Born into a large family, Vedastus Machibula was educated in the faith by his mother. Their village was 7 kilometers from the nearest church and, every Sunday, they attended the celebration of the Word. On some occasions, they were also able to have the Eucharist, when the priest was able to come. Now, thanks to a grant from the CARF Foundationwill be ordained a priest and serve in his home country, Tanzania.
How did you come to consider a priestly vocation?
-On Sundays we went to the Office of the Word celebrated by the catechists. On one occasion, a priest came to town and began to celebrate Mass. I was very young and I realized that it was different from what the catechists did. I was very interested in how he celebrated the liturgy and, when I got home, I asked my mother "Mom, why was today different, who is that man who celebrated today?". My mother told me what a priest was and what is the difference between priests and catechists.
She pointed out to me the importance of priests for salvation and to help others to know Christ. I asked why we did not have a priest every Sunday and she answered that it was impossible, because the two priests of that parish attended thirty-three churches. So I told her: "When I grow up I want to be a priest to help the church in my village, that they always have priests to teach them the faith and to celebrate the sacraments." My mother explained that I would have to study hard and be very disciplined and encouraged me, if that was my path, to talk to my father in case they could pay for my studies.
This is what happened when, at the age of 14, I wanted to go to the minor seminary. My father told me "I will pay whatever you need to make your dreams come true. Although I am not rich, I know how important it is to study. We may lack even what we need to live, but you will not lack what you need for your studies". This always made me try very hard, because I know how hard it has been for my family.
He will soon be ordained a priest. What is he asking God at that time?
-Indeed, I will be ordained to the priesthood at the end of August. I thank God for this gift that he is going to give me soon. That desire to serve God wherever he needs me, which I had from the first day, I have kept in my heart with the help of God and Our Lady.
The world needs priests, it needs the sacraments. I ask God to help me remember why I wanted to be a priest, why I want to be a priest and why I will fight to remain faithful until the last moment. These words of St. Peter "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you." have been my prayer before God in the difficult moments of my journey, because the Lord always knows the interior of our heart.
In your country, what are the main challenges facing the Catholic Church?
-The Catholic Church in Tanzania is a very young church with less than two centuries of life. Among the challenges, for example, there are many young (and old) people who live together but are not married in the Church.
Moreover, in some places the culture of polygamy is still strong. Another area is the practice of traditional religion, which many practiced before receiving the faith and which is difficult to abandon completely.
Along with this, the Church is always striving to improve the life of the community both in the academic and socio-economic fields and has been a very important instrument in maintaining peace and development in the country.
How does formation at the University of Navarra and in a seminary such as the University of Navarra help you in your vocation and future priestly life? Bidasoa?
-My stay in Pamplona has been wonderful. I leave Pamplona a different person than I was four years ago. I have been impressed by both the human and academic formation.
Being in Pamplona has been a gift because people from five continents, from different cultures, thoughts, each with their own peculiarities, but united together by Christ under his Church.
This is a marvel that clearly manifests the catholicity of the Church, because the Catholic Church has no limits, it reaches wherever God wants it to go and God always wants the Church to reach the whole world.
