{"id":1590,"date":"2025-06-02T16:27:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T16:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/?p=1590"},"modified":"2025-12-31T02:12:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T02:12:29","slug":"serving-a-joyful-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/serving-a-joyful-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving a Joyful Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Maryknoll Seminarians Patrick Okok and Matthew Sim, the road to lifelong mission has been marked by joy and humility. The deacons, who will be ordained to the priesthood on June 7, have been trained for ministry in vibrant faith communities across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okok, from Kenya, and Sim, from Singapore, currently assist at St. Benedict the African parish in Englewood<\/a>, a resilient neighborhood on Chicago\u2019s South Side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okok says he has been enriched by the parish community. He adds that he especially treasures the hospitality hour after Sunday Mass. \u201cThose conversations have nourished me,\u201d he says. \u201cAs Christians, coming together, sharing stories and food is communion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deacon Okok, along with Deacon Sim, earned a degree at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where Maryknoll seminarians study theology, mission and pastoral ministry. (Octavio Dur\u00e1n\/U.S.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn catechism and RCIA, young people discuss issues like social media addiction and violence,\u201d Okok continues. \u201cDespite challenges, the idea is to stay strong as a faithful community and pray with people and for safety on our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sim uses his technical skills to live-stream the parish\u2019s Sunday Mass from the church adorned with stained glass windows and wood carvings. He and others on a team work together to animate an online community through the Zoom and Facebook live chats. The liturgy \u2014 with its joyful music led by a spirited choir \u2014 becomes interactive and accessible to those who cannot attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad is 98 years old,\u201d a parishioner told Sim. \u201cBefore I come to church, I turn on Facebook for him so he can participate in the Mass and see his friends who he misses so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation was a moment of grace, Sim says. \u201cI thought this was just a simple technical job,\u201d he explains, \u201cbut now I see it as a ministry of care to the homebound.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A HOME IN COMMUNITY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew Sim, 45, was born and raised as a Buddhist and Taoist in Singapore. He joined the RCIA program at Nativity Church in Singapore and then grew in the Catholic faith while teaching in Hong Kong. He was baptized in 2011. \u201cThe first seed of priesthood was planted in me,\u201d he says, \u201cwhen I felt that God was calling me to serve the Church during my final preparations for baptism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sim\u2019s first spiritual guide was Maryknoll Father Michael Sloboda, and Sim found himself drawn to the mission society. \u201cThe diversity of mission activities and spiritualities attracted me,\u201d he says. \u201cThe mission is anchored in the needs of the people, and also the gifts that the missioners bring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joining Maryknoll in 2016<\/a>, Sim studied philosophy and theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He completed a spirituality year for candidates before going to Bolivia for Maryknoll\u2019s Overseas Training Program of living and working in a foreign mission setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deacon Sim and Deacon Okok lived in community with other seminarians and missioners at the Maryknoll Society house in Chicago while studying at Catholic Theological Union. (Octavio Dur\u00e1n\/U.S.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSingapore is very communal; whatever we do, we aim to do it for the common good,\u201d he says. \u201cGoing to Bolivia was an opportunity to experience the same belief, but through their own cultural expressions. It felt like home and at the same time, a refreshing take on what I am familiar with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sim and other Maryknoll missioners served at Hogar San Jos\u00e9<\/a>, a home for the elderly in Cochabamba. Out of the 21 people they cared for, seven passed away from COVID-19 while he was attending to them. while under his care. \u201cIt was difficult to accept what was happening initially, but with spiritual guidance from Maryknollers and other wisdom figures in Cochabamba, I was moved spiritually to understand that God had put me there to be with them so that they could feel loved by God before they returned to the Father,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sim also served in an afterschool project run by Maryknoll called Apoyo Escolar<\/a>. Some of the parents of the children he tutored would leave home as early as 3 a.m. to work at La Cancha, the city\u2019s sprawling market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents wake up very early to help their parents,\u201d he says. \u201cIf they have younger siblings, they take the role of parents.\u201d This, Sim says, awakened in him an awareness of the reality of what some children go through. It also helped him understand the importance of opportunities and education for a different future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to the States, Sim was placed at the U.S.-Mexico border. He served at Cristo Rey Church in El Paso, Texas, where Maryknoll Father Raymond Finch is pastor<\/a>. Besides assisting at Mass and preaching as a deacon, Sim participated in the parish\u2019s many activities and established a Bible exploration group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sim also volunteered at the Holy Family Refugee Center. \u201cI tried to be a bridge between the refugee center and Cristo Rey,\u201d Sim says. The parish Bible group led the Way of the Cross in Spanish at the migrant center together with the refugees. \u201cI applied what I learned in Bolivia,\u201d he says, explaining that, in mission, it is important to use both the head and the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pastor of St. Benedict the African Father David Jones presides while Deacon Okok assists at the altar of the historically African American church in Chicago. (Octavio Dur\u00e1n\/U.S.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope people who dream of serving the Church join us in mission,\u201d Sim says. \u201cMaryknoll can offer that because our charism is to go to [other] places, to live among people, to be a presence with and for the people, inviting all, including ourselves, to transform our lives for Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HEARTS AND MINDS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patrick Okok, 34, was born and raised in the village of Usah in the Kenyan southwestern Nyanza province. Early on Sunday mornings, his parents would prepare him and his 12 siblings for Mass, warming their bathwater and giving them coins for the collection. From an early age, Okok felt drawn to the priesthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 16, he decided to pursue this calling. \u201cI asked my catechist, \u2018How can I become a priest?\u2019\u201d Okok recalls. \u201cHe suggested joining the altar servers.\u201d Okok took this advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his college years at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Okok  got to know Maryknoll Father Lance Nadeau<\/a>, serving there as chaplain. \u201cListening to his homilies, I came to admire how he was preaching,\u201d Okok says. \u201cIt made a lot of sense looking at the country, the political situation, and the student life in the university. He merged all those and connected them with the Gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While studying philosophy in Kenya, he joined Maryknoll in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okok completed his spirituality year in Chicago and, with Sim, was sent to Bolivia for overseas training. However, only five months later, his elder sister passed away, and Okok returned to Kenya for her funeral. He planned to go back to Bolivia \u2014 but borders closed during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In El Paso, Texas, Deacon Sim and Maryknoll Father Raymond Finch celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 with a young parishioner. (Courtesy of Matthew Sim\/U.S.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Okok served for 10 months at a Maryknoll parish in Tanzania. \u201cThere were two groups of Small Christian Communities,\u201d the seminarian says, one for parents and the other for youth. \u201cI got engaged working with youth.\u201d He also made Communion calls to the sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the borders reopened, Okok returned to Bolivia. There he volunteered at Hogar Nuestra Casa<\/a>, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence in Cochabamba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okok, who has a bachelor\u2019s degree in education with a major in mathematics and physics, tutored the girls in their studies. \u201cThere were 18 girls living at the home,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I left Bolivia, three girls were joining the university.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to Chicago<\/a> four years ago, Okok says that serving at St. Benedict the African parish has strengthened his call to mission. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that before I move to a new place, God is already there, among the people,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m joining them in this journey, putting our hearts and minds together, seeking what is possible and listening to what God continues to call us toward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on the arrows to view the slideshow below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
Seminarians Okok and Sim, with their classmates, gather at Catholic Theological Union (CTU) at an event to share dances from different cultures. (Courtesy of Matthew Sim\/U.S.)<\/span>
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Seminarians Patrick Okok and Matthew Sim serve at a Mass celebrated by Maryknoll\u2019s superior general, Father Lance Nadeau, to institute Maryknoll Seminarian Victor Mutobera as an acolyte. (Courtesy of Matthew Sim\/U.S.)\n<\/span>
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Seminarians Patrick Okok and Matthew Sim serve at a Mass celebrated by Maryknoll\u2019s superior general, Father Lance Nadeau, to institute Maryknoll Seminarian Victor Mutobera as an acolyte. (Courtesy of Matthew Sim\/U.S.)<\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Okok poses for a photo with parishioner Adrienne Alexander and her three daughters at St. Benedict the African parish in Chicago. (Courtesy of Adrienne Alexander\/U.S.)<\/span>
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Deacon Okok distributes Communion during Mass at St. Benedict the African Church in the neighborhood of Englewood, Chicago. (Octavio Dur\u00e1n\/U.S.)<\/span>
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<\/div>
On a Maryknoll pilgrimage to El Salvador, Deacon Okok and other participants visit sacred sites including St. Oscar Romero\u2019s tomb and the graves of Maryknoll sisters murdered during the country\u2019s civil war. <\/span>
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Sim and his parents visit Maryknoll\u2019s mission in Taiwan, where they met Maryknoll Seminarian Josephat Odundo (right). (Courtesy of Matthew Sim\/Taiwan)<\/span>
See More<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Sim and other Maryknoll missioners join community members at the opening ceremony of Creation Week in Plaza de las Banderas in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2019. (Courtesy of Matthew Sim\/Bolivia)<\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Okok and Sim, who earned master of divinity degrees, adapted well to the mostly African American congregation and its newer parishioners from Latin America. Father David Jones, the pastor, says the parish embraces diversity. \u201cWe are the voice that calls for unity, reconciliation and respect for humanity,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe attend St. Benedict because it\u2019s welcoming,\u201d says African American parishioner Adrienne Alexander, whose husband is Mexican. \u201cOur three daughters participated in the Nativity play organized by Deacon Okok.\u201d She adds that they are \u201cexcited about coming to church.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parish has been fortunate to have the seminarians, Alexander continues. \u201cWe are happy to play a role in their journey, and glad to know they will take a piece of our community with them around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okok and Sim will be ordained at Maryknoll\u2019s headquarters in Ossining, New York. As the men embark on a lifetime as missionary priests, Father Jones offers these words of encouragement: \u201cRemain humble, always strive to follow your vocation, and trust that God is leading you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured Image: Maryknoll seminarians Deacons Matthew Sim and Patrick Okok (left, right) will be ordained June 7. As part of his formation, Sim served at Cristo Rey Church in El Paso, Texas. (Matthew Sim\/U.S.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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