Two newly ordained Maryknoll priests are assigned to serve in mission in Taiwan.
On the vespers of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit brought forth two new Maryknoll priests. Matthew Sim, from Singapore, and Patrick Okok, from Kenya, were ordained on June 7 at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Chapel in Ossining, New York.
In his homily, ordaining prelate Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, remembered the late Maryknoll Father John E. Bergwall, whom he met as a child and who became an inspiration for him to seek the priesthood.
Father Bergwall — a medical doctor before entering Maryknoll — could have had a career in medicine, Bishop Seitz said. Yet he felt called to do more: “to make God known, to make God present in a way that only a priest could.”
While they may accomplish “many wonderful things, there is nothing more important than to celebrate the sacraments and the Mass,” Bishop Seitz said to the ordinands. “From there, you and the Church that you serve will find the strength and the vision that it needs in order to serve the people of God.”
The message resonated deeply with Father Sim. “Through the constant nourishment of ourselves and our communities in the Eucharist, we encourage ourselves to become more and more like Christ,” he said.
For Father Sim, 45, the highlight of the ordination rite was when Bishop Seitz asked if the ordinands were worthy: “To hear my rector proclaim that, through the inquiry of the parishes, the communities that we have served, our fellow brothers and sisters and other Maryknoll missioners who have crossed our lives, we are worthy.”
During the laying on of hands, Father Okok, 34, felt deeply moved. “I got very emotional,” he said. “It meant a lot for brother priests to welcome me to the brotherhood of priesthood and what that means to continue God’s work of salvation.”
To represent his parents, Father Okok chose Florence and Jospeter Mugambi, a Kenyan married couple whom he had met through their Small Christian Community in Chicago while he was a seminarian there.
“When his parents were not able to get visas, Patrick asked me and my husband to step in,” Florence said. The couple then spoke by phone to Okok’s parents about their son’s ordination ceremony.
“They expressed that this is a fulfillment of a desire in the family,” Jospeter said. “One of Patrick’s uncles wished to become a priest, but he died early. The parents are very happy and excited that this is an incarnation, if you will, a fulfillment of that desire.”
Father Sim’s father, Sang Hee Sim, traveled from Singapore with his wife and daughter to witness his son’s remarkable milestone. “I am very proud of who he is as a priest,” said the older Sim. “I’m happy that my son is going to different places to preach the Word and to share about Maryknoll.”
Lai Har Choy, Father Sim’s mother, added, “I want to give my blessings to him for achieving his dream of becoming a priest.”
During the conclusion of the Mass, Maryknoll Superior General Father Lance Nadeau addressed the guests in attendance as well as those watching via livestream in Kenya, Tanzania, Taiwan and Bolivia.
Speaking in Swahili, the superior general sent a message to viewers in Kenya, especially Father Okok’s parents. “Your contribution is immense,” he said. “For raising these children to walk in God’s way, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Bishop Seitz concluded the Mass of Holy Orders with a rousing message: “Tomorrow is Pentecost. I think the Spirit came early.” Just as Father Bergwall had been “a wonderful model” for him, he added, he hoped the new priests would inspire young people “to seek the Lord, to know him, and to follow him with all their hearts.”
The joyful celebrations of the ordination weekend were the culmination of years of formation — most spent in mission.
Martin Ng, a longtime friend of Father Sim, says that as a teacher in Singapore, Sim already possessed the qualities of service that would define his calling. “I believe it was God guiding him along the way,” he said. “It’s been an amazing journey that I have witnessed from the beginning.”
Victor Mutobera, a Maryknoll seminarian, recalled Father Okok’s leadership at Kenyatta University, where they both studied. “He was very active and in charge. We appointed him to oversee liturgy in the parish. He has a servant leadership presence that is very calming,” he said.
Maryknoll Brother Ryan Thibert, who traveled to the States for the occasion, served alongside both ordinands during their Overseas Training Program in Bolivia. There he witnessed the budding missioners blossom into priests in formation.
Brother Thibert said that Father Sim “has a genuine love for the people. I say to Matthew, ‘God will work wonders in your life.’”
To Father Okok, Brother Thibert said, “God has a way of teaching you where you need to be. Listen to the people. God will work through you, and it will change hearts and minds.”
As seminarians, the two missioners also served in the States.
Endita Kiarie, founder of the Kenyan Women Support Group in Chicago, recalled Father Okok’s ministry there. “Patrick would console families and share a good word,” she said. “I’ll never forget the time a lady was expecting a baby. Patrick showed up to support her with baby clothes.”
Gilberto Salazar, a parishioner from Cristo Rey Church in El Paso, Texas, remembers fondly the time Sim spent at the parish. “He inspired my son Emilio. Seeing Matthew work at Cristo Rey showed my son that he can serve even in his teen years.”
Despite the rainy weather, the atmosphere remained festive as the new priests gave their first blessings in the Our Lady of Maryknoll quadrangle. Then, joined by Maryknoll sisters and members of the Catholic Women Association from Kenya, they led a singing procession back to the chapel for their mission sending ceremony.
Maryknoll Father Raymond Finch reminded the new priests during the sending that mission is about going “beyond ourselves and our borders, beyond our own interests and needs.” He added, “It’s at the heart of what it means to follow Christ. It’s the lifeblood of what it means to be Church.”
Bishop Seitz presented the priests with their mission crosses, and Father Nadeau announced that Fathers Sim and Okok will be sent to Taiwan in mission.
The superior of the Asia region, Maryknoll Father Joyalito Tajonera, welcomed the two priests. He advised them to keep in mind three things: to connect with nonbelievers, to stay in the peripheries and, most importantly, “no matter how difficult our mission work of going to a foreign country is, you fall in love over and over again with the place that we are assigned to.”
For Father Tajonera, the ordination held “a real Pentecost message,” he said, adding that Taiwan offers many mission possibilities. “Patrick wants to work in youth ministry and the environment, while Matthew likes to work in migrant and parish ministry.”
Father Sim said this assignment to Asia is significant for more than geographical reasons. “I will have to study the Taiwanese language, which is similar to Hokkien, the language that my father speaks. It’s a grace for me to be able to communicate in my father’s language with the people I serve, heart to heart,” he said.
“In this wounded world, we have to start in the Church,” Father Sim said, “and together become a Eucharistic witness to the world of God’s love and invite all into this space of love.”
Father Okok said he prays to serve faithfully in his assignment to Asia. “I pray to God to give me the grace to be a priest who listens and has a vision — a people’s vision. I pray that wherever I’m sent, God helps me identify how I am to be one of the people,” he said.
“Irrespective of the social context, we are called to meet people in their faith,” Father Okok said. “That can be in a refugee camp, in a slum, in the richest part of the country. It can be in warring countries. Wherever there are people, a priest needs to be there to accompany them.”
Featured Image: Left to right: Maryknoll Father Matthew Sim, Bishop Mark J. Seitz, Maryknoll Father Patrick Okok, Maryknoll Superior General Father Lance P. Nadeau (Octavio Durán/U.S.)
