Experiencing the Oblate Zambian Mission Firsthand
By Kevin Miller

My Oblate employee journey to Lukulu began, like many past family and work trips, with a familiar flight in May from my native St. Louis to the Delta Airlines hub in Atlanta. There I met up with fellow Zambia travelers Fr. David Uribe, OMI and Fr. Billy Morell, OMI. From Atlanta onward the trip transitioned to the unfamiliar… 16 plus hours aloft to Johannesburg, South Africa, a brief final flight to Livingstone,
Zambia, and two weeks of immersion in a far different land.

The Oblates began their missionary work in Zambia in 1984. Zambia is a large, sparsely populated country, a beautiful place where two-thirds of the people live in poverty. In Zambia, the average life expectancy is about 60 years of age and disease and poverty are significant causes of death. The average family subsists on the equivalent of a few dollars a day and the most frequent modes of transport we saw consisted of bicycles or ox carts.

We traveled by land rover or boat on a two-week journey to Oblate locations such as the Jack Joyce Community House and Radio Liseli in Mongu, Sancta Maria Parish in Lukulu, and Mary Immaculate Parish in Lusaka. With the gracious support of donors around the world, the Oblates we met overcome complex logistical challenges to broadcast the Good News of the Gospel over Radio Liseli, answer calls
for access to basic human necessities and dignity on a daily basis, and partner to provide life-changing opportunities for education at programs like the Lukulu Crafts Training School run by Oblate Bro. Max Mwakacheya.

Our trip had several especially memorable moments. One was certainly a scheduled three-hour boat trip on the Zambezi River from Mongu to Lukulu, that due to mechanical challenges, turned into a ten-hour boat and overland adventure. You truly realize you have left all urban comforts behind while stranded on a narrow African riverbank, with one eye focused on (potentially reptilian) ripples near shore and the other scanning the sand for any elevated spot where cell reception might be remotely possible!

Another was our visit to an Oblate leprosarium in Lukulu. Years of successful diagnostic, treatment and education programs have overcome leprosy as a public health threat in Zambia, but two individuals,
including a wonderful woman named Agnes, still live in the leprosarium. Agnes, who has resided there since Zambia achieved independence from Great Britain, greeted us with a smile. The closest she came to a complaint? “I would love to have another woman here to talk to,” she shared

I traveled to Zambia to meet the Missionary Oblates doing God’s work, to witness their daily impacts, and to share best fundraising practices that we hope help sustain and grow their efforts. I left with a sense of awe for those Oblates, like Fr. Billy, who were brave enough 40 years ago to cross the globe and plant the initial seeds of our programs in Zambia. And with a heightened appreciation for donors, like you, who make our ongoing, transformative work there possible. Thank you!!


Make a Difference in Zambia

If you would like to support our Zambian missions, please send a gift in the envelope enclosed or contact the Office of Charitable and Planned Giving at 800-233-6264
for more information


From the desk of Fr. David P. Uribe, OMI

Dear Friend in Christ,
Recently I received a message from Fr. Chibesa Chishimba, OMI, who is the Delegation Superior of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Zambia. When I read a particular portion of his message, I knew I had to share it with you.

“We have grown from four missionary pioneers from Texas to now over 60 Oblates living in communities across Zambia,” said Fr. Chibesa. “We have shared vocations with other parts of the world and are grateful for the support from our mother province in the United States, especially their benefactors who make our work possible.”

When I visited our Zambian missions in May, along with Kevin Miller of our Charitable and Planned Giving Department, we were constantly being told to let the benefactors know just how important they are to the Zambian missions. Without the support of friends like you, the Zambian missions would not be the vibrant, life-changing ministry that exists today.

During my visit, I was particularly impressed with the Santa Maria College of Nursing. The Oblates certainly helped turn an abandoned hospital campus in Lukulu, Zambia, into a nursing school through a miracle of determination and collaboration. More than 150 women have graduated from the nursing college in recent years!

The nurses from Santa Maria are now providing medical care to people living in some of the most rural parts of Zambia. Without these nurses, the residents would have no medical care. The college has been so successful that it is now expanding to offer two new programs: midwifery and public health.

While you will probably never get to visit Zambia in person, please know that the Oblates and the people we serve there are grateful for your prayers and support. The Gospel is alive and well today in Zambia because of you. May God bless you for your generous heart.

In Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate,

Fr. David P. Uribe, OMI
Oblate Chaplain Director


Make An Impact in 2024

As 2024 comes to an end, now is the time to consider making one more gift in support of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and their mission work among poor and needy people around the world. An
end-of-year gift might also be able to provide you with tax advantages.

Here are some of the ways that you can support the Oblates at this time and make a significant impact in our Oblate ministries and missions throughout 2025.

Outright Cash Gifts are the Easiest to Give

You may donate by check, credit card, or a monthly pledge payment.

Donation through your IRA

For taxpayers 70½ and older, federal law requires annual distributions from IRAs to be included in the taxpayer’s
adjusted gross income (AGI) and taxed. The IRA Charitable Rollover allows taxpayers to directly transfer
up to $100,000 to the Missionary Oblates without paying taxes on the distribution. You can also fund a Charitable
Gift Annity with your IRA that provides you with a variety of tax advantages.

Donate Back your Oblate Annuity Trust Distributions

To make your annuity go even further in helping our ministries, you can donate your annuity trust payments back to the Oblates.

Donate Stock

If you hold long-term (purchased more than one year ago) publicly traded securities, you may be able to donate the stock to the Oblates and avoid capital gains tax while also obtaining a potential federal charitable tax deduction (if you itemize on the fully appreciated value
of your stock).

Create a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

DAFs are a simple, flexible, and tax-advantaged way you can make charitable donations. You can designate a DAF grant via your trustee’s website (such as Fidelity or Schwab Charitable).

Legal Title: Oblate Missionary Society, Inc.
Tax ID: 26-0634043


An Ambassador For Christ

When Fr. Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI, visited his native Zambia in January, the missionary Oblate priest returned home with an impressive addition to his resume. In December 2023, he had been appointed as Vicar Provincial for the U.S. Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

But despite his new lofty position, Fr. Emmanuel remained a humble missionary while accompanying visitors to his homeland. When the group’s boat broke down on the Zambezi River, he climbed a small sand river bank to get a weak cell phone signal so he could call for help. And when he visited a small leper colony run by the Oblates, he sat with residents and was moved by their determination and gratitude.

Father Emmanuel may have the title “Very Reverend” in front of his name now as a major superior, but he continues to be a humble servant of others, a hallmark of his Oblate journey. Father Emmanuel grew up in a non-Oblate parish in Lusaka, Zambia. He
learned about the Oblates by reading a book, and eventually joined the Oblate formation community. He was ordained in 2012 and spent his first few years of priestly ministry working as an assistant pastor at a remote parish along the border with Angola. He then received the shock of his life, an obedience to minister in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the age of 33, he was put in charge of a historic parish
in the city that was struggling to stay open.

St. Augustine Parish has a colorful past. It was the most integrated congregation in the country starting in the 1840s when free black people, slaves and white people began competing for space at the church during what was called the “War of the Pews.”
After Hurricane Katrina, the diocese looked at closing the parish as families moved away. They turned to the Oblates and Fr. Emmanuel to keep the doors open. The young pastor was able to grow the parish to about 300 families. The Sunday “Jazz Mass” draws visitors from around the world to celebrate their faith in a unique New Orleans style.

In addition to his New Orleans duties, Fr. Emmanuel was part of several province committees as part of the provincial council where he focused on areas such as finance and formation. He brings that experience to his current leadership position which oversees a wide variety of Oblate ministries in the United States. While Fr. Emmanuel’s work is diverse and extensive, he is always making sure that he approaches each day with humility and grace. He tries to bring the words of St. Paul to life wherever he goes: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as if God was making His appeal through us.”



Rest In Eternal Peace

The Missionary Oblates are grateful to our friends who have remembered us through a bequest or charitable gift annuity. Please join us in prayer for these benefactors who have been called to their eternal rest with the Lord.

Carol Andrejasich
Charles & Bernadette Bartola
Anne Bedner
Laura Elise Blais
Rita M. Bobin
Marlene Boje
Ellen Brentine
Patricia R. Chape
Patrick J. Concagh
Muguette U. Cote
James H. Culley
Diane Cwiklik
Bernice D. DeLor
Gloria Dorian
Paul R. Fecteau
John & Ellen Gallagher
Mary Jo Gretsinge
Vincent Lombardo
Joseph & Stella Pokorny
Hilda Robinson
Marie Romanski
Neomasha Russum
Idalina Serrao
Carolyn L. Sewell
Roland J. Urmetz
Josephine Vella
Mary Ann Wallenburn