“Comboni’s spirituality and dedication to serving others are the driving forces behind my vocation and mission.” Fr. Daniel Chisha, from Zambia, talks about his vocation journey.
I come from Kasama in the Northern Province of Zambia, and I am Bemba by tribe. I was raised in a devout Catholic family and joined the altar servers at the age of seven. From childhood, I admired priests celebrating Mass and would imitate them at home with my friends. Little did I know that I would become a priest like them.
After completing primary school in 1997, I entered the Minor Seminary for secondary school, where I spent five years. During this time, I came across an article in New People Magazine, a publication of the Comboni Missionaries in Kenya, which discussed the life and vocation of St. Daniel Comboni. I was inspired to find out more about the Comboni Missionaries.
Unfortunately, the Comboni Missionaries were not in my diocese, so I had nowhere to turn. I therefore wrote to the Comboni Missionaries’ Vocations Director in Lusaka, expressing my desire to get to know them and eventually join. I did not receive a response until I had completed secondary school. After leaving the diocesan seminary, I went to college to study for a diploma in business administration, which took three years.
In 2003, four years after I first applied, I received a letter from the Director of the Comboni Missionaries, who said that he had received my letter very late as he had relocated from Chama Parish to Lusaka. He asked if I was still interested in meeting him. My mother was very supportive and encouraged me to follow my heart.
In 2004, I was awarded a scholarship to study in Europe, which made everyone very happy. However, this put me in a dilemma about whether to pursue my career or join the Comboni Missionaries. I spent time reflecting on my life through prayer and by talking to one of my former teachers, who was a great help to me. Later that year, I stopped working and decided to go to Malawi to begin my formation journey.
From 2004 to 2007, I studied philosophy and religious studies in Malawi. Like others, I thought that seminarians only studied the Bible at seminary. Later on, however, I realised that one has to be intellectually sound to cope with seminary life, particularly with regard to studies. From 2007 to 2009, I undertook my novitiate at the Bauleni Novitiate Centre in Zambia, deepening my spirituality as well as that of the Comboni Missionaries.
On 3 May 2009, I took my first vows alongside my fellow companions. I dedicated my life to serving the Lord by taking the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. It was an emotional occasion, and I asked my family to pray for me so that I would always remain faithful to my calling. I was sent to Italy to study theology and stayed there for four years. According to the instruction of our founder, St. Daniel Comboni, to be a disciple of Jesus one has to be holy and capable.
In 2013, I returned to Zambia and was assigned to Chama Parish to gain pastoral and community experience. There, I met Fr Pawel Opiola, who was working as a youth coordinator. He inspired me in many ways and I was eager to learn from him. Unfortunately, Fr Pawel left on holiday, and when he returned, he was transferred to the Kanyanga missionary parish, where he worked as an assistant priest.
On 4 July 2015, I made my final vows, and the following day, on 5 July, I was ordained a deacon at St Daniel Comboni Parish in Chama, Chipata Diocese. I was assigned to work in our Zambia-Malawi Province and went to Kanyanga Parish, where I remained even after my priestly ordination.
I was ordained as a priest on 21 November 2015 at Regina Pacis Parish in Chawama, alongside my long-standing friend and colleague, Fr Paul Chintu. I was then assigned to Kanyanga Parish, where I served as assistant priest to Fr Pawel Opiola. We worked very well together, and I was encouraged by his dedication to helping the poor and most abandoned, especially when he constructed the Mwila clinic despite the heat of the valley.
In 2018, the Mission of Kanyanga was handed over to the Diocese, with Fr Pawel being assigned to Poland and myself to Lusaka, where I worked as a missionary animator. In 2020, I was appointed Parish Priest at St Andrew Kaggwa Lilanda Parish in Lusaka, where I am currently serving. The spirituality of Comboni, and his dedication to serving others in imitation of Christ, is the driving force behind my vocation and mission.
