In 1974, on the eve of his departure for Mali for Koranic school, little Soumaïla Niampa was cared for by his uncle Abbot Gabriel Niampa who enrolled him in classical school. After many adventures and the blessing of his father, Soumaïla became Etienne through baptism, then a priest, celebrated on August 15, 2023, at the Church of Our Lady of All Joy of Titao, his 25 years of priesthood.

Praises, songs of adoration, no dances in homage to the Lord, it is in this atmosphere that the Church of Our Lady of All Joy of Titao celebrated on Tuesday August 15, 2023, the day of the Solemnity of the Assumption, the 25 years of priesthood of Abbot Etienne Niampa.

The thanksgiving mass presided over by the host of the day, saw the presence of several faithful, friends, sympathizers and guests including customary and religious authorities who came to show their support.

Son of a devout Muslim, Étienne Niampa was born on December 31, 1967 in Ouindigui, the capital of the commune located 17 kilometers east of Titao, in the province of Loroum.

He attended primary school at School A in Titao from 1974 to 1981 and continued secondary and higher education in Ouahigouya and Dapaong in Togo (philosophy cycle).

In 1993, the young Niampa entered the major seminary of Saint Pierre Claver de Koumi in Bobo-Dioulasso where he left in 1998 to be ordained a priest on July 4, 1998 by Monsignor Philippe Ouédraogo, the Cardinal who currently presides over the destiny of the Catholic Church. burkinabe.

Father Niampa then undertook his pastoral mission at Saint Joseph Artisan parish in Gourcy from 1998 to 2001, in Kongoussi at Sainte Thérèse parish from 2001 to 2005 and from 2005 to 2011 at Notre-Dame de l’Annonciation parish in Bourzanga. .

He returned to his native land in Titao from 2011 to 2018 where he was appointed parish priest of Notre Dame de Tout Joie.

With the help of the sons and daughters of the locality, his actions lead to the construction and the dedication of the parish church.

“Son of a devout Muslim”

From 2018 to 2019, Father Etienne Niampa returns to the parish of Saint Joseph Artisan de Gourcy as parish priest. From 2019 to 2020, he is called to serve the parish of Limoges in France. From 2020 to 2023, he is back in Burkina Faso at the Notre-Dame de la Délivrance parish in Ouahigouya. Since 2023, Father Étienne Niampa has been chaplain to the sick at the Center Hospitalier Universitaire de Ouahigouya.

For the record, it was on the eve of his departure for the Koranic school in Mali that little Soumaila, who would later become Étienne through baptism, was taken away by his uncle, Father Gabriel Niampa, who enrolled him in classical school.

Meanwhile, little Soumaila decides to be a Christian. Uncle Gabriel, unable to make this commitment alone, asks the father’s opinion.

This one does not oppose and relies on his brother. When the son tells him later that he wants to go to the major seminary of Koumi, the dad remains evasive, keeps silent for a while, especially advised against by relatives. But he finally agreed.

But the real trigger came in 1997 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Ouagadougou when Étienne Niampa was to be ordained a priest.

It is at this diaconal ordination that his dad has, according to him, made the biggest step.

“On that day, each dad had to present his child. My father was upset. He did not expect as a Muslim that his name would be mentioned in a church. It was on that day that he freed himself and really freed me too,” said Father Étienne.

And to add: “When he left church that day, he told me that he knows that it is really a call from God. »

Father Etienne Niampa’s motto is “I sing the love of the Lord without end” (Psalms 88 verse 2) to give thanks to God for all he has done in his life.

For Father Etienne Niampa, everything God does is good. “If you rely on God, you have to hold on because nothing is impossible for him,” he said.

After his 25 years of priesthood, the faithful remember him as a very altruistic man, an artisan of peace and social cohesion and above all a man of faith.

Source: Burkina Information Agency