When I was in first grade, there was a time that I was standing in front of a fountain where a large tree loomed over. It was break time and I had just been reprimanded by our school adviser for being ‘different’ from my classmates who were neat and smart. I could not comprehend then why my parents transferred me to a catholic school which was different from the village school where I studied before. It took me time to adjust to the new environment and, through sports, I began to be accepted by my peers.
When I was about to finish my high school, I realized that I received the greatest gift from my parents by sending me to a school run by the religious. Both my parents dedicated their time to work so that we the children would have a good education. It was from there that I got the necessary instructions on our Faith. It was from this period that I got to know religious life through the priests and brothers running the school. I was attracted to their lifestyle and thought of joining them which I, eventually, did after finishing my secondary school.
However, having been in their formation program and then advised to leave the seminary was a sign that I was not called for religious life. That was how I felt and perceived when I packed my bags and left the seminary after two years of formation. I went on to enroll in a school of engineering hoping to get the necessary tools in order to have a good future.
Life was good and I settled pretty well as a student, but as time passed, I felt an emptiness as if something was missing. It was during this period that I received a promotional copy of World Mission magazine where at the back page was an invitation for a recollection for young men who are searching. I decided to attend the recollection to have a clear pathway and direction in life.
Fast forward and here I am in a newly-established parish of St. Daniel Comboni in Limay-Bataan, working as a pastoral agent and, at the same time, the bursar of the community. Prior to this mission work, I was in Uganda for almost 17 years and six years in Rome.
My initial stages of formation were in the Philippines; Postulancy in Quezon City and Novitiate in Calamba City, Laguna. Afterwards, I was sent to Nairobi, Kenya for my final stage of formation where I finished a degree in Social Development at Tangaza College.
My first mission assignment was in Uganda in the northern part of the country among the Acholi of Kitgum and Gulu, and the Lango tribe of Lira. I had a break of one year and I was posted in Kampala after witnessing a traumatic event that cost the life of a confrere. I returned after a year to the same place and continued my work in the printing press of Gulu till I was sent to Lira where I stayed for 6 years. I was lucky to have collaborated with brothers who have rich experience and are highly qualified in their field of expertise.
As a religious brother, my ministry depends on the needs of the religious and Christian community in the mission where I am assigned. I do believe that when God calls, events and circumstances in life involving relationships with God and with our fellow human beings can be indicators of where God wants us to be. I am blessed to receive this ‘recall’ and to the many individuals who supported and guided me through the years.
