself with the peoplewhile he was here — for to acceptthe challenges of a strange andforeign lifestyle, embracing thelanguage and culture of the people isthe hallmark of a true missionary.Before traveling, Fr. Adindu hadasked the MSP priests now workingin Bowe Parish how to assist thepeople. The parish is a rural one,situated north of Kasungu District inMalawi. It was created by the LateBishop Joseph Zuza in 1995 andgiven to the Missionary Society of StPaul to administer. MSP priests havelabored hard to build the parishspiritually, evidenced by the strongfaith of the people. The parish has anestimated number of 45,000 activeCatholics, worshipping in 81outstations and the parish center —spread across more than 100 villages.Each village has an estimatedpopulation of over 2,000 persons.Territorially, the parish falls underthe jurisdiction of Sub TraditionalThe Catholic AmbassadorAuthority (STA) Mayanja in KasunguDistrict. Parts also fall under thejurisdiction of STA Mphomwa,Traditional Authority (TA) Chulu, TASimlemba, STA Chisinga, and SeniorChief Kaluluma.Given that Malawi is the thirdpoorest country in the world, afterCentral African Republic andDemocratic Republic of Congo, manyChristians in Bowe are faced with thedaily struggles of poverty, sickness,and hunger. These challenges did notdeter Fr. Adindu from visiting thepeople. As a matter of fact, theseconditions motivated him to visit andput smiles on their faces.In just their smile, they preach amessage, one that says: what makesone happy is not material possession,but the knowledge of an awesomeGod who is alive and gives life.Before his arrival, he and hisparishioners in the United Kingdom(Our Lady of Kirkstal, CatholicDiocese of Leeds) had funded a newroof for the church building of St.Dominic Chafisi, one of ouroutstations. The church, hithertocovered with grass, is now roofedwith iron sheet. There was greatjubilation when Fr. Adindu celebratedHoly Mass in that church on June 3,2018.Bearing GiftsFr. Adindu came with six big balesof items such as clothing, bags, shoes,jewelry, eye glasses, sports equipment,children’s clothing, and some cashdonations. The generous gifts fromhis parishioners in the UnitedKingdom demonstrate their

uncommon love to the needy in Bowe,Malawi. Many people, young and old,men and women, received somethingto take home. Some orphans, widows,elderly, and people living withHIV/AIDS were equally assisted withcash gifts to sustain their lives, startsmall businesses, and pay tuition fees.Having received these gifts, thePeople of God in Bowe expressed theirdeep appreciation and gratitude inwriting to the donors and Fr. Adindufor remembering and coming to theiraid. They observed that among all theMSP priests who had worked and leftBowe parish, Fr. Emmanuel Adindu isthe first to revisit them.During the tenyears of hismissionary activityamong the people,Fr. Adindu workedclosely with theyoung people andlocal farmers withinBowe Parish.Through his tirelessefforts many youngpeople were able todiscern theirvocations in life —some who went onto attend institutionsof higher education.Today, some arenurses, secondaryschool teachers,National PrisonService workers, andemployees of theMalawi ImmigrationService Commission.In addition, Fr. Adindu assistedlocal farmers to gain access to smallloans from the government and microfinance institutions, allowing them toboost their agricultural productivity.Today, his efforts have grown tobecome a cooperative society with largewarehouses for preserving and storingfarm products. This has helped manypeople in Malawi to have access tofood during the hunger periods. This isa testament to the fact that Fr. AdinduSummer 2019not only worked to improve thespiritual life of the people, but theirmaterial well-being, as well.Indeed, Fr. Adindu’s visit was agreat blessing to the people and ahuge encouragement to the brothersnow working in the parish. His shortvisit to Malawi revealed that lovingthe people and helping the needy intheir situation, is the true identity ofa missionary. The people of BoweThe Missionary Society of St. Paulwere very happy and appreciated thiskind gesture from their priest. Sincehis departure, they continue to say: “ABambo Adinduwakachitamakola,Chiutawatumbikeni,” meaning “Fr.Adindu has done so well, may theLord bless him.”By Fr. Joseph Bola’ Kolade, MSP,now serving Holy Family Parish, BoweKasungu, Malawi.8

Walk 4 the Missions NetsMore than 27K to FundProjects at MSP MissionsThe Associate Missionaries of St. Paul(AMSP), along with dozens offriends of the MSP, gathered atTom Bass Regional Park in Houston on asunny May 4, 2019, to raise funds forprojects at MSP communities in Africa andelsewhere. With 175 walkers and another300 supporters, the event raised 27,700 formission projects.Mission Development Director, Fr.Aloysius Nzekwe, told the walkers they havetouched the lives of hundreds of poorpeople. In Kenya, a hostel was constructedto house more than 200 young girls whoattend school away from home. In Malawi, anew school was built.“As soon as the school opened, it wasfull,” Fr. Aloysius reported. “There is noother school within miles. The families arevery grateful. Thank you for all your effortsand your sacrifice.”This year’s walk featured children’sactivities, including egg races, balloons, andsack races. Hot dogs grilling over a charcoalfire welcomed walkers back after one tofour laps around the lake.St. Martin de Porres Parish once againwon the prize for most funds raised and thehighest number of walkers. The NigerianSociety had the most registrants.Oscar and Sherri Moreno traveled fromSalado, Texas, for her checkup at M.D.Anderson Cancer Center on May 3, anddecided to stay an extra day so they couldtake part. They are parishioners at St.Stephen Parish, where Fr. Jude Uche, MSP,is now pastor. Fr. Aloysius had previouslybeen their pastor.“The MSP priests are so giving, and soloving, you can just see their faith exude —making you want to be a part of thatspirituality,” Sherri said.“Father Aloy spearheaded our churchcampaign,” Oscar added. “We were in amobile home previously.”Sherri added that Fr. Jude is continuingthe momentum at St. Stephen, a parishgrowing in numbers and faith. Inspired bythe example of their MSP pastors, manyHouston-area Catholics paid it forward toless fortunate families in Africa.9The Catholic Ambassador

Summer 2019The Missionary Society of St. Paul10

“In everything, we are continually bearing themarks of the crucified Jesus.” — 2 Cor. 4:10Silver Jubilee Reflection by Very Rev. Fr. Ahenakaa John Ônov-Mbanorr, MSPAhenakaa John ÔnovMbanorr, seventh child in afamily of 20. According tomy mother, my life began on Jan. 1,1965, and through one thing andanother, that life continues to date inthe family of the late Pa VincentÔnov-Mbanorr Gire and MamaBenedicta Atese Ônov-Mbanorr.I had my primary and secondaryeducation in Benue State at St. Anne’sExtension Primary School (nowLGED Haanya Adikpo), from 197278. Then, Adikpo CommunityCollege (now Adikpo ComprehensiveCollege), from 1978-80. I next movedto Mbagwa Community SecondarySchool Lessel in 1981.On November 7, 1984, I wasadmitted into the MissionarySeminary of St. Paul in Iperu-RemoOgun State, where I had my initialspiritual formation. From1985-88, Idid the required studies inPhilosophy. In October 1988, I beganmy studies in Theology, completingin 1992. I had the privilege of beingordained a Deacon the previous yearon December 7, 1991, by my homeBishop, Bishop P.F Sheehan, OSA;however I was not ordained a priestwith my classmates. In October 1992,at the beginning of that academicyear, I came back to the NationalMissionary Seminary as Coordinatorof Pastoral Theological Reflectionswith the students of theology in myformer seminary.I was raised to the Order of thePresbyterate on June 5, 1993, by thethen Most Rev. Dr. John Onaiyekan,the Bishop of Abuja (Now JohnCardinal Onaiyekan, the Archbishopof Abuja Archdiocese and theOrdinary of Missionary Society of St.Paul), becoming a second member ofthe MSP to be ordained alone andalso called John!11The only MSP to celebrate his Silver Jubilee in 2018,Very Rev. Fr.Ahenakaa John Ônov-Mbanorr, was recognized as part of theDiaconate ordination celebration on December 9, 2018.My initial assignment was toIperu-Remo Ogun State toAmbassador publications and missionoffice as personnel manager andbookshop manager. I later served asFirst Mission Representative and for abrief period of time was ActingBursar General of the MSP beforegoing on mission.My missionary journeys have beenin Africa and Europe: South Africa, BethlehemDiocese (1994-2003) United Kingdom, Leeds andWestminster Archdioceses(2003-2008) South Africa, KroonstadDiocese (2008-2013) Cameroon, Buea Diocese,(2013-2016) Cameroon Douala Archdiocese(2016-present)The Catholic AmbassadorMy pastoral ministry over the past25 years has been very varied; From1995-2003, I served as Judicial Vicarfor the Diocese of Bethlehem andAssociate Judicial Vicar forBloemfontein Archdiocese. I pursuedgraduate studies in Canon Law inSouth Africa. While in the UnitedKingdom, I worked in the parish andlater studied hospital care andchaplaincy at St. Mary’s University inTwickenam, becoming the firstAfrican Chaplain to the WhittingtonHospital, North London.And while in Buea DioceseCameroon, I worked in the parishand was Canon Law Lecturer at JohnPaul II Institute of Theology, from2013-2016.I have a wide variety of hobbiesranging from sports, travel, meetingpeople, photography, creative writing,reading, listening to music, dancing,and letter-writing.

Please, Father — Bring Me Jesus!Ihad a very touchingexperience recently. One oldmama in the village sent wordthat “Abuna” (Father) shouldbring her Jesus. I went for a funeralthat day in the same village, but whilereturning to base, I could not reachher. Later the next day, I returned tovisit her.Immediately, she caught sight ofme as I approached — she came outof her hut and hugged me. She thenled me into the hut. At first Istruggled to breathe, because notonly was the room stuffy, but thestench emanating from it, repugnant.But I directed my gaze to thewrinkled, yet excited face of myhostess. Her face radiated with joy asshe tried to narrate how she missedcoming to church and how she hadnot received communion since Fr.Neol Ugoagwu, MSP, who workedhere for some years and was recentlyreassigned to another mission, leftthe parish.She went on to tell me stories ofwhat she had gone through for thepast three months, the variousstruggles with feeding, falling severaltimes because of her unsteady gait,her failing health, and her manystruggles. Her thoughts focused onwhy the new Abuna had refused tocome see her.She went on and on, while PaulModo, my interpreter, struggled tokeep up with her. When she finished,I sympathized with her andapologized for not coming sooner tosee her. I explained why I had notbeen able to come, and promised tovisit her more frequently.She kept on saying, “ShurkranAbuna, Umobebe,” a mixture ofArabic and Otuho language whichmeans, “Thank you so very much,Father.”After about 15 minutes ofdialogue, she finally invited me toSummer 2019by Fr. Patrick Igwe, MSPgive her Jesus, towhich I obliged. Shefollowed the prayersdevoutly with an airof love and desire;and responded in hernative Arabic, while Iprayed in English. Iwatched andmarveled with greatawe at the intensedesire and reverencewith which this oldwoman receivedJesus.As I paidattention to ourconversation, I wasso inspired and takenin to her ecstasy ofjoy and beauty. Evenwith wrinkles, Icould see howbeautiful she stilllooks as she smiledand talked at thesame time. Eventhough it was a smallhut, I feltcomfortable andstruggled toremember the odorwhen I first enteredthe room. I felt acalm breeze on myskin, followed bygoose bumps, then acertain joy andfulfillment. Before Ileft, I went closer toher and gave her ahug and reiteratedmy promise to seeher soon and moreoften. As I left thehut to return to theparish, I mutteredsilently, “Thank you,Jesus for thisprivilege.”Above, Fr. Kelvin Ugwu, MSP, distributes HolyCommunion in Malawi. Below, the author, Fr.Patrick Igwe, MSP, prays for a member of hisparish community who is confined to awheelchair in South Sudan. Bringing prayer,liturgies, and the Eucharist across vast parishboundaries requires stamina, dedication, andresources to make the journeys.The Missionary Society of St. Paul12

With Gratitude in HoustonMissionary Society of St. Paul 18th Annual Appreciation EventMost Reverend Bishop Joseph N. Perry,shown above with Fr. Aloysius Nzekwe,MSP, is auxiliary bishop in theArchdiocese of Chicago where the MSPhas three priests serving at threeparishes — St. Margaret of ScotlandChurch, St. Kilian Church, and CorpusChristi Church.Bishop Perry serves as postulator for thecause to canonize Father AugustusTolton, who was born a slave in Missouri,but escaped with his mom and siblings toIllinois in 1862. After attending seminaryin Rome because no American seminarywould admit him, Fr. Tolton was ordainedin 1886 as the nation’s first identifiedblack priest.Bishop Perry is also an instructor incanon law at the Marquette UniversityLaw School and Mundelein Seminary.13The Missionary Society of St. Paulcelebrated its 18th annualAppreciation Mass & Luncheon at St.Peter the Apostle Church in Houstonon October 27, 2018. The eventbrought together priests, nuns,friends, and members of theAssociate Missionaries of St. Paul(AMSP) — including 16 who wereformally admitted as new membersduring the service.The Catholic African AmericanMass Choir joyfully led thecongregation in several beautifulhymns, including “God is Love” byM. Roger Holland, “Here I Am,Lord” by Dan Schutte, “I KnowSomething About God’s Grace” byClifford Petty, and “Every Praise” byHezekiah Walker.Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry,Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, flew toHouston to preside over the Mass,delivering a powerful message aboutthe importance of community in theCatholic faith. “We cannot beChristians alone,” he said.“It is in the parish where onereceives ongoing instruction andchallenge to live authentically themessage of the Gospel. It is in theparish where one receives thesacraments, those various graceencounters with Christ, issued forthfrom the words and actions of Jesusduring his own ministry. It is in theparish where one is nurtured by theculture of fellow believers that areneeded along the road of discipleshipin a world and society seeminglyindifferent to the spiritual life,”Bi

One Thousand Nigerian Patients Received Free Care through . mission in Malawi, bearing gifts from the United Kingdom. Pages 9-10: . organized a free medical outreach to attend to the physical needs of the Christian a