On July 22, 2024, the employees at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, King’s House Retreat Center and the Missionary Association of Mary Immaculate in Belleville, IL enjoyed a special visit by the Director of Oblate Communication Service for the Oblate Congregation, Fr. Bonga Thamsanqa Majola. Fr. Bonga came to the Shrine after visiting with Oblates and employees in San Antonio, TX.

Fr. Bonga traveled from Rome with members of the central government to visit several ministries in Canada and the U.S. before attending a joint session of the Canada-U.S. Region held in Washington, DC July 8 – 13. After the joint session he visited San Antonio before coming to Belleville, IL on July 21.

Born in 1981 on a farm in Nkandla village, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, he grew up in Johannesburg where he said, he had the desire of becoming a priest since he was very young, however, as a teenager he didn’t go to church that often and this desire seems to have disappeared until he met an Oblate, Fr. Ronnie Cairns, at a Mass the day before Palm Sunday. A large Oblate cross hung around the priest’s neck and the young Bonga “fell in love” with it. It was then that he says he knew he would become an Oblate. It is a tradition in the Oblate congregation that upon Final Vows, newly professed Oblates are presented with an Oblate Cross which belonged to a deceased Oblate. Fr. Bonga received the cross of Fr. Allard Mmako, OMI, a young priest who was killed during a car-jacking incident in Nelspruit, South Africa. Fr. Allard had become Bonga’s treasured friend during his seminary days.

On Monday the 22nd, the employees were invited to hear Fr. Bonga talk about his ministry and to enjoy a special lunch prepared by the culinary staff of King’s House at the Shrine. Prior to lunch employees had the opportunity to meet the young Oblate from South Africa, and chat for a few minutes before Fr. David Uribe asked everyone to be seated in order to introduce Fr. Bonga who began with some background.

After ordination, Fr. Bonga spent two years as assistant pastor of a parish in Victory Park, Johannesburg.  He was mainly responsible for the youth ministry at the parish, and also did vocation ministry in South Africa. Next, Father Majola was surprised to learn he was being asked by the Superior General to minister at the Eugene De Mazenod International Center in Aix-en-Provence, France. Fr. Bonga spent seven years there where his mastery of 6 languages came in handy preaching retreats to missionaries from around the world as well as leading them on tours of De Mazenod sites in Aix, and nearby Marseille where St. Eugene was the bishop.

Just two years ago Fr. Bonga was surprised once again when he was asked to become Director of Communications for the entire Oblate congregation at the General House in Rome. Though lacking a background in communications, Fr. Bonga characteristically jumped in and began having on-line meetings with communicators around the globe setting up a network of individuals with whom stories and photos could be shared. Now Fr. Bonga receives stories on a weekly basis from his “correspondents” around the world.

Fr. Bonga, who says gratitude is the driving force in his life, hopes the stories he publishes on OMIWORLD.ORG do three things: Animate the Congregation; Encourage unity within the congregation: and help the congregation remain faithful to the spirit and charism of St. Eugene de Mazenod. So far, Fr. Bonga has managed to animate an amazing network of digital communicators to provide information and inspiration from Oblate missions in the most remote places on the planet. This is only a beginning of what’s to come.