Ordination of Deacon Kefentse Eustine Monko
Updated on March 28th, 2024
On the 31st of October 2020, the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Gaborone came together under the shadow of the Covid-19 Pandemic to Ordain Her Son Deacon Kefentse Eustine Monko to the Order of the Priesthood. Bishop Frank Nabuasah presided over the a Rite of Ordination, an ancient ceremony that bestowed up the Deacon, the Dignity of the Priesthood.
The ordination was a bright moment for the Diocese and for the country during this challenging times of the Pandemic. All present wore masks and maintained the prescribed social distancing. For Catholics in the Diocese, Ordinations are normally the highlight of the Diocesan calendar but due to the health restrictions, only 50 people could be attend. Attendance was limited only to a close circle of family members and clergy and a few dignitaries led by the Paramount Chief of Balete, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko.
In his Homily, Bishop Frank reminded him that to be a Priest, he [Kefentse ] had taken a very long path to arrive at the altar. “Your ordination is a fulfillment of your boyhood dreams, from the Minor Seminary to Zambia and ultimately to Rome ” Bishop Frank said of the long and sometimes difficult journey made by Father Kefentse to reach this moment. “”As a Priest, you ought to remain a disciple of Christ, to follow Christ and not to preceed him. In following Christ, you will then be able to imitate him, teach like him and be able to lead a life consistent with what he teaches.” Father Kefentse, dovetailed into the remarks of the Bishop by Choosing John 6. 38 as his crowing ordination verse ” For I have come, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Fr Kefentse is the last born in a family of 4 brothers. A product of the Diocesan Minor Seminary in Kgale, he read for His Philosophy Degree in Lusaka, Zambia before proceeding to Italy Rome for his Degree in Theology. He was ordained a Deacon on the 23rd March 2019.He becomes the 3rd Priest to be ordained by Bishop Frank Nubuasah in the Diocese of Gaborone and with his ordination, becomes the 19th Diocesan Priest in the same Diocese.
To help bridge the gap in distance, the ordination was streamed live through social media using the powerful modern means of communication