My name is Raoul Kasoso Rab-Saba, and I am a Comboni missionary from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I was born on May 8, 1989 into a Catholic family with three brothers and three sisters, and my parents are both still alive. After completing primary school, I attended a minor seminary for my secondary education. Although the seminary’s primary mission was to form future priests, like any young person, I held many ambitions. I considered becoming a journalist, doctor, lawyer, or priest.
The minor seminary played a significant role in my vocational discernment and deepened my Christian faith. Its intellectual, spiritual, human, social, and moral formation influenced my path toward the priesthood, though at that point, I hadn’t fully decided. Coming from a diocesan parish, I didn’t know much about missionary life.
When I was about to decide to become a priest, I happened to read Afriquespoir, a Comboni magazine published in the DRC. An article about missionaries working in South Sudan caught my attention, prompting me to seek further guidance from my spiritual director to explore the missionary life in more depth.
In 2009, I began my formation as an aspirant in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. After one year, I was selected to join the pre-postulancy, a preparatory period before beginning philosophical studies. In 2011, the provincial council approved my request to enter the postulancy in Kisangani, where I started studying philosophy. This period was one of the most enriching experiences in my journey. Alongside intellectual growth, we received human, community, missionary, and spiritual formation, which encouraged me to question my choices and the world around me.
In terms of apostolate work, I became deeply involved in missionary promotion, especially promoting our magazine in various parishes, which I truly enjoyed. I was eventually appointed as director of our local magazine, Mbote, where we shared our postulancy experiences.
After postulancy, I was sent to Chad for the novitiate. However, my companions and I were unable to secure visas due to the Ebola outbreak. A temporary novitiate was established in Kimwenza from October 2014 to May 2016, where I deepened my understanding of Comboni’s charism and spirituality. On May 8, 2016, I professed my first vows and was assigned to Nairobi, Kenya, for theological studies. Since I came from a French-speaking country, I spent my first year in Nairobi learning English. In 2017, I began my theology studies at Tangaza University, completing them in 2021.
Upon completing my theological studies, I was assigned to missionary service in a parish in my home country. I professed my perpetual vows in Kisangani on March 23, 2022, and received my assignment to the Asia delegation. I was ordained a deacon on August 20, 2022, and later ordained a priest on February 18, 2023, at Notre Dame du Congo Cathedral in Kinshasa.
That same year, I joined my new mission in the Philippines, where I am currently learning Tagalog and immersing myself in the culture and faith of the Filipino people. I am presently assigned to St. Daniel Comboni Parish in the Diocese of Balanga. Here, I have come to understand that Christ Himself is the true missionary, and we are simply His collaborators, called to follow and serve Him in our brothers and sisters. We pray that Mary continues to intercede for us on this journey.
