By George P. Matysek Jr.
Father Nixon Mullah, SSJ, rector of the Josephite seminary in Washington, D.C., and a former pastor of Holy Family church in Baytown, Texas, died Feb. 18 in his native Cameroon.
He was 51 and had been battling cancer for several years.
Bishop John Ricard, SSJ, superior general of the Josephites and the man whom Father Mullah succeeded as rector of St. Joseph Seminary in 2019, remembered his friend as a “true spiritual father” to seminary students.
“He cared deeply about their wellbeing and went out of his way to assure success in their studies,” Bishop Ricard said.
The bishop added that Father Mullah was very much involved in supporting the local community of African Catholics in the Washington area.
“He was a man of great energy and integrity – a true priest-servant always ready to be of service,” Bishop Ricard said.
In a 2019 interview with The Josephite Harvest soon after his appointment as rector, Father Mullah compared his role at the seminary to that of a caretaker.
In addition to being responsible for helping in the daily formation of seminarians who reside at the historic seminary, he also had to stay on top of the significant upkeep of an aging building that dates to 1929. His days began at 5 a.m. and didn’t end until late into the evening, he said.
“Dynamic is the word I would use to describe the seminarians here,” Father Mullah told The Harvest. “They are open, enthusiastic and have a serious focus. They know what they have to do on their journey to the priesthood, so it’s a constant collaboration with their formators to see those areas where they may need more input or encouragement.”
The training of future priests is critical to the life of the church, Father Mullah said, noting that St. John Paul II often pointed out that there are no sacraments without priests.
Born in Cameroon, Father Mullah was ordained to the priesthood in 2005 for the Archdiocese of Urbino, Italy. Attracted to the ministry of the Josephites, he joined the Baltimore-based Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 2007.
Father Mullah earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
With the Josephites, he served as associate pastor of St. Francis Xavier church in Baltimore, vice rector of St. Joseph Seminary and rector of the Josephites’ St. Martin de Porres House of Studies in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Father Mullah was pastor of Holy Family church in Baytown from 2016 until his appointment as St. Joseph Seminary rector in 2019.
Deacon Steve Arceneaux, who served with Father Mullah at Holy Family church, said the pastor was known for visiting the sick and homebound. He trained altar servers and gave homilies that catechized the people and opened them to the Word of God, Deacon Arceneax said.
“He was very much at the heart of ministry at Holy Family,” Deacon Arceneax said.
Jude Juanita Arceneax, the deacon’s wife, said Father Mullah was concerned about encouraging parishioners to get involved in various ministries.
He also had a special talent for gardening, Deacon Arceneax said.
“You would see him on Saturdays, early Saturday morning, tending the flower beds in and around the church and the rectory,” he remembered. “He always kept fresh plants growing around the small church and the rectory.”
The Arceneaxs said they have been praying for their friend as he battled cancer.
“He was courageous in his suffering and an inspiration to those who suffer in this life,” Bishop Ricard said. “He will be greatly missed.”
A memorial Mass will be offered Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at St. Luke in Washington, D.C.
