Fathers

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It’s a busy life being a priest: burials or remembering the dead every other day, people always dropping by for help and advice - the door always open, frequently organising village events in which the parish kitchen/furniture etc is used, training and focus groups within the community and that’s on top of the daily masses. It’s non-stop but they manage to be a laugh the entire time and run their own farms! They both have pigs and ducks (!) and are growing papaya, coffee, jackfruit, passion fruit, avocado, matooke - you name it.

They drive around in their very own pope-mobile - a Toyota Rav 4 with blaring religious music, a hologram of Jesus and Mary dangling from the rearview mirror (a change from dice) and so as you can always identify the vehicle from afar they have a wheel cover of Mary and Jesus too!

On becoming priests they both said they now receive an enormous amount of respect from their families - almost as if they have been put up on a pedestal, which can be very awkward at times. Women (sisters and aunts) go down on both knees when they speak to them. This is tradition out here as a sign of respect: women talk to men on bended knee and if the man says no to an older woman she would take it as insult that she is not being allowed to show her respect; and if a man says no to a younger girl she will think herself at the man’s level. It has always been that way and men now expect it but I can understand that among family this could be awkward - I feel awkward when young girls do it to me and they’re not even my family but then it isn’t in my culture.

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