“I have found joy in sharing my daily life and the Word of God with people, encouraging their faith and motivating them to live a better life, spiritually and materially.” Father John Jani Castro, a Comboni missionary from Ecuador, talks about his vocation and mission.

I was fortunate to be born and raised in a Catholic family. We were seven children, five boys and two girls. My father, Teodoro, and my mother, Emelda, gave us a Christian upbringing, so it was in my family that I first heard about God. I attended primary and secondary school in Esmeraldas, Ecuador.

The region has high rainfall and many rivers, some of which serve as main transportation routes to different places. My father had a boat, and I helped him on weekends to ferry passengers to the various villages along the Santiago River.

In my youth, without neglecting my studies and work, I always dedicated time to getting to know God through reading the Bible, which taught me to love God and others and to find greater meaning in my life. It also gave me the keys to understand, in a positive way, what was happening around me. I have always loved the Word of God passionately, because I felt that reading it filled my life.

Several reasons led me to decide to become a Comboni missionary. Among them was the inspiration the Word of God gave me, along with seeing the suffering and hopelessness of many people and the good missionary work carried out by the Comboni missionaries in the communities they accompanied along the Santiago River.

After choosing missionary life, I attended several vocational meetings they organised for a year. After that year of vocational discernment, in 1999, I was accepted into the postulancy that the congregation had in Quito, the capital of my country.

This initial period of formation lasted three years, during which, in addition to philosophy, I took other courses on human and spiritual growth that completed my formation. Another highlight during that period was the apostolate we carried out on weekends. I had a very positive experience with the Afro-Ecuadorians on the outskirts of Quito. What we called Afro Pastoral consisted of accompanying groups of people of colour and exploring their African cultural roots. I learned a lot and believe I was able to contribute as well.

After completing this first phase, I was admitted to the novitiate, which lasts two years. I left my country for Huánuco, a city in Peru, where I shared community with companions from other countries. During this time, I had a profound experience of God, I became more familiar with the Comboni charism, and I gained a deeper understanding of the demands and joys of religious life.

When I reflect on this phase of my life, I do so in a very positive light because it helped me get to know myself better and become more open to encountering others. Living with people from different cultures is challenging, but I now understand how necessary it is. One cannot be a missionary without this capacity for openness and acceptance of others, regardless of their perspective on life. Furthermore, we continually experience this in the mission.

After completing the novitiate, I returned to Ecuador to prepare for my first vows as a religious, which I took on May 10, 2003, in Quito. I was accompanied by my family, many friends, and a good number of Comboni missionaries. To complete the final phase of basic formation, the scholasticate, I returned to Peru, this time to Lima, the capital. These were four and a half years, dedicated primarily to theology studies and weekend pastoral work. In particular, I worked with street children and youth, trying to save them from bad habits, gangs, alcohol, and drugs. We took advantage of the vacation months to undertake longer pastoral experiences. Every year, I went to the parish of San Martín, which we Comboni Missionaries serve in Pangoa.

There, I experienced firsthand the reality of the Nomatsiguenga people. The scholasticate and my summer experiences in Pangoa were very significant for what awaited me in Uganda, as they helped me harmonise my studies and biblical formation with the concrete situations of the people’s lives. After this apprenticeship, I was ready for my definitive consecration to the Mission.

In March 2007, I took my perpetual vows and was ordained a deacon in the parish of Chorrillos, Lima. I subsequently returned to Ecuador to serve as a deacon in two different parishes: Virgen del Carmen, in the province of Manabí, and Nuestra Señora del Carmen, in Borbón, a town in my home province, Esmeraldas. In Manabí, I carried out my pastoral ministry in the urban area. I accompanied the Christians spiritually in the chapels, celebrated baptisms, and assisted at the altar during Masses.

In Esmeraldas, however, my pastoral ministry focused on the rural areas, and I dedicated much of my time to visiting the Christian communities along the Onzole River to accompany them on their journey of faith. Gradually, as I immersed myself in these enriching experiences, the date of my priestly ordination approached.

Accompanied once again by my family and friends, by many Comboni missionaries and by the people of the parish of Borbón, I was ordained on July 16, 2008. Monsignor Eugenio Arellano, then bishop of the Vicariate of Esmeraldas, conferred on me the sacrament of priestly orders.

When my superiors asked me, I expressed my desire to go on a mission to Uganda… and they agreed. First, I spent a year in South Africa learning English. Once I arrived in Uganda, I immediately started learning Lango, the local language of the people with whom I would share my life. I arrived in the country in 2009, and I am still here.

Over the years, I have found great joy in sharing daily life with people and proclaiming the Word of God to encourage them in their faith, motivating them to live better, more organised, and more dignified lives, both spiritually and materially. Despite my previous learning, I found myself in situations where I struggled to understand my companions, who come from different cultures, and also to immerse myself in the local culture.

I also see injustice and corruption, even in the places where I work, which is very difficult for me to accept. Many people lose hope precisely because of these practices. However, I am convinced that these years of mission have been worthwhile. I remain committed to uniting myself with Jesus and to helping my brothers, materially and spiritually, with the ultimate goal of bringing them closer to God.