Welcome to Fr. Zacharie Beya-Tshingimba
Father Zacharie Beya-Tshingimba, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arrived in the Diocese of La Crosse on Thursday, September 18th. He will minister within the Diocese for a period of two and possibly three years.
Father Beya-Tshingimba was most recently the Assistant General Secretary to the DRC Conference of Catholic Bishops. Father Beya-Tshingimba comes to us by way of a fellow diocesan priest, Father Sebastien Bakatu, currently at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Hugo, Minnesota, who acts on behalf of His Excellency, the Most Reverend Marcel Madila Basanguka, Archbishop of Kananga.
After receiving his bachelor's degree form the Universitas Urbaniana in Rome, Father Beya-Tshingimba attended Christ the King Seminary in Kananga. He was ordained on August 31,1975 and subsequently accepted a position as a professor at Christ the King Seminary. He was appointed Director until 1985. Upon receiving his doctorate from the Universitas Urbaniana in 1989, Father Beya-Tshingimba worked in university chaplaincy as well as parish pastoral assignments. He was appointed Coordinator of Priest Personnel for the Archdiocese of Kananga from 1992-1996. In 1996 he was appointed to the National Bishop's Conference where he remained for the past twelve years.
Stating that the most challenging aspect of his pastoral work has been "exercising my priesthood and my services during all the civil wars and social and political instabilites", Father Beya-Tshingimba remains open to whatever apostolate is demanded of him as a priest. Please welcome warmly Father Beya-Tshingimba to our Diocese and Parish as he embarks upon this new journey in his ministry.
