Xavier’s chaplain Father Elario Zambakari comes from a different background than most of the Xavier community. His perspective provides a strong guidance for girls interested in deepening their faith.
Zambakari was raised in South Sudan, but grew up in a refugee camp in the Central African Republic due to war. During Zambakari’s stay at the camp, he discovered a nearby Catholic seminary and spent his time there playing with kids.
At the age of 14, Zambakari was invited to join the seminary by the seminary’s bishop. Zambakari stayed at the seminary for 18 years while his mom and siblings left Sudan for America in 2000.
Zambakari’s family arrived in America as refugees, and his mom told the government that she had a son who still lived in Sudan, which later helped him obtain his dual-citizenship.
Once he became a priest, Zambakari was finally able to visit his family in America in 2015 for the first time in many years. Through his priesthood, he was able to reconnect with his family.
In 2023, Zambakari became an official American once he passed the interviewing process. Before becoming an official citizen, he was able to visit America temporarily due to being a priest.
More recently, Zambakari has found a way to continue connecting communities through the Catholic faith at Xavier.
With the help of Kaiti-Lynn Beazley, Danielle Lambert, Sister Dung “Theresa” Trang, he has been able to revive a program that provides Xavier students with an opportunity to deepen their faith through the sacraments of initiation.
Trang’s primary focus is to lead the classes that help educate interested students in this initiation. Trang has a passion for guiding students in their faith, and Lambert says that this is a shared quality between Zambakari and Trang.
“Sister Theresa has a background in assisting students in their sacraments, and has a passion for it,” Lambert says. “Father Elario also is very passionate about the sacraments. He gets very excited for the girls.”
Both Trang and Zambakari come from unique backgrounds. Trang grew up in Vietnam and both of their unfamiliar backgrounds are interesting and engaging for students interested in gaining their sacraments.
Zambakari specifically connects to Xavier through this program and focuses on having Xavier students feel welcomed by him. “Father is very pleasant to work with and is very understanding,” Trang says.
Beazley, Lambert, Trang, and Zambakari’s way of leading this educational program gives the Xavier community a new way of looking at faith as a gift that should be shared. Lambert also mentioned that the participation in attending these classes can connect the community in a spiritual way.
The first official initiation meeting of the school year was on Friday, September 12. Meetings take place on Fridays for an hour and are dedicated to educate students about the sacraments they desire to obtain.
There will be approximately 15 meetings this school-year, all led by Trang. Each meeting focuses on making the process a positive experience. The girls will officially gain their sacrament of their choice near the end of the school year.
This program at Xavier is unique because the bishop has specifically appointed Zambakari, along with all other diocesean chaplains, a special status in which he can administer these sacraments. Usually, only the bishop is able to administer the sacraments of initiation unless he directly appoints a priest to fulfill his role. Xavier is honored to have the privilege of this sacramental experience.
