The two men had last met 30 years ago, having taught in a minor seminary in Zambia, but with a difference: one had taught the other in the very same seminary!

Mass goers in Holy Cross Church, Lisnaskea last Sunday morning did a double take when, not one but three vested priests came out to celebrate Mass, Canon Joseph Mullin, PP, Fr Brendan Shannon, White Fathers, who has strong Newtownbutler and Lisnaskea connections and a very youthful Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu, who has charge of the archdiocese of Lusaka.

Canon Mullin did the initial introductions and it was left to Fr Shannon, the archbishop's 'old' teacher, to address the visiting VIP in chibemba, the local dialect.

On a subsequent visit to Enniskillen this week, Fr Shannon insisted that we shed the limelight on his 'old' pupil who explained that he was on official church business in Germany and decided to call and see his mentor.

"Fr Brendan taught me in secondary school. I knew a bit of English, and I understood him sufficiently to learn more from him", he recalled. "I wanted to become a priest when I entered the minor seminary. It was priests who were teaching us and they spiritually directed people like myself to go on to the senior seminary".

But, it wasn't all learning. The young telesphore, under Fr Brendan's influence, developedinto a fine soccer player and, today, at the age of 60, he looks much younger. He was ordained in 1972 and spent one year in a parish before taking up a teaching post in the minor seminary where it all began, later being joined by Fr Brendan on the staff.

And, as for Irish people, well it seems they can do no wrong in his eyes: "They're a very warm people. They like us in Zambia, as Missionaries and as lay people working in various fields. I think the Irish deserve to liked and not just loved".