Celebrating the gift of Priesthood
Message of Rev Fr. Gabriel
Nukta, St. George's Parish – El Nahud
on the occasion of my
priestly ordination anniversary
"The greatest love
a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them” (Jn. 15:13)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I'm writing to you in this challenging time of
corona virus, a time of disruption that
has brought grief to some , financial difficulties to many and enormous changes
to our daily lives . I greet all of you with great joy and affection.
As I celebrate the 25th
anniversary of my ordination to the Catholic priesthood on April 30th, Allow me to share something personal. I
want to give thanks to God for the gift of the priesthood of Jesus Christ that
I have been privileged to share with you for the past twenty five years.
In
the greater picture of things, 25 years is small amount of time. However in
today's world and context, every single day of priestly fidelity is cause for
thanksgiving and prayer. A diocesan priest living and evangelizing in an
Islamic country, and in a war zone like
Sudan for twenty five years , is not
easy. Therefore it is a cause of a deep thanksgiving.
It was on April 30, 1995 when I laid prostrate on the floor
of the sanctuary of our beautiful Cathedral in El Obeid, dedicated to Mary of Queen of Africa. I can remember the chanting of the Litany of
the Saints , followed by the imposition
of hands upon my head and the anointing
of my hands with the holy oil of chrism by His Lordship Daniel Adwok Marco Kur
, the auxiliary Bishop of Khartoum .
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In 2001, after one year
course at the AMECEA Pastoral Institute Eldort - Kenya, I took charge of the
Diocesan Pastoral, Liturgical and catechetical Office as Pastoral Coordinator.
After 8 years, in 2008, I was sent to Rome for studying Social Communication,
at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome .
After the study I had a twelve months Internship with the Office of
Radio & Television, Archdiocese of Hartford CT, USA.
In 2011, I took charge
of the Diocesan PALICA Center of El Obeid. Two years later I was appointed as a parish priest of St. Peter - Babanusa, (2013). Then I was transferred to St. George's parish – El Nahud (2016), until
now.
These 25 years have been
the best of my life. They have been the most challenging as well, but the best.
Everything I have done these years has been nice: hearing confession, funerals,
studies, traveling, family visits, meetings
, sick call, and Eucharistic celebration. I LOVE what I do every day. Some days
are more tiresome than others; some days are more rewarding than others.
Nonetheless, I love being a priest. I’m constantly amazed and moved by the
sanctity and hospitality of those people I meet in the outstation centers . In
spite of their poor and difficult situation in the refugee camp , they try by
all means to make us comfortable. These people I meet make me want to be not
only a better priest, but a better man.
They have been years of
mistakes too. No one is perfect. Projects fail; phone calls are missed, bad
conduct, negligence … etc but the Lord makes up for my failings. I’ve grown
accustomed to saying I’m sorry. I think that’s a good thing in any vocation. I
will apologize when I know I haven’t been the best I can be. 
Many people have helped me to reach the Lord’s
altar. Loving father, give special blessing to my late parents, professors,
benefactors and all those who have assisted me. Today, I remember in special
way : Late Bishop Antonio Menegazzo, former Apostolic Administrator of El-Obeid
diocese, who has been to me a loving father, may his soul rest in peace. Fr. Salvatore Morrone, a comboni missionary ,
former parish priest of El fasher , who have assisted me in my first year of
priesthood , he treated me with much care and love. I'm
grateful for those priests who inspired me by their example to follow their
footsteps and to those priests whom I call my friends.
Few years ago, I have experienced a terrible set back in my
priestly life, and I was about to quit . Some people from the diocese have helped to overcome this difficult time
among them the Canossian religious
Sisters El Obeid, who prayed for me day and night for one full year, and Rev Fr.
Tombe Trille (now a bishop), who encouraged me to carry on my priestly vocation
. within any walk of life there are always difficulties , trials and
persecutions. However , saint Paul reminds us that love endures all things (1
cor13:7) .
All in all these years have gone very fast.
Every year whenever I celebrate my ordination anniversary I ask myself these
questions:
What was the highlight of the these past years ? The great highlight of my priestly life is
the cross. I learned about the meaning of the way of the cross. " And he who does not take his cross and
follow after me is not worthy of me" (Mt. 10: 38) I kept carry on my cross,
carry on my vocation as priest.
My prayer is
that I may persevere until that day when the Lord, who called me to follow him
as his priest calls me to be with him in eternal rest.
Looking back over these past years I see what God has
done through me, to me, and for me. I’m so immensely grateful for this life,
for this gift. I didn’t choose this life, God called me to it. But I know I
can’t go wrong if I’m doing his will. I pray every day that I have the strength
to carry on, to continue to do His will, to continue to love His people as much
as I can.
Please , remember me on
this day
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