07/04/2026
Deacon Elect, Alvin Vincent Mulinge, SJ. ⏐ A Vocation Narrative Forged in Faith
I was born in Kitui, Kenya, where the seeds of my faith were planted early by my grandmother, Veronica — a devout woman who brought me along to Mass and small Christian community gatherings. From childhood, prayer was as natural to me and I enjoyed leading it. At just five years old, I caused an unintentional stir at a church gathering when I loudly questioned why an elderly woman had begun eating without first praying, drawing
laughter from the entire congregation. From that moment, my family and neighbors affectionately began calling me 'Pastor'; or 'Father'; — names that would prove prophetic.
My early education deepened my spiritual life. At EMCO Academy, an Anglican primary school in Kitui, I carried a personal Bible and led prayers at weekly assemblies. I then attended Chogoria Boys High School, a Presbyterian institution, where the near-absence of Catholic priests intensified rather than diminished my vocation. As a Catholic students' leader,
I felt the weight of this spiritual gap acutely and resolved to enter the major seminary immediately after completing my secondary education.
However, God had other plans. My strong Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results earned me a place at the University of Nairobi. Bishop Anthony Muheria of Kitui encouraged
me to pursue university studies first, reassuring me that a genuine vocation would withstand the test of time. I enrolled in a degree programme in Environmental Conservation and Natural Resource Management.
University life became a grace-filled chapter for me, largely through my involvement with St. Paul's Catholic Chaplaincy. There, I encountered Jesuit priests who came regularly to lead
Bible study sessions, retreats and Sunday Masses. Observing their apostolic zeal and intellectual depth, I felt the Holy Spirit drawing me unmistakably toward the Society of Jesus.
After graduating in 2015 and completing an internship in Gaborone, Botswana, I officially joined the Jesuits on 9th May 2016 and began my novitiate formation in Arusha, Tanzania.
My Jesuit formation has unfolded across several countries and chapters. I completed my novitiate in Arusha, Tanzania in 2018 before moving to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of
Congo, where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy in July 2021. I was then missioned for Regency — a formative stage of missionary service — in Wau, South Sudan, teaching at
Loyola Senior Secondary School. Living among the marginalized, and the forgotten became a defining moment in my priestly journey. It was there that I came to understand, in
the most profound sense, that loving Christ means joyfully embracing one's own cross.
Since June 2023, I have been in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, engaged in theological studies — a season I describe as a grace-filled encounter with the heart of God. As I approach my ordination to the diaconate, I understand this call as an invitation to kneel, to serve, and to wash the feet of others. My life bears witness to one enduring conviction: that God never abandons us, and that the Cross of Christ is always glorious and triumphant.
I commend myself to your prayers, that I may fully embrace this ministerial duty of service with love and total magnanimity
