Father Gilbert Andama, OP, joins Campus Ministry this semester as the new chaplain for graduate students, faculty, and staff at The Catholic University of America.
Father Andama was formally introduced to the community on Oct. 5 in St. Vincent de Paul Chapel, where he con-celebrated in his first on-campus Mass. He has served in parishes in Kenya for five years and also was a visiting priest in New York and Rhode Island.
He spoke to University Communications about his new role serving the U.S. bishops’ university.
Q: Where are you coming from?
A: I’m from Uganda, but I am arriving from Nairobi, Kenya. I have been a Dominican priest for five years now. I belong to the Province of St. Joseph, which has a mission in East Africa.
Q: What is an interesting fact about yourself?
A: Where I come from, we don’t have the culture of picking family names or names based on your father. Instead, each person has a name with its own meaning. Andama is not a family name, it is my name. My name means “I looked for” or “I waited for.” I’m the middle child, and between my elder sister and me there is a ten-year gap. People can call me either Father Gilbert or Father Andama, whichever they prefer.
Q: What are you looking forward to most at Catholic University?
A: I must say this assignment is an honor. I find great joy in serving young people. I’m a graduate student myself, finishing my master’s in development studies at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. Working for Campus Ministry at The Catholic University of America, it is very important for me to understand both the needs of the community and of individuals, so we can respond to both. That’s what I want to focus on in the coming months.
Q: What's the most important thing you brought from home?
A: My statue of St. Martin de Porres. If I lost everything else and still had that, I’d be a happy man. I love his humility, his heart, his love for the poor, and his simplicity of life.
