by Marc and Julie Anderson
mjanderson@theleaven.org
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — He has a missionary spirit.
That’s how Father Basil Tigga describes Archbishop Shawn McKnight.
Originally from the Diocese of Gumla in India, Father Basil Tigga came to the United States — specifically to the Diocese of Jefferson City — in December 2018.
He is now pastor of St. Aloysius in Argyle, Holy Guardian Angels in Brinktown, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vienna and St. Boniface Chapel in Koeltztown.
Bishop John Raymond Gaydos was bishop of the diocese when he made a trip to India, where he met Father Tigga.
“Bishop Gaydos told me himself,” said Father Tigga, “‘If you’d like to come to my diocese to serve the people of my diocese, it would be good.’”
So, the priest asked his bishop and received his permission. But it wasn’t until Bishop McKnight took over that Father Tigga arrived in the diocese.
And what a welcome he received.
“He welcomed me very nicely,” recalled Father Tigga. “[Bishop McKnight] said, ‘Father Basil, this is your home. Don’t worry about anything. You are my brother priest. You are my son.’”
And Bishop McKnight was as good as his word.
“I’ve never felt like I’m away from my country,” said Father Tigga. “Always, I’ve felt like this is my home.”
Father Tigga is one of three priests from India serving in the diocese.
“We’re learning . . . so many things,” he said.
And even though missionaries come from and serve in different countries, said Father Tigga, there is something all missionaries share in common — something Archbishop McKnight understands well.
“Mission work is the same — [its goal is] just to unite the people and teach them better, give them good suggestions and be faithful to all people in our church, to Christ and to God.”
Father Tigga said the archbishop understands the universality of the church well.
“He wants to travel to different countries so he can share the faith of Christ,” he said. “He wants to know the faith of other countries. He wants to know everything from each country. He’s very missionary-minded.”
Father Joseph Luzindana, chaplain at the Newman Catholic Center in Kirksville, Missouri, and the diocesan moderator of youth and young adult ministry, agreed.
Originally from Kampala, Uganda, Father Luzindana has spent more than two years in the Diocese of Jefferson City and accompanied Archbishop McKnight last Christmas to Uganda. The trip was highlighted in “Why Our Bishop Went to Uganda,” a podcast found on the diocesan website.
“He made it so simple,” said Father Luzindana of his own decision to move to the diocese.
“The archbishop told me it is good to have experience of the church in a universal way,” he said. “It will be good for you. It is one church. You are welcome.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” Father Luzindana recalled.
During their trip to Uganda, Father Luzindana said the archbishop ate with the people and even danced with them. He also praised the people’s faith, saying, “The church is vibrant here in Africa. Please keep it up. . . . Bring that fire everywhere in the world.”
Calling the idea of missionary priests serving in the diocese a win-win, Father Luzindana said, “We learn so much about this beautiful country, this beautiful culture. We see things in a global way. You’re bringing your culture, too.
“The more people see this — that it is not about the color, nor the ethnicity. It is about drinking from the same cup. We can eat the same body of Christ. We can live together. We can serve one another.”
Father Roberto Ike, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Columbia, Missouri, and a mentor to missionary priests in the diocese, agreed.
“Archbishop McKnight provides missionary priests with orientation where they live with the dean of the missionary priests or priests from their respective cultures when they first arrive in the diocese,” he said. “This is a way to help them learn about American culture without losing theirs.”
The archbishop, according to Father Ike, encourages missionary priests to maintain connections with their home dioceses and has traveled to some of the dioceses from where the missionary priests hail.
“By visiting some of the sending bishops,” said Father Ike, “Archbishop McKnight acknowledges the dignity of these bishops, as well as those of the priests they are sending to his diocese.
“Whenever a decision is made about missionary priests, Archbishop McKnight would first contact the sending bishops before making the decision.”
Then there’s how the archbishop refers to missionary priests.
“One of the first things Archbishop McKnight did when he came to Jefferson City was to change the identification from international priests to missionary priests,” said Father Ike. “I believe this is very significant because calling priests who serve you every day ‘international’ is very alienating and gives the impression of the ‘other,’ meaning they do not truly belong here.
“When Europeans and Americans were going to other parts of the world, they were called missionaries — and [deservedly so]. Now, priests who are returning the favor, by the grace of God, are equally as deserving.
“The holy Catholic Church is essentially ‘missionary.’”
