18 Deacons, 4 Priests Ordained in DR Congo Urged to Exemplify Humility, Simplicity in Ministry

Kinshasa, 27 September, 2025 / 8:29 PM

Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo has called upon the 18 Deacons and four Priests he ordained to embrace humility and simplicity in their ministry.

In his homily during the September 20 Ordination, Cardinal Ambongo urged them to dedicate their lives to God and to the service of the poor.

“Carry out your ministry with humility and simplicity, allowing this Sacrament to act within you,” the Congolese Cardinal said during the September 20 Eucharistic celebration that was held at Our Lady of Congo Cathedral of Kinshasa Archdiocese.

He added, “It is not enough to become a Deacon or Priest in name only; be good Deacons and good Priests by always remaining faithful to the commitment you make today.” 

The Local Ordinary of Kinshasa Archdiocese, who doubles as President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), urged the Priests-elect and Deacons-elect to “serve faithfully and proclaim the Gospel in a spirit of sacrifice and dedication.”

“Let the grace of God fall into your hearts, which the Lord Himself has already prepared during these ten years of formation, so that your hearts may become good soil according to God’s will, Deacons and Priests, witnesses of hope to the little ones and the marginalized,” the Congolese member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) further said.

Cardinal Ambongo urged the Priests-elect and Deacons-elect to “carefully prepare” their preaching and to meditate on “every word spoken and every gesture” made on the day of their ordination before the Bishop and the people of God.

“Becoming a Priest or Deacon,” he emphasized, is to “accept dedicating one’s life to God and to the poor, the suffering, the forgotten, and the excluded… because the new Priests, conformed to Christ, have received the power to sanctify God’s people and to proclaim the Gospel.”

The Catholic Church leader continued, “Furthermore, when serving the Church, they must always remember that sacred things are to be celebrated simply and with dignity.”

To the people of God, Cardinal Ambongo also encouraged them to “pray for the ordinands and to give them sound advice so that they may faithfully carry out their evangelical ministry with zeal.”