On The Ordination of Deacon Victor Mureithi Ndogo in Oakland, California
By Fr. Oscar Momanyi, SJ
On October 16, 2025, I made a pilgrimage to my alma mater, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University at Berkeley, formerly known to us in AOR as JSTB! It was a homecoming for me. I was making the journey not only to return to the Holy Hill of Berkeley but also to witness and celebrate the diaconate ordination of our brother, The Reverend Deacon Victor Mureithi Ndogo, at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA, on October 18, 2025. On that day, our brother was like D’Artagnan in Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, who travelled from his home to join the three AOR musketeers, who were also ordained deacons in Oakland, CA. The first was Fr. Charles Munubi, SJ (now affectionately known as “Uncle” at the Gonzaga Gonza novitiate in Arusha, TZ), who was ordained there on October 20, 2007. The second is yours truly, ordained there on October 16, 2016, and then Aba Natnael Samson (the most formidable musketeer), who was ordained as a deacon there on October 19, 2024. We three (and the whole AOR) welcome shemasi Victor into this club of adventurers under the banner of the cross with joy. Perhaps we shall one day rewrite Les Trois Mousquetaires into The Four AOR Musketeers; we shall let the most formidable musketeer decide that, but that is a story for another day.
The diaconate celebration was remarkable; it was presided over by Most Reverend Michael Barber, SJ, Bishop of Oakland, who called to the diakionia both Aba Natty and me in the yesteryears. Twelve men were ordained on that beautiful day. AOR was represented by an entourage of foot soldiers from far and near: one from Nairobi, KE, one from Detroit, MI; one from Milwaukee, WI (a musketeer); one from Omaha, NE; two from Los Angeles, CA; one from Santa Clara, CA and two at their current home in Berkeley, CA (who had recently arrived from Paris via Nairobi).
The Swahili community in the Bay Area went out of their way to make the ordination a truly East African event, with a post-ordination reception at the Capuchin St. Jarlath Parish. The following Sunday, Rev Mureithi was out preaching in two parishes where he has been doing his pastoral ministry. We thank God for the life and vocation of The Reverend Deacon Mureithi. We pray “that the one who began a good work in shemasi will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).
