Living a life of poverty and self denial is
not one that is preferred by the world today. People wake up and
work harder every day to enrich their lives and that of their
families.
As I prepared my self for an interview with
Fr. Ronald Walker, OMI, a number of questions ran through my
mind: Why do priests wake up early everyday? Why do they work so
hard? Why did he (Fr. Walker) make the decision to join
priesthood?
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In
Picture opposite: Fr. Ronald Walker, OMI, (in the
middle) holding the Cavalry of Christ on horse back
picture at Centre house.
He said when they
came to Zambia they interpreted it as the Cavalry of
Christ on Land Cruisers. Thats why they posed for this
picture - in Landcruisers.
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“
Maybe because
something out of the ordinary happened to him …or maybe it is
because he might have almost died one day but was miraculously
saved and he thought of offering himself wholly to the will of
God would be a better way to express his gratitude,”
I thought to myself. I was wrong.
In my quest to gather more background
information about Fr. Walker and the history of the Oblates in
Zambia, I found myself reading a lot of information written by
him
–
the Codex Historicus. He has so kept it well updated from the
time he arrived in Zambia in 1986. Everything is neatly written
and has almost all the details about the work of the Oblates in
Zambia.
Even though this has been written in ink, it
is very clear and articulate. It bears not only pictures that
provide visuals to the words but also the invitation cards to
some significant occasions. It also has minutes of meetings,
booklets used during papal visitations and ceremonies such as
ordinations and newspaper clippings.
The detail of the Codex Historicus will tell
the reader how dedicated the compiler is. Fr. Walker managed to
do everything well and to completion. No questions are left
unanswered.
Fr. Walker grew up in Detroit, Michigan,
where he was born in 1935 to Roy James Walker and Mina Glodena
Julia. As a young man, he had a keen interest in reading books
about Africa, India and other places far from that which he was
brought up in.
When a vocation director for Oblates of Mary
Immaculate (OMI) visited his school to give a talk, whatever he
talked about seemingly fitted into what he was dreaming of
doing.
“I
do not remember exactly what he said, but whatever it was fit
very well in what I was interested in. Therefore it was very
easy for me to make a decision,”
Said Fr. Walker.
Being an only child, it was very difficult
for Fr. Walker
’s
parents (particularly his father) to accept his decision to
become a priest. Fourteen years later, against all odds, he was
ordained priest on May 27 in 1961 by Archbishop Robert E. Lucey
of San Antonio Texas at the age of 26.
“
Being in formation
was one step ahead for me but my father was not too happy about
it. The situation with my father did not change until I became a
priest. Just before I was ordained, he wrote me a letter and
said that it was not too late to change my mind. However, on the
day of my ordination, he was very happy for me and supported my
decision,”
he said.
Fr. Walker
’s
first assignment was to be in Mexico but he never went.
The year that I was ordained, they introduced
what we call Pastoral years where one has to do pastoral work
locally before going to their first assignment. One day when I
was doing my homily I passed out. The doctors told me that there
was something wrong with my blood and if I went to Mexico, I
would die in a few months. Therefore, I was re Assigned to San
Antonio and started teaching instead,
”
he said.
Six months later, he went for review and the
doctors said there was nothing wrong with him. He had to stay
though.
He worked in the United States of America
(USA) as a Formator, Rector, Teacher, Parish priest and Chaplain
for Trinity University (a Presbyterian school where 80 per cent
of students were Catholics) for 25 years before he finally
volunteered to work in Africa, Zambia in particular.
Above:
Fr. Walker in Rome with the late Pope John Paul II, shortly
before he came to Zambia
Since his arrival in Zambia, Fr. Walker also
has a share of challenges.
Talking about these challenges, Fr. Walker
said that language was very difficult for him. On the 25th of
October this year, he will be twenty years in Zambia but he has
not managed to learn any local languages.
“
I went to school to
learn Nyanja for one year but I stopped doing the course after I
was informed that the formation was to be done in the English
Language. I did not see any reason to continue with it.
On the 27th of April of 1988, Fr. Walker
wrote in the Codex Historicus:
“Language
school is tough. I have always had trouble with Language –
Latin, Spanish…, so I guess at my age, this one is not too
bad. I feel confident that at the end of the course, I will be
able to say Mass…Less confident of saying a homily but willing
to try. It will be a long time before I will be able to say
NYANJA –
if ever! I am getting all the lessons put on a tape and also the
Mass prayers…”
In Zambia he was elected Superior of the
mission for three years
,
was director of the Oblates Centre House for another three
years, and has been a formator to date.
He believes that he has a lot to offer in the
formation ministry.
“I
believe God has blessed me with the talent of working in
formation. I have been doing it for a long time, I enjoy it and
I think I am good at it,”
he said.
Above: Fr. Walker preparing to mount
the statue at Sancta Maria Parish in Lukulu in 1986
Besides being a formator in the Zambian
Delegation, he is also the Parish Priest for Mary Immaculate
parish in Lusaka since its inception.
As I concluded my interview, I realised that
one thousand words were not enough to describe Fr. Walker
’s
personality. One hour was not enough to finish discussing what
made him make a decision to become an Oblate. One by one and
without an end, answers unfolded; it was his love for God more
than self and family, his love for the people of God regardless
of where they were and his love for serving people.
Some positions
Fr. Walker has held to date:
- Teacher
at a Seminary
- Parish work
- Associate
Priest in Dallas, Texas
- Parish Priest
in Denhen Springs
- Formation
director in San Antonio
- Chaplain at
Trinity University
- Superior for
Zambian Mission
- Director of the
Oblate Centre house
- Formation Director for Zambia
Delegation
