Fr. Vital was born in Ovungu,
Kasai Oriental in 1960 and joined the Passionists in 1981 at the age of
21 years. Professed in !982 he was ordained a priest on 1st August 1989
at 29 years of age.
He worked in the Pastoral Centre of the Passionists at Lodja which at
the time was running training courses for catechists. He was elected as
Regional Vicar of the Passionist Vicariate in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, from which post the Passionist General Chapter in Brazil in 2000
elected him General Counsultor for Africa. From Rome he now comes to Ireland
to spend time improving his English.
The Passionist Vicariate to which he belongs was formed as a result
of the work of the Belgian Passionists in what was once called the 'Belgian
Congo'. The Vicariate has 19 priests, one brother and 24 students.
The Vicariate has six houses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The
seat of the Regional Vicar is at Limete. They have a novitiate house,
Mother of Sorrows, at Lumbi which is also a parish. The Philosophy
House, St Paul of the Cross, is at Kingasani and the Theology House, St.
Vincent Strambi, is at Binza. They also run a parish in Binza. They have
a parsi house at Ototo and a Pastoral Centre at Lodja which is also a
mission station.
