Father José Joaquim Araújo: «In the Mission, Everything is a Challenge for Me»

I was born in Vila Nova de Famalicão in November 1959 and grew up in Sezures. I am the eldest of seven brothers and two sisters.

The desire to become a missionary was awakened in me by reading the missionary magazines Audácia and Além-Mar around 1975-1976. I told my parents, and although they needed my help to provide for the family’s needs (some children were going to school, others were still young), they did not object. On the contrary, they told me they would make every effort and endure whatever sacrifices were necessary to support me in this decision and vocation.

I found accompaniment and guidance from the Comboni Missionaries in Famalicão. I was also very enthusiastic about what I read about the missions, the testimonies of missionaries in Africa and other parts of the world, my more frequent reading of the New Testament, my increased participation in parish activities, and the life and example of the great missionary bishop, St. Daniel Comboni.

When I entered the Comboni seminary in Maia in 1977, a great challenge was studying. I had to take an intensive course to catch up on six years of school. With the help of those around me, even in the following years at the seminary in Famalicão, it was possible to move forward with the necessary patience.

Having completed the stages of Comboni formation at the postulancy in Coimbra, the novitiate in Santarém (at the end of which I made my religious consecration), and the study of Theology in London, I was admitted to perpetual vows and holy orders. I was ordained a priest in Braga on August 26, 1990.

For the next three years, I was a vocational animator in Viseu, according to the “Comboni Seminary in the Family” model. In 1993, I was sent on mission to Mozambique. I spent four years in Iapala, in the Archdiocese of Nampula, and another four years in Mirrote and Mapa in the Diocese of Nacala. I learned a lot in those rural communities after the civil war, with many refugees returning, many Christian communities being created, new situations to manage, and the importance of mutual help.

From 2002 to 2007, I worked in Portugal: the first four years in Maia and the last in Santarém, working with vocations and missionary animation. My identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Comboni Family, and the mission of the Church continued to grow stronger, though not without difficulty, and this helped me improve my service.

In 2007, I was sent to Malawi. In 2009, I was sent to Zambia. And since the end of 2021, I have been working again in Malawi—first in a rural parish, and since February 2024, in the formation house of Balaka, where I follow 24 Comboni seminarians in their vocational journey and philosophy studies.

In the mission, everything is a challenge for me, as I learn to serve in the best way possible, with humility and joy.

Comboni Missionaries