Welcome Father Victor Mutobera, Maryknoll’s newest priest! In June, Father Victor was ordained by Bishop Joseph Perry of the Archdiocese of Chicago at the Maryknoll Society’s chapel in Westchester County, New York, about 30 miles north of Manhattan. That’s a long way from Kenya, where he grew up. As the headline of our cover story notes, it’s a dream fulfilled for the young man.
Regular readers of our magazine are already aware that Father Victor is among a new cohort of missionary priests joining Maryknoll from outside of North America. They represent the opening of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers to vocations from mission countries and the affirmation that every baptized Catholic is a missionary disciple. Many Catholics in the States today are familiar with foreign-born priests ministering in their parishes.
As Bishop Perry says in an interview in this issue, in some areas of the world, especially East Africa, the Catholic faith is stronger than in much of the United States. In the last five years, Maryknoll has ordained five priests from Kenya and one from Singapore. Our current seminarians, who come from Asia, Africa and Latin America, reflect that changing face of Maryknoll — and the changing face of the Church.
On another note, our Fall issue usually contains an announcement for the Maryknoll Student Essay Contest, which we have been running for 36 years. This year, the contest is on hold as it is reevaluated. We hope to soon share news about a redesigned contest for next year.
Featured image: Collage designed by Melissa Romano, Maryknoll magazine design coordinator.
