Father Minte: A Year of Priesthood, Serving with Joy

I am a Comboni missionary from Ethiopia. On August 2 last, I celebrated my first anniversary of priesthood, and I would like to share my vocational journey.

Saint John Paul II, in his message for the 2001 World Day of Prayer for Vocations, reminds us that “every life is a vocation”. This means that our existence is not the result of chance: we are willed, loved, and called by God. Looking upon my own life as a vocation, I recognise that the Lord has been guiding me through people, events, and concrete experiences.

I was born on January 25, 1993 in the city of Jijiga, in eastern Ethiopia, into an Orthodox Christian family. I was baptised and confirmed according to the tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. At the age of five, I began attending St Joseph’s Catholic College, run by the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto. It was there that I had my first contact with the Catholic Church, observing the witness of the sisters and learning values and prayers.

Later, when I was about twelve, I began attending the parish Oratory, which was run by the Salesians. Children and young people of different faiths took part in sports and recreational activities. Everyone was welcomed and treated in the same way.

One day, a Catholic friend invited me to pray the Holy Rosary. I accepted out of curiosity and entered the church. The beauty of that place and the atmosphere of prayer deeply marked my heart. Afterwards, I received my first rosary from a nun, who also taught me how to pray it.

From that day onwards, I began attending church regularly. With my mother’s permission, I took part in catechesis and, in 2009, I was received into the Catholic Church and made my First Communion.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2010 vocations message, stated that “witness gives rise to vocations”. My priestly and missionary vocation was also born through the witness of my parish priest, the Italian Salesian missionary Father Gianni Premoli. His dedication, his joy, and his closeness to the people awakened in me the desire to become a missionary priest.

In 2010, during a presentation of various religious congregations, I came to know the Comboni Missionaries. An Ethiopian Comboni priest presented the life of Saint Daniel Comboni and the charism of the congregation in a joyful and charismatic way. That encounter left a deep mark on me. From then on, I began to keep in touch with the Combonis and to learn more about their spirituality and mission.

IN 2012, I began my pre-postulancy. From 2013 to 2017, I completed my postulancy. Between 2017 and 2019, I undertook my novitiate in Zambia, and on May 4, 2019 I professed my first religious vows. I was then sent to Brazil for my scholasticate, where I remained from 2019 to 2023. After my studies, I had a missionary experience in Manaus, I professed my perpetual vows on February 5, 2025, and I was ordained a deacon on the 8^th.

On August 2, 2025, I was ordained a priest in my home town. After my ordination, I was assigned to my first priestly mission in Brazil, in Boa Vista, Roraima.

This first year of priesthood has been marked by joy, learning, prayer, and service to God’s people.

My main mission in Roraima is connected with ministry to indigenous peoples. It is a new reality for me, but one that challenges me to learn, to listen, and to make myself available to the indigenous communities. I have also been involved in youth formation, working alongside catechists, celebrating the sacraments, and accompanying the communities.

The motto of my ordination was: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you” (John 15:16). These words sustain me and remind me that it was God who called me. For this reason, I must continue to listen to His voice in prayer, in silence, in discernment, in community life, and in my encounter with the people.

As I celebrate this first year of priesthood, I give thanks to God for the gift of life, for my Comboni missionary vocation, and for the priestly ministry.

I ask the Lord for the grace to remain faithful, serving with joy and humility. May my witness also awaken in other young people the desire to respond to God’s call.

Father Mintesnot Simeneh Lemessa, MCCJ