Father Joseph Lukong is the fifth of seven children of Boniface Lukong and Rosa Foyenka, both late of Kumbo, Cameroon.  He explained that of those seven children, only three are still living.  Father says the city of Kumbo was about the size of Bangor/Brewer.  His father worked in a school and his mother worked in the home.   After his retirement, his father became an entrepreneur and often asked Father Joseph to help with aspects of the business. Father Joseph indicated that he came from a very religious household, and noted that his father would often help the elderly and the sick.

Father Joseph says that during secondary school, his favorite subjects were geography, history, economics and mathematics.   Outside of class, he enjoyed playing soccer, and spending time with friends, both boys and girls.

Father Joseph was ordained on April 4, 2002, after studies at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Bambui, in the ecclesiastical province of Bamenda, Cameroun. There he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Theology.  He says his studies were supported by the Holy Union Sisters, a missionary order which continues to support him to this day.  Father Joseph also has a diploma in Counseling and another focused on Internally Displaced People.  In the seminary, Father indicated that he was especially interested in canon law and in patristics and church history and pastoral theology and moral theology.  

Father Joseph comes to St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish with considerable pastoral and administrative experience. He served at St. Mathias Morumba (a Ugandan martyr) parish for two years, then served as pastor at St. Michael’s Parish in Meluf for three years. He spent four-and-a-half years as pastor at St. Jude’s parish in Mbveh, a commercial area in Kumbo. After that, Father Joseph was the canon at the Cathedral in Kumbo for five-and-a-half years. That entailed overseeing not only the church building, but the priests in the cathedral parish as well, serving as vicar forane for a total of seven years.

Father Joseph served next as pastor at Christ the King parish in Jakiri for seven years, before being sent to Holy Family Parish in rural Tabenken for a year.  

The Bishop of Kumbo sent Father Joseph to the United States three years ago, when he began serving the cluster of parishes in Hancock County, which includes churches in Bucksport, Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island.

Father Joseph indicated that he is currently working on a Master’s degree in Peace & Reconciliation through the University of Maine. He says his Master’s thesis is almost completed and that he is writing about the war in Cameroon and its long-term effects on the education of Cameroonian students. Father Joseph said that he is willing to share his thesis with anyone who might be interested.

Father Joseph said that here at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, his goal is to work with parishioners to keep the parish moving forward so that it grows, and that no one is left behind. He indicated that people are welcome to come to him anytime; they don’t need to wait for an appointment.  He said they should just call, whether it’s a matter of sickness in the household or an issue which is weighing on their mind or heart.

Father Joseph said that one of his favorite sayings is “Let’s see what happens.”  He says that that leaves him open to the situations life brings and the search for effective solutions.