A priest from Malawi, named Peter Chiopsa, is preparing to return to his home country in early September, following a request from his bishop. He has spent six years in Gipuzkoa, specifically in the regions of Debabarrena, Goierri, and Urola Garaia, and will leave many friends behind due to his amiable personality.
Chiopsa began his journey in Gipuzkoa in Eibar, a place he had only heard of thanks to its football team. “I followed La Liga a lot, and at that time, Eibar was in the First Division. While I was in the seminary, Eibar was heavily defeated by Barcelona, and we all started joking, telling the person next to us, 'You're an Eibar fan.' Messi scored many goals (4), and we called him Eibarman. From then on, I started following Eibar”.
Three years later, in 2020, he moved to live in Eibar. “After that, my bishop told me that he had lived in Eibar. He is a Carmelite. He studied in Burgos and then stayed in Eibar and Vitoria. He has friends in Eibar and facilitated my arrival here. My first assignment was Eibar. I spent nine months in Eibar, a year in Itsasondo, and then I came to Urola Garaia”.
One of the first things he did upon arriving in Eibar was visit Ipurua. “A man who came to mass every day, Félix, was a big fan of Eibar. I told him my story, and he started taking me to Ipurua. While in Urola Garaia, I also went to Ipurua. Eibar is my favorite Basque team, of course. I knew them before Real Sociedad. But I have also been to Anoeta. Even in the VIP box”.
But Gipuzkoa is much more than its football. He says that living among them has been a “wonderful” experience, especially because of the people. “In Eibar, they gave me an impressive welcome. They still call me to go for meals. When I arrived, I didn't know how to speak Spanish, but they embraced me. Every week, they took me to see places of interest. I didn't expect anything like that.” He also highlights the affection from the people of Itsasondo and Urola Garaia. “Living here has been easy. I have felt at home”.
In Urola Garaia, he has also learned to speak Basque, with the help of Mari Carmen Viedma. He enjoys Basque culture, particularly the group En Tol Sarmiento. “I heard them for the first time at Anoeta, the first time I went to watch a Real match. When I returned home, I looked them up on Youtube. My favorite song is Zurekin batera. What I like most about Euskadi is how people work to preserve their culture”.
In addition to working in parishes, he took the opportunity to study for a Master's degree in Moral Theology at the University of Navarra. He plans to use all the knowledge and experience gained to serve the youth in his country, noting that drug abuse is causing significant harm and he wishes to help them through sports and work.
This will be from September onwards. Before that, this coming Sunday, he will be honored by his friends in Urola Garaia. The 12:30 mass in Urretxu will feature the parish choir, followed by a lunch.
