Published on 2025-09-15 18:47:22
My name is Samson Owino. I was born on November 11, 2000, to Simon Barasa and Saraphine Agutu. Am the seventh born in the family of eight, three boys and five girls. My journey of Faith began in 2001 after being baptized. After a full year of catechism, I received my First Holy Communion in 2012 and confirmed the same year. My Godfather, Vincent Wanguche, is a good person to me and been journeying with me in this journey of faith.
My vocation journey begun when I still young as I used to church with my parents. I got moved with the way the priests used to vest while celebrating the mass. I admired it and this motivated me a lot in that even when I was in school, my goal was just to become a priest and that one day I would be able to vest like them and celebrate mass for the people. While in school, almost every student in our class knew about my desire of becoming a priest. My parents also helped me a lot in nourishing my vocation of becoming a priest since they never objected my desire when I told them about it, but continued supporting me in many ways in order to achieve my goal thus fulfilling my desire of serving the people as a priest.
As time went by, I came to know more about the priesthood, even knowing that we have two kinds of priests, religious and diocesan. With more knowledge of the two, I got attracted to a religious priest so that I can be able to serve in different parts of the world. After my high school, I didn’t even apply for the university because I wanted to join the seminary. Therefore, during my discernment about which congregation I could join since I wanted to be a religious, I happened to meet with Fr. John Korir, the Vocation Promoter of the Comboni Missionaries. He explained to me all about the Comboni Missionaries and Missionary life, and this increased my desire of joining this kind of life. After my application, I was invited for my come and see programme for one week and later admitted for the Pre-Postulancy at Kariobangi.
My experience begun in Korogocho working with the street boys who were for rehabilitation programme at Napenda Kuishi. In the centre, I used to offer my time by being with the boys, sharing scriptural verses by valuing the human person and helping them to know and appreciate themselves. We were also having moments of sharing life stories, so that through these stories, they could encourage each other, having moments of indoor games, sports, team building, among other activities that were bringing them together always. This positive experience helped me to grow in my aspects, as it exposed me to different realities in the slums.
After my Pre-Postulancy Experience, I was again admitted to the postulancy for my philosophical studies. During this period of my Postulancy, I have gained a lot of key values starting from the intellectual aspect, spiritual aspect, human growth, and community aspect. I have encountered different people from different nationalities, thus making me an international person. The formation in the postulancy has played a key role in my discernment journey and at a personal level at large in that it’s during this time that I have been able to encounter both the strengths and challenges in life.
After undergoing all these stages of formation, starting from my aspirancy, pre-postulancy, and postulancy, I have begun to enter deeply in the Charism of the Comboni missionaries, something that igniting in me more fire of going out and be of service to others. I have come to learn that the Comboni missionaries are simple people and that they are ready to serve all persons without any boundaries but especially mostly those who have been abandoned in the society. Generally, the services that the Comboni missionaries are offering and their commitment to the pastoral work keeps motivating my journey of discernment.