Rev Jean Oscar Nlandu Bayekula, CICM

Pastor Fr. Jean-Oscar (J.O) Nlandu, CICM is a CICM missionary born on May 21 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). After completing his scientici high school in 1991, he spent three years discerning about missionary religious vocation. In 1993, he was admitted into CICM noviciate, and pronounced his first vows on October 7, 1994 in Kinshasa, DRC. From 1994-1997, he pursued his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and artsat St Augustin University in Kinshasa, DRC. Then, he continued his theological studies at St. Cyprian School of Theology in Yaounde, Cameroon (1997-2001).
After his theological studies, he was assigned as missionary in the Philippines in 2001. He spent three years of internship learning about the local language and culture. After his internship, he was ordained a Priest on May 22, 2004 at St. Patrick’s Church, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. On the same day of his ordination, he was appointed Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church (2004-2006). In July 2006, he was sent to Rome to study semitic languages (Hebrew, greec and Aramaic) in preparation for specialized biblical studies. After his semitic languages studies in Rome, he pursued his studies at the Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium where he earned an advanced Master’s degree in Biblical Sciences in 2009. Upon the completion of his studies in Louvain, he was asked to return to the Philippines where he served concomitantly as chaplain at St. Louis College, San Fernando, La  Union; Pastor at Our Lady of Salvation Church, San Fernando, La Union and Lecturer at the Maryhill School of Theology, Quezon City Manila, Philippines (2009-2011). From 2011 to 2014, he served as parochial vicar at St Thomas Aquinas Church and St. Clare’s Church in the archdiocese of Toronto, Canada. Then he went on to pursue further studies at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada where he earned a master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability Management in 2016. His research focuses on responsible and sustainable sourcing of conflict minerals also known as 3TG (Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten and Gold) necessary to the functionality and production of electronics and many other hi-tech products. In 2017, he was assigned to the archdiocese of San Antonio where he served as Pastor at St. Bonaventure Church until 2022. On October 1, 2024, he was appointed Pastor of St. Louis Church, Castroville.