ordinations diaconales à Nairobi Missionnaires d'Afrique

Binu
Binu was born on the 12th of January 1978 in Memury in the Southern Indian State of Kerala. Both his parents are alive. His father, Joseph Palaparambil, was a salesman and he still continues being the sacristan in the parish. His mother, Mary Palaparambil, is a housewife. Binu is the second born of a family of two boys and one girl who got married last year.

He was baptised on 19th January 1978 in the Syro Malabar Rite. He belongs to the diocese of Kottayam which is not territorial and forms a special group, the Suddhits.

After having finished primary education and secondary school studies he obtained the Secondary School Certificate (Standard 10) in 1993, after which he joined the Minor Seminary for two years. In 1995 he decided to join a religious congregation rather than becoming a diocesan priest. He went home and completed Standard 11 and 12, passing in 1997 in Third Division.

Binu applied to SOLA and was admitted into the Come-and-See programme in June 1997. He began the three-year first phase in 1998. In December 2000 he successfully completed his philosophy studies with a B. Ph. and obtained also a BA in English literature in 2001.

In 2001 he was admitted to the Spiritual Year in Kahangala where he made his Declaration of Intent on the 12th of July 2002 and received the ministry of Reader.
He was subsequently appointed to Tan-Ken-Sud for his stage, which he did in the community of Manzese in Dar es Salaam.

He arrived in Nairobi in July 2004 for the last phase of his initial formation. He did the 30-day spiritual exercises at the Jesuits Centre of Mwangaza in Nairobi after which he received the ministry of Acolyte on October 14, 2005.

Yosef
Yosef was born on the 17th of October 1974 (7 October of the Ethiopian Calendar) in Mendeferra, then an Ethiopian village, now part of Eritrea. His nationality is Ethiopian.
He is the 5th of 9 children, four boys and five girls; the second and sixth born, both girls, died. His father, Giday is a married Catholic priest and is a parish priest in the diocese of Adigrat.

Yosef did his primary school from 1983 to 1989 at Tahtay Zeban and his junior secondary school and senior secondary education in Adigrat. He obtained the Ethiopian School leaver's certificate in 1996. He stayed one year at home while being in touch with the vocation director of the Missionaries of Africa.

He did a preparatory year in the vocation centre of the Missionaries of Africa in Wukro and was admitted to start his philosophy at the Major Seminary of Adigrat in 1998. During the first year he stayed in the Seminary and from the second year onwards he lived in the Missionaries of Africa residence. In 2000 he came to the Formation House of Nairobi where he stayed for one year to improve his English.

In 2001 he was admitted to the Spiritual Year in Kahangala where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the ministry of Reader on the 12th of July 2002.
He was subsequently appointed to Ghana for his stage, which he did in the community of Bunkpurugu in the diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga.

Hilaire
Hilaire was born on the 31st of May 1976 at Garango in Burkina Faso. His father Samuel Guinko was a catechist for 30 years and is now retired. He is the eldest of six children. He did his primary school at Zigla from 1983 to 1989 and entered the Minor Seminary of Baskouré, as he felt called to become a diocesan priest, where he stayed for five years. In 1994 he lost one year because of sickness and continued his studies at the Lyceum of Garango from 1995 to 1997. He finished at the Lyceum of Ouagadougou in 1998, obtaining a BAC A.

From 1994 onwards he was in contact with the Missionaries of Africa and was followed up by the vocation director. What attracted him was the quality of community life, the simple life style and the possibility of being sent outside his home country for evangelisation. In spite of some obstructions he was determined to join us. In 1998 he was admitted to do his philosophy at Lavigerie House in Ouagadougou, and in 2001 he entered the Spiritual Year in Kahangala where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the Ministry of Reader on the 12th of July 2002.

From there he was sent for two years of stage in Uganda, where he started in the parish of Acumet, but because of insecurity by the Lord's Resistance Army, he was transferred to Kampala, and worked in Sharing with the youth.

Bonaventure
Bonaventure was born on the 25th November 1974 in Lubumbashi in D.R.Congo. His father Kapungu Mashata Celestin disappeared in 1998, and it was not until June 2003 that his family got the news that he had been killed as a soldier in Kinshasa. He was a Methodist and served in the army as a sergeant major. His mother Kizabuka Mukobe Martine is still very active in different movements of Catholic Action. Bonaventure is the second of 8 children, 3 boys and 5 girls. In fact they are 11, as three children are from a previous wedlock of his father.

From 1979 to 1986 he did his primary school at Mwenge and finished his secondary school in 1994 at Matoleo in the section maths-physics. Since 1989 he was an active member of the Legion of Mary and was even for a time the president of his Presidium. He was also a member of the Vocation Club and was attracted by the Missionaries of Africa because of their Community Life, Internationality, their reaching out to other countries and religious, and their stress on prayer. He was a non-baptized Methodist and received baptism in the Catholic Church in 1992 at the age of 18. In 1995 he studied medicine for one and a half year at the University of Lubumbashi.

In 1997 he entered the Foyer Godefroid Ngongo and started his studies in philosophy in La Ruzizi (DRC) in 1998 up to 2001. In the same year he entered the Spiritual Year in Kahangala where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the Ministry of Reader on the 12th of July 2002.

He was subsequently appointed to Ethiopia for his stage, which he did in the mission of Wukro. He arrived in Nairobi in July 2004 for the last phase of his initial formation. He did the 30-day spiritual exercises at the Jesuits Centre of Mwangaza in Nairobi after which he received the ministry of Acolyte on October 14, 2005.

Jaya
Jaya, as we commonly call him, was born on 15 November 1974 at Seemiliguda, in the state of Orissa. However, in his passport it is recorded that he was born in 1976. He is the fourth born of nine children. His parents are both alive. His father Alexi Bordhan is a teacher and his mother, Cecilia Bordhan, is a housewife.

He started his education at the age of six and spent his whole school life in a boarding school. After his primary school he went for his secondary studies to Giovindpur High School where he passed for his Secondary School Leaving Certificate in 1993. At a young age he expressed a desire to become a priest. He joined the Vincentian Minor Seminary and obtained the PDC in 1996. He joined Missionaries of Africa Come-and-See programme in 1997. He began the three-year phase formation in 1998 in Bangalore. He successfully completed his philosophy studies in December 2000 receiving the internal certificate of the Institute (Suvidya College). He also obtained his B.A. in his third year.

In 2001 he was admitted to the Spiritual Year in Kahangala where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the ministry of Reader on the 12th of July 2002.
He was subsequently appointed to Zambia for his stage, which he did in the community of Kasamba in Mansa Diocese.

Alphonse
Alphonse was born on the 18th of September 1974 at Adjamé in Ivory Coast. His father Antouré Somda has 13 children. Alphonse is the first child of three children by his mother Nanighé Somda, the second wife. His parents divorced in 1980 and his mother remarried.

His father is a retired mechanic. Both parents are Dagara and non-Christians.
He did his primary school at Diébougou from 1981 to 1988, continued there with the first cycle of secondary school up to 1993, and from 1993 to 1997 did his second cycle at Po. He continued at Diébougou where he obtained his BAC. Then, he went to the university for one year and read geography.

In 1991, at the age of 17, he was baptized. During the catechumenate Alphonse's father was disagreeing but eventually agreed for him to be baptized. This step marked him very much in realising he was responsible for his commitment. During his secondary studies he was a leader of the Catholic Students movement (JEC) and it was there he got into contact with the Missionaries of Africa. He was also singing in the choir.

He started his studies in philosophy in Ouagadougou and remained in the First Phase from 1998 to 2001. In his second year he was chosen to go to Rome for the Jubilee Year.
In 2001 he entered the spiritual year in Kahangala where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the Ministry of Reader on the 12th of July 2002.

He was subsequently sent to the DRC (Ituri) for his stage, which he did in the mission of Laybo. He arrived in Nairobi in July 2004 for the last phase of his initial formation. He did the 30-day spiritual exercises at the Jesuits Centre of Mwangaza in Nairobi after which he received the ministry of Acolyte on October 14, 2005.

Anselme
Anselme is from Burkina Faso and was born at Tengodogo in 1978. His full name is Tarpaga Kassoum Auguste Anselme. On his passport is written that he was born at Bobo Dioulasso on the 1st of January. He is the only child of Hamidou Tarpaga, a Muslim, and Joséphine Marie-Chantal Nongierma. Anselme was raised in the home of his maternal grandmother who is a Catholic, and because of her he was baptized in 1991 at the age of 13. Already at that age he thought of joining the Missionaries of Africa as the priests of his parish were of the Society.

He did his primary studies at Koko "C" from 1984 to 1990, and continued with the two cycles of secondary school from 1990 to 1998 at the Collège de l'Avenir and at Tounouma where he obtained his BAC A4. During this time his spiritual companion was a Vincentian and his original choice of joining the Missionaries of Africa was put to the test. He was active in various catholic movements.

In 1998 he joined Lavigerie House at Ouagadougou, the First Phase, to study philosophy. After completion he was accepted for the Spiritual Year in Kahangala, where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the ministry of Reader on the 12th of July 2002.
He was subsequently appointed to Algeria for his stage, which he did in the community of Ghardaia.

Moïse
Moïse was born on the 19th November 1974 in the village of Ersadia in the parish of Bandiagara, Mopti diocese in Mali. However, according to his passport he was born about 1976 with the name YEBEDIE KOMBE dit Moïse. His father is Meba dit Joseph and his mother is Yadoumbo dite Monique Kene. Both his parents are practising catholics and small farmers. His father is also a catechist. Moïse is the eldest of 10 children and went to primary school at the age of 11. For his secondary school he went to the minor seminary of St. Paul of Togo where his call to the priesthood was shaped, and he continued at St. Charles Lwanga at Sevare where he obtained his BAC in 1997. In the same year he applied to enter the First Phase of Ouagadougou and was there for three years. He started the Spiritual Year in 2000 at Bobo Dioulasso where he made his Declaration of Intent and received the ministry of Reader on the 5th of June 2001.

From there he was sent for two years of stage in the parish of Badiya in the diocese of Bunia, DRC. However, because of the painful circumstances of war he was asked at the end of his stage to take some distance and go for some professional help in view of overcoming some traumatic experiences he had faced. He accepted this proposal and stayed at the parish of Kolokani from where he went regularly to consult a clinical psychologist at Bamako. After one year he asked to continue his formation at the Missionaries of Africa and was appointed to Nairobi Formation House for the last phase of his initial formation. Because of visa complications he was delayed for a few months, waiting for his visa at Kampala and finally arrived in Nairobi on the 22nd of September 2004. He sat for his English Competency Examination here in Nairobi and passed. He lost the first semester and had to work hard in the subsequent semesters by following classes in the mornings, tutorials in the afternoons plus private study to make up for what he had lost in the first semester at Tangaza College.

Moïse did the 30-day spiritual exercises at the Jesuits Centre of Mwangaza in Nairobi after which he received the ministry of Acolyte on October 14, 2005.