In his first visit to St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) since graduating in 2019, Fr Simon Menya gave a presentation on the Orthodox mission he shepherds in Gulu, Uganda. Over 20 seminarians, faculty, and staff attended Fr Simon’s talk, which was hosted by the St Innocent Mission Society.
In his 40-minute presentation, Fr Simon described the many facets of his ministry in Uganda as an Orthodox priest and as founder of the Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project (NUSSP). Fr Simon conducts church services daily; translates Orthodox service books and other texts from English into the local language, Luo; and travels to many small towns and villages in his region to visit the sick, celebrate the sacraments, and catechize new inquirers. Last month, he oversaw the completion of a new church building dedicated to St Catherine and baptized 33 catechumens into the Orthodox Faith. In addition to this prodigious work, he works with NUSSP to organize medical treatment and the building of new clinics; improve local water infrastructure; offer secondary schooling for children; and facilitate opportunities for adults to practice animal husbandry and farming, among other professional skills.
Many of the community members in Fr Simon’s pastoral care experienced long periods of time living in refugee camps due to a 24-year civil war that raged in Uganda until 2008. As a result, says Fr Simon, there is a need to focus on skill-building: when people learn to grow their own food and manage their own livestock, they can live self-sufficiently and build thriving communities, rather than relying on humanitarian aid to survive.
Seminary President and faculty advisor for the St Innocent Mission Society, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield recounted stories from his own 2017 visit to Uganda with Fr Simon and praised him for his tireless efforts to build and grow the Orthodox mission in Uganda, and for his focus on developing self-sufficiency in his community. Referring to his many years teaching missiology classes to seminarians, Fr Chad remarked, “I have always encouraged would-be missionaries to foster entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency in their mission community. Of all the students I have ever taught, Fr Simon has embodied this lesson most successfully.”
Fr Simon's compatriot and current seminarian Richard Okello (M.Div. '25) added a few words at the end of Fr Simon's talk, speaking about his experience as a teacher at the Archangel Michael’s Orthodox Secondary School in Lapainate village, which saw its enrollment skyrocket from 105 students to 586 students in two years. Richard testified to the joy and fulfillment in Christ to be experienced by working with the Orthodox mission in Uganda and encouraged his classmates to visit Uganda in the future.
About Fr Simon Menya
Before enrolling in St Vladimir’s Seminary’s Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program in 2015, Fr Simon served as headmaster of Archangel Michael’s Orthodox Secondary School in Lapainate village—the only Orthodox church school in the northern region of Uganda. He was ordained to the diaconate in the summer of 2017 and to the priesthood on July 31, 2019, in Gulu, Uganda. Shortly afterward, he started the Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project (NUSSP) in an effort to bring material as well as spiritual benefits to his community. He currently assists at three parishes in Gulu: St Lavrentios Orthodox Church, Archangel Michael Orthodox Church, and Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church.
Fr Simon is married to Papadhia Stella Ajok and has three kids: Marie (10), Dimitrios (6), and Fotini (2.5). In addition, Fr Simon and Papadhia Stella have five foster and adopted children living with their family.
Fr Simon’s education at St Vladimir’s Seminary was supported in part by the St Cyprian of Carthage Fund, established in honor of the African bishop, church father, and hieromartyr, for African seminarians who would not be able to attend seminary without financial support. Click the button below to make a contribution to the education of future Orthodox priests and catechists in Africa.
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