By Kennedy Otieno
The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus celebrated the Perpetual Profession of Sc. Delphin Mumbere Kavuthe, MCCJ, on 20th July 2026 at the Provincial House Hall, in Nairobi, Kenya. Sc. Delphin perpetually professed the vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience, thus committing himself permanently to missionary service in the spirit of St. Daniel Comboni.
The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Fr. Christopher Silwembe, MCCJ, who also received the perpetual vows of Sc. Mumbere on behalf of the General Superior, Fr. Luigi Fernando Codianni, MCCJ.
Among those present was Fr. Joseph Ng’ang’a, MCCJ, Vocations/Mission Animation Director, Fr. Onesmus Odhiambo, MCCJ, formator in Casavatore, Italy, and Fr. Abraham Ahilu, MCCJ, from the Comboni Province of Uganda. Others were the scholastics from the Uganda Martyrs Scholasticate, Nairobi, Br. Jean Marie Mwamba, formator at the Comboni Brother Centre, Nairobi.
In his homily, Fr. Jean-Paul Katembo, MCCJ, expressed gratitude to God for Sc. Delphin’s faithful response to the missionary vocation and invited the congregation to accompany him with their prayers as he embarks on a lifelong commitment to Christ and His Church.
Reflecting on the story of Moses and the Israelites, Fr. Katembo described the celebration as a profound invitation to total commitment, fidelity, and generous self-offering to God. He reminded the congregation that religious vows are not merely juridical obligations but a voluntary and loving surrender to God, made possible through His grace.
“My dear brothers and sisters, religious vows are not merely juridical obligations but a voluntary surrender to God, made possible through divine grace,” he said.
Fr. Katembo further explained that the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience are gifts to the universal Church, enabling consecrated men and women to follow Christ more closely each day.
He described poverty as a spiritual inheritance that frees religious from attachment to material possessions so they may embrace the true riches of the Kingdom of God. Chastity, he noted, fosters an intimate and exclusive relationship with Christ, anticipating the eternal union between Christ, the Bridegroom, and His Church. Obedience, he added, conforms the consecrated person to the will of God through trust, humility, and service within the religious community.
Together, he said, these vows draw religious closer to Christ and enable them to bear authentic witness to His presence in the world.
Fr. Katembo urged Sc. Delphin to remain faithful to the lifelong promises he was about to make, emphasizing that perpetual vows carry a permanent and irrevocable commitment.
“My dear brother, living in a culture that is progressively more intolerant of religious values and has a very little space for God, as a religious person, you need not to be afraid of being different and being counter-cultural since you will encounter many oppositions even from those close to you.” He encouraged him.
Following the homily, Sc. Delphin publicly professed his perpetual vows before the Church. Received by Fr. Christopher Silwembe, MCCJ, and witnessed by Fr. Joseph Ng’ang’a, MCCJ, he pledged to consecrate himself entirely to Christ through perpetual chastity for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, evangelical poverty, and generous obedience.
He further promised to dedicate his life wholeheartedly to missionary service according to the charism of St. Daniel Comboni, faithfully observing the Rule of Life of the Comboni Missionaries and serving the Church with love, fraternity, and zeal under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
At the conclusion of the rite, Fr. Christopher invoked God’s blessing upon Sc. Delphin, praying that Christ would grant him wisdom, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to the mission, especially among the poorest and most abandoned, in keeping with the charism of St. Daniel Comboni.
After presenting him with the image of Christ, Fr. Christopher officially welcomed Sc. Delphin as a perpetually professed member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, marking an important milestone in his vocational journey as he now looks forward to his ordination to diaconate on July 25th, 2026.
