MEET THE CHAPLAIN: CAPTAIN FATHER CHEWE
Captain (Father) Samson CHEWE was born on April 18, 1986, and comes from the Archdiocese of Kasama. He was born into a family of five—three ladies and two gentlemen—all raised by a single mother, Justina Mubanga.
Capt Fr Chewe attended St John’s Primary School from 1993 to 2000 and St John’s Secondary School from 2001 to 2002.
From 2003 to 2005, he attended St Francis High School.
He began his priestly journey in August 2006, after graduating from high school, at the Emmaus Spirituality Centre in Lusaka.
From 2007 to 2009, he pursued philosophical studies at St Augustine Major Seminary-Mpima in Kabwe, where he earned a diploma in philosophy.
In 2010, he entered St Dominic’s Major Seminary, where he continued his theological studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity and Theological Studies from Urbaniana University (Rome).
In May 2013, he was ordained as a deacon and as a priest in May 2014 in the Catholic Church. He was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Kasama.
Following his priestly ordination, he served in different capacities:
2014–2015, St Peter’s Luwingu Parish, as Curate
2016-2017 St Joseph’s Lubushi Parish, as Curate
2017-18 St Theresa Girls’ Secondary School as chaplain and curate at Chilubula Parish
2018: St France High School as Chaplain and Administrator for Malole Parish and St. Monica’s Kampamba Parish
2018: Parish Priest, St. Andrew’s Nsumbu Parish
In 2021, he was recommended by His Grace Archbishop Ignatius Chama of Kasama and the ZCCB President to join the Army as a chaplain.
As is always the case, anyone joining the Zambia Army as a chaplain should be in good standing with the church from which he is coming.
After completing his initial military training at Zambia Military Academy in Kabwe, he was assigned to the 4 Infantry Battalion (4ZR) in Chipata, where he is currently serving.
Priests are exempt from the standard recruiting age limit because they work in parishes for years before joining the Army; as a result, they commission at the rank of captain and are surrounded back to the church on retirement.
Chaplains from other denominations serve in the Army as well.
