Zambian Oblates Offer Candid Look at Mission Life

Employees of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in San Antonio, TX were invited to attend a Visiting Oblates Lunch Series on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 to listen to two prominent Oblate leaders from Zambia. Fr. Sydney Musonda, OMI, Delegation Superior of the OMI Delegation of Zambia, and Bishop Valentine Kalumba, OMI, of the Diocese of Livingstone, Zambia offered firsthand accounts of missionary life, formation, and the evolving future of Oblate presence in the region.

Fr. Musonda, appointed Delegation Superior earlier this year, spoke openly about the steep learning curve of leadership. “I am still making some baby steps,” he said, reflecting on the responsibilities of animating a delegation spread across vast rural territories of Zambia. He says there are fourteen Oblate communities that include missions where travel requires hours of navigating deep sand, rough terrain, and roads that can consume an entire tank of fuel in a single fifty mile stretch. “You get stuck sometimes, you sleep on the way there,” he shared, “but there is joy because that is part of our ministry.”

He described the Oblate Kalabo mission in western Zambia as having sixty outstations, each requiring pastoral care. Despite the physical demands, he emphasized the joy of encountering communities whose faith remains vibrant even amid poverty and isolation. “How do you make your presence felt so people know that even in their poverty, their dignity is still there,” he asked. “That is the heart of evangelization.”

Fr. Musonda also outlined major developments ahead. The Oblate central government in Rome has asked the Zambian delegation to prepare for becoming a province within the next several years, a milestone that requires increased self sustainability. In addition, the Zambian Delegation and the Namibia Province are also collaborating to establish a new mission community in Mozambique, expanding their evangelization efforts into a new African country.

The conversation shifted to formation, where Zambia currently has twenty-nine prenovices, four novices, and ten theology students studying in South Africa, Sri Lanka, Rome, and the United States and six on pastoral internship this year. More than 60 Oblates are in full time ministry worldwide. Fr. Musonda shared humorous memories of his own formation journey, including being repeatedly “duped” into staying in the United States longer than expected. “When leadership says, ‘We are thinking of you doing this’, they have already made up their mind,” he joked, drawing laughter from the room.

Following Fr. Musonda, Bishop Valentine Kalumba, OMI, offered a vivid portrait of the Diocese of Livingstone, where he has served as bishop for nearly ten years. “I come here as one hundred percent Oblate and one hundred percent bishop,” he said. His diocese spans fifty eight thousand square kilometers and includes nineteen parishes, three quarters of which lie in sandy, semi desert terrain bordering Namibia and Angola. Travel often involves digging vehicles out of deep sand, an experience he recalled with a smile from years ago.

Despite the challenges, Bishop Kalumba highlighted signs of growth. He noted annual increases in baptisms and confirmations, expanding vocations, and a diocesan priesthood that has nearly doubled during his tenure. “When you lay hands on someone to be ordained,” he said, “you feel the joy of sharing the universal apostolic ministry.” He also described the diocese’s social ministries, including three secondary schools, a youth training center that helps young people avoid drugs and prostitution, and a historic hospital founded in 1947.

Throughout the event, both speakers expressed deep gratitude for the support they receive from the United States. The Zambian delegation relies on funding from the United States Province, which fully supports the many Oblate parishes in the delegation and provides stipends for missionaries abroad. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Fr. Musonda said.

The lunch series offered staff a rare opportunity to hear unfiltered stories of missionary life, stories of sand roads, long journeys, unexpected detours, and the unwavering joy that sustains Oblates in their ministry. It served as a reminder that the Oblate mission, whether in Zambia or the United States, is carried forward by people who embrace both challenge and grace with equal conviction.

Written by Roger Brooks, MAMI SA

Photos by Aaron Paz, MAMI Marketing