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IN THIS ISSUE
From the Desk of
Fr. John Madigan, O.M.I.
Oblate Feature
In the African nation of Zambia, Joseph Nkomeshya is royalty. But he has given up the kingdom of his native country to serve the Kingdom of God.
Joseph is the grandson of Her Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamabo II, the leader of the Soli people of the Lusaka Province in Zambia.
But today Joseph is far removed from the life of royalty. He lives at the Oblate Novitiate in Godfrey, Illinois where he is part of a family of seven novices who have chosen to live a simple lifestyle.
“Through the Oblates I have come to see the
other side of the world,” he noted. “I can
be with the poor and understand what the
Oblate charism is all about.”
Born in 1981, Joseph grew up with the privileges that go with being part of the ruling family of one of the major chiefdoms in Zambia. His grandmother is in charge of the traditional tribal lands of the Soli people in the Lusaka Province.
Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya has been one of the most influential women in Zambia for several decades. In addition to leading the Soli people of the Lusaka Province, she was also the country’s Minister of State of Home Affairs from 1979 through 1986.
Joseph’s grandmother has also been an effective advocate for women’s rights in Zambia. She has taken a leading role in trying to reduce the spread of AIDS in her country by encouraging people to get tested for the disease.
Joseph grew up as the middle of three brothers. He developed an interest in religion at an early age when he served as an altar boy at his parish. While earning college diplomas in Human Resources and Business Management he felt something calling him in a different direction. So he entered the Oblate’s pre-novitiate program to explore the possibility that he was being called to serve as a missionary priest.
Joseph discovered that he and the Oblate founder, St. Eugene De Mazenod, have many things in common. Eugene was born into the French nobility. But the plight of the poor eventually became his major focus in life. As a young priest Eugene turned down comfortable assignments at cathedrals and instead went out into the dirt and grime of the city streets and rural countryside to minister directly with the poor.
Working directly with the poor was an eye-opening and life-changing experience for Joseph as he went through the Oblate pre-novitiate program in Zambia. He was assigned to minister at Our Lady’s Hospice in Lusaka, a place where persons dying from AIDS and tuberculosis are treated with dignity and compassion.
The hospice was established by the Oblates and other religious orders to care for sick persons who have been abandoned. Besides offering specialized medical attention to the patients, the hospice staff offer comfort to overcome loneliness and despair.
Joseph’s work at the hospice was primarily a “ministry of presence.” He shared the Word of God with the patients, but spent most of his time simply listening to the sick as they shared their hopes and fears. In addition to his work at the hospice, Joseph was also able to join with the Oblates in their pastoral work among the poor.
“I worked at Mary Immaculate Parish which is run by the Oblates in Lusaka,” says Joseph. “I was a catechist and I organized retreats and other social activities for the youth of the parish.”
In August Joseph left Zambia for the first time and arrived at the Oblate Novitiate. He didn’t receive the royal treatment from the staff. Instead Joseph, like the other six new Oblates, was assigned a simple room that consists of a bed and a desk. He now has daily chores and will have little free time away from the novitiate for the next year.
There is nothing royal about being part of the community of Oblate novices. But that is fine with Joseph. He prefers to follow in the footsteps of St. Eugene De Mazenod and through faith, love and compassion make the world a better place.
Two Other Zambian Novices
Joining Joseph Nkomeshya at the Oblate Novitiate are two other young men who call Zambia home.
Mathews Zulu is the seventh of eight children in a family from the central region of the country. Prior to joining the Oblates he worked for three years with the Sisters of Charity of Milan as a Lab Assistant at the Mtendere Mission Hospital in Cirundu.
Felix Bwalya Nyambe first learned about the Oblates in 2003 when pre-novices came to his parish of Mary Queen of Peace in Lusaka to do pastoral work. Felix had been active in the parish for many years as an altar boy, and when he witnessed the Oblates his interest in the religious life grew. Now Felix and his fellow novices are at the novitiate to discern Gods’ calling for them.
“This is a year of grace for me,” says Felix. “It is a year of spiritual maturity and a chance to grasp and embrace the Oblate way of life.”
To learn more about the Oblate Novitiate and the young men who are presently there, visit the website: www.omiusa.org and click on the Seminary Formation link.
