Our Lady of Lourdes keeps it in the family with the new assistant priest joining his Uncle at Lesmurdie parish.
Our Lady of Lourdes parish priest Father Kenneth Asaba (42) could not be more pleased with his new assistant priest, his own nephew Father Cyprian Shikokoti (29).
Fr Asaba said if his nephew misbehaved he would be calling his mother – Fr Asaba’s eldest sister – before he called the Archbishop of Perth.
He was appointed assistant priest of Our Lady of Lourdes on 24 February.
The two priests are from Kakamega in Western Kenya and arrived in Australia at different times after being invited to complete their seminarian training in Perth by Archbishop Barry Hickey.
Fr Asaba met Archbishop Hickey during his training in Rome, receiving an invitation to complete his time as a seminarian in Perth.
He was ordained on 9 December 2005 and has spent time as a chaplain at Edith Cowan University and as the parish priest of Southern Cross from September 2008 till the end of 2010.
Fr Asaba said Lesmurdie is a good place to minister because it is halfway between the city and the country and people take things a bit slower.
Archbishop Hickey invited Fr Shikokoti to be a seminarian in Perth after meeting him at a thanksgiving feast in Kenya.
He came to Perth in 2006 as a seminarian and stayed at the St Charles Seminary for three years before being ordained on 4 March 2010.
Although having aspirations to be a missionary priest, Fr Shikokoti said is he is pleased to be working in Perth with his uncle.
Fr Asaba said he expected working with his nephew would bring up some emotions and feelings that were particular to their situation but said at the end of the day helping the parish is what is important.