Luanda – “I am bringing Angola into the SMA, just as the SMA was brought to Angola by the first missionaries.” These words capture the meaning of Sebastião Moniz Dejoro’s vocation. Ordained a priest at the end of August, he has become the first Angolan priest of the Society for African Missions .This is not simply a personal first. His ordination marks a significant moment in the history of the SMA’s missionary presence in Angola: a Church that for decades welcomed missionaries from abroad is now beginning to send them.“The missionaries who came to Angola planted a seed; today I have the grace of being one of the first fruits of that seed,” Sebastião explains. His words reflect his awareness of becoming part of a story that began many years ago, when SMA missionaries arrived in the country to proclaim the Gospel, accompany communities and contribute to the growth of the local Church.Being the first Angolan priest of the SMA, however, is not a source of prestige for him. “It is a grace to be called the first. I receive it not primarily as a title, but as a gift and a responsibility.” A responsibility that already looks to the future: “I do not want to consider being ‘the first’ as something that makes me important. Rather, I see it as an invitation to pave the way for others.” This is also one of the reasons why Sebastião looks with confidence at young people considering a vocation. Social change, secularization and economic difficulties can make it harder for a young person to choose the priesthood or consecrated life. “They think about their studies, their work and how to build a future for themselves,” he observes. Yet difficulties do not mean that the desire for consecration has disappeared. “The flame has not gone out. It simply needs people willing to protect it, keep it burning and allow it to grow.”His personal journey began at the heart of the Christian community. After becoming actively involved again in the life of the Church during his youth, Sebastião realized the need for deeper catechesis. While preparing for Confirmation, he began assisting a catechist in accompanying children preparing for Baptism and First Communion. That service was the first step in a journey destined to expand. From his own community, Fr Sebastião’s horizons progressively extended to the province, the country and beyond Angola’s borders. In his desire to serve the Church in different contexts, he found in the SMA a family and a distinct missionary identity.“I discovered a family and a missionary identity that gave meaning to this desire,” he says. That desire is now expressed in his commitment to serving the poor and those who have been abandoned, accompanying people through the joys and difficulties of life, and remaining available wherever the Church may send him. His choice thus takes on a broader significance for the Church in Angola.The African country has a long history of welcoming missionaries and has received much through their service. Today, however, it feels ready to share with other Churches what it has received and brought to maturity.“We have received so much from the missionaries, and today we have a Church that is growing strongly, with great potential, many talents and much to offer,” Fr Sebastião emphasizes. “We can receive from other Churches, but we can also give. I believe Angola is ready to broaden its horizons through the SMA. We can bring our faith, our culture, our experience and our way of being Church to other places.”Ultimately, this is the significance of the young priest’s ordination: not only the arrival of the first Angolan priest in the SMA, but also a sign of a Church that, having received the gift of mission, is discovering that it can in turn give that gift to others. Angola, once a mission land, is increasingly becoming a land that sends missionaries. And Fr Sebastião wants to be the first step on this new journey.
