On July 6, 2025, two Consolata Missionaries, Ben Nyongesa and Garuma Barkessa, were ordained deacons. The celebration took place at the parish of Saint Margaret Martyr in Curitiba, Brazil, and was presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop, Msgr. José Antônio Peruzzo.
By Editor *
During the homily, Msgr. Peruzzo moved those present by recalling his youthful fascination with Africa, when, as a seminarian, he admired the culture, the joy, and the hospitality of African peoples. He addressed the new deacons directly, urging them always to keep alive the flame of their missionary calling and to remain vigilant over themselves: “You didn’t know how to speak the new language, nor did you know the paths the Lord was preparing for you. But He came first. God always comes first.”
The archbishop warned of the risk that the mission might lose its essence and become merely a routine or a task.“Mission is not only what we do; it is what we are,” he said.
Drawing inspiration from the day’s Gospel, he emphasized Jesus’s invitation to go without purse or sandals, signaling the urgency of evangelization and radical trust in God: “Evangelizing is an urgent cause. Bringing God’s Word allows no delays. Mission requires faith, detachment, and holy haste.”
Msgr. Peruzzo also encouraged the new deacons never to lose sight of their roots and their cultural identity: “Never forget your story, your identity. Never lose what made you say ‘yes’ to the mission.”
Ben Nyongesa, from Kenya, and Garuma Barkessa, from Ethiopia, professed their perpetual vows on May 4 this year, together with their fellow students from the International Theological Seminary in São Paulo—Gerald Ngula, Henry Anyine, and Prosper Lupeke—at Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish in São Paulo (SP). Gerald, Henry, and Prosper were ordained deacons on June 21 at the Consolata Parish in São Paulo.
The solemn Eucharistic celebration in Curitiba was attended by the Regional Superior of the Consolata Missionaries, Father Paulo Mzé, as well as the Rector of the International Seminary João Batista Bisio, Father Mauricio Guevara; Father Patrick Shija, formator at the Philosophical Seminary; Father Osmar Zucatto, parochial vicar; Father Tamrat Mitore, parish priest in Cascavel; and Father Thiago Silva, a Brazilian missionary working in Taiwan. Also present were several priests, deacon friends, and Consolata lay missionaries who came from various regions to share in this very special moment.
Father Paulo Mzé (pictured), Regional Superior, expressed the Institute’s joy at welcoming these new deacons: “Mission teaches us that service and self-giving know no boundaries. These brothers left their homelands to embrace the Gospel as their horizon. May they be signs of hope and fraternity wherever they find themselves.”
After the celebration, the community gathered in the parish hall to celebrate not only the ordination but also the renewed missionary commitment to bringing the Gospel to all.
* Communication IMC Brazil. Originally published at: www.consolata.org.br
Ordination photo gallery. Photo: Karina Genoveski
