Son of Joseph Munyu and Mery Gathinga, Father Charles Lwanga Gachara, IMC, was born in 1972 in Kieni East, Central Province (Kenya). This Consolata missionary, currently working on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, shares in this video — recorded in Rome in September 2025 during the G25 ongoing formation course — his vocational story, his formation journey in Kenya and Colombia, and his nearly 25 years of mission in Venezuela.
By Jaime C. Patias *
Charles completed his primary and secondary studies in his home village, where he first encountered the Consolata Missionaries. He entered the philosophy seminary in Nairobi and did his Novitiate in Sagana (Kenya) in 1996, concluding with his first religious profession. He was then sent to Bogotá, Colombia, where he studied theology and obtained a licentiate in theology, before being ordained a deacon in 2001. His priestly ordination was celebrated in Kenya on 14 December 2002, when he received his missionary assignment to Venezuela.
In this Latin American country, which for years has been living through a profound economic, political, and social crisis, the young African missionary began working with enthusiasm in a parish, in a very engaging context. “There I learned from my colleagues how to work with children and young people,” Father Charles explains. “Then I was invited to work in Youth and Vocational Mission Animation in Barquisimeto, where we have our Centre. I also worked with the Pontifical Mission Societies, which was a very enriching experience,” he adds.
Subsequently, another challenge presented itself: mission among the Afro-descendant communities of the Barlovento region, across three parishes — El Clavo, Panaquire, and Tapipa. Today, the Consolata Missionaries provide pastoral care for that entire region from the parish of Concagua, where they reside. “It is truly inspiring to see these people who, due to the long years that have passed, no longer know their own ancestors, yet keep alive their culture, their traditions, and so many other values that enrich the local Church through their way of being.” In this context, the Consolata Missionaries developed Afro Pastoral Ministry, an approach to evangelization that is sensitive to the values and cultural identity of Afro-descendant peoples.
At present, Father Charles serves in the parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Carapita, on the outskirts of Caracas — yet another very rich reality, where people from different parts of the country and from abroad come to live. “All of this enriches the face of our Institute and of our mission,” the missionary observes. There, Father Charles recently celebrated his 25th anniversary of ordination, coinciding with the 2025 Jubilee.
“Looking back at my story and my pastoral journey, I see myself as the Hebrew people contemplating the wonders that God has accomplished. I have faced difficulties and many challenges, but in all those moments God has always been present, faithful, and at work. Truly, it is He who opens the way before us and secures our destiny. His mercy, His support, His protection, and His closeness are certain — and this has given me new life and helped me recognise that this same God is with me in this new phase of my life, to continue to be faithful to Him, to serve Him, and to trust that with Him, all will be well for the glory of His name,” says Father Charles.
Speaking of his participation in the formation course held in Rome, Father Charles expressed appreciation for the opportunity to visit the historic sites associated with the Founder, Saint Joseph Allamano — including his birthplace in Castelnuovo Don Bosco and the Mother House in Turin, together with the Consolata Shrine. “Being in contact with the Fiunder’s roots, with the environment in which he was born and grew up, allowed me to renew my vocation and my commitment as a Consolata missionary, and to truly feel the need to remain connected to the spirit of the Founder — that original inspiration — so as to inspire others where I work, so that the mission may continue, and that the Founder’s inspiration may bear fruit and the Kingdom of God may be present among all the peoples of the world,” Father Charles concludes.
Father Jaime C. Patias, Office for Communication.
