Meet A Priest: Father Avitus Kazi Siriwa

May 16, 2023

The West Texas Catholic: Welcome to the Diocese of Amarillo, Father Avitus Kazi Siriwa. Let’s start our conversation by reflecting on your vocation story.
Father Avitus Kazi Siriwa: “Thank you so much. I entered elementary school in 1978 for seven years and thereafter my high school which was in minor seminary for six years in Tanzania. In 1991, I joined Apostles of Jesus Major Seminary for philosophy and theology in Nairiobi, Kenya. In between the years of philosophy and theology, I had two years of novitiate in Kenya.

WTC: When and where were you ordained?
Father Siriwa: “I was ordained on July 12, 2000 in my home diocese, the Diocese of Moshi, Tanzania at Christ the King Cathedral.”

WTC: How many years of priestly service did you have before you felt God’s hand leading you to the United States, Father Siriwa?
Father Siriwa: “My first assignment after ordination was in the Catholic Diocese of Kotido, Uganda as assistant pastor for 14 months. From Uganda I went back to Kenya to a minor seminary where I served as bursar and substitute teacher for four years. In 2005 I came to Pennsylvania to serve as a priest chaplain in local hospitals and nursing homes where I ministered to the elderly and infirm for twelve years in Harrisburg and Allentown, Pa. I also served in our offices as both regional and mission office secretary in Northampton, Pa. In 2018, I was assigned to our general office in Nairobi, Kenya as a coordinator for the administration and finance secretariat and resources mobilization where I served up to the time I came here to the Catholic Diocese of Amarillo on April 2.”

WTC: Why come back to the United States?
Father Siriwa: “From the 13 years that I worked in the United States, I realized that the community that I saw, the culture, the dynamics, motivated me to open myself to really serve God and serve His people. Of course, for all of us, our greatest desire is salvation not only for oneself but also for others. That’s the reason.”

WTC: Tell us about your family. How many brothers and sisters? What do they do?
Father Siriwa: “Oh boy! You don’t want to hear this! I come from a very large family, and I always ask this question, ‘How many players make a soccer team? It’s always a bit of a challenge because I know that Americans go for football…”

WTC: Right, but soccer is the real foot-ball…
Father Siriwa: “I come from a family of 11, and I play number three. I always say that Mom and Dad were the perfect referees and coaches; we have happy memories of both of them. So, my brothers and sisters are all in Tanzania, just living an ordinary kind of life. Working hard to meet day-to-day challenges. That’s who we are.”

WTC: What brings you the greatest joy in your vocation as a priest?
Father Siriwa: “I think the greatest joy in my life in the priesthood is the service. I remember, at the time when I was working with the elderly and the sick, I felt that I was stepping onto the holy ground of people’s lives, hearing their stories, and accompanying them. In one way or another I think for me it's through the mutual inspiration that you realize that you’re helping the individual, and at the same time you realize who you are—the priest who serves the people of God.”

WTC: What are some of your hobbies, Father Siriwa?
Father Siriwa: “My hobbies are quite interesting. I like working on the computer. I do a lot of drawing; I’m learning a lot. Lately, I spend most of my time there. I have been trying to learn to swim. I come from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and don’t know how to swim. However, I enjoy exercising and I like gardening as well. When I first came to the Diocese of Amarillo and was staying with Father Nicholas Gerber, he realized I run a lot. After I arrived, I did some laps around Blessed Sacrament Church. I hope he doesn’t charge me for that. I’m meeting everyone, and as part of that, it is delightful to enjoy one another.”

WTC: Your favorite bible verse, and why is it your favorite bible verse?
Father Siriwa: “I like Psalm 51. It has been part of my prayer always, and it is very inspiring in terms of understanding the mercy of God, the love of God. And if there is anything that motivates me to share a part of me in my preaching, what comes out is the mercy and love of God. I like Psalm 51. I pray it a lot and use it a lot.”

WTC: Your favorite saint or saints, and why are they your favorite saint or saints?
Father Siriwa: “I like Sts. Peter and Paul. Peter oftentimes is very human, if you read the Gospel stories and take a moment to think about what he does. Peter sometimes gets up in front of the people without excitement but also realizing how his life will turn out. St. Paul is full of zeal and joy—he works from his conversion through his ministry. There is passion that comes out. Everything that he shares is all about his deep conviction, the Faith that he received after the apparition on his way to Damascus. His conversion for me is a tremendous example for all of us—we have a moment when we make a U-turn and the U-turn helps us to really face life with such courage and deep conviction that we can share with everybody else.”

WTC: Your first impressions of the Texas Panhandle and the Diocese of Amarillo.
Father Siriwa: “Most of the people are very friendly, ready to help when asked. I have observed a good number of people taking time to pray. Every day there is a group praying in Church. Others volunteering their time, resources and expertise to help in Church. Different ministries demonstrate active participation of every one as we form one single body of Christ.”

WTC: The final word in the conversation belongs to you, Father Siriwa. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Father Siriwa: “No, I’m just grateful to Bishop Patrick J. Zurek and the whole diocesan council for this opportunity. They were kind enough to look at my application and give me an opportunity to minister here. All I can say is, it is God’s blessing, and it is not my making. It is an open door to be part and parcel of the family of Amarillo, to see what God has given me, to be able to help, to receive from others so that all of us, whatever we’re looking for, is for all of us to become holy, and to, one day, merit eternal life in heaven. Nothing else.”