About Saint Daniel Comboni African Community · Windsor, Ontario
The Saint Daniel Comboni African Catholic Community is a cultural-community Catholic congregation in Windsor, Ontario, that serves the African diaspora across the city and the wider Windsor-Essex region. It is one of the two designated communities within the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes (alongside St. Alphonsus, Assumption, St. Angela Merici, and St. Benedict Tridentine), in the Diocese of London. The community gathers for Mass on the first Sunday of each month at 2:00 PM at St. Alphonsus Church (85 Park Street East, Windsor), where worship is enriched by African hymnody — often accompanied by the djembe, a West African drum — sung in multiple African languages alongside English.
- Established
- 2009
- Patron
- Saint Daniel Comboni (Italian missionary bishop and founder of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and the Comboni Missionary Sisters; canonized by Pope John Paul II on 5 October 2003)
- Rector
- Rev. Timothy Scott, CSB — Pastor of the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes since July 2024 (Fr. Nicholas Mauro Iko, a Sudanese priest, served the community at St. Alphonsus in its earlier years)
- Diocese
- Diocese of London (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Daniel Comboni is the spiritual home for Windsor's African Catholic community — a place where newcomers from more than ten different African countries can gather as one. The monthly liturgy at St. Alphonsus Church combines English with hymns in multiple African languages, often accompanied by the djembe, creating a worship experience that reflects the community's cultural heritage. For African Catholics in Windsor — including refugees rebuilding their lives after conflict — it offers a 'haven' of shared faith, familiar music, and mutual support, while remaining fully part of the Diocese of London's Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes.
Mass times at Saint Daniel Comboni African Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Welcome to the Saint Daniel Comboni African Catholic Community
The Saint Daniel Comboni African Catholic Community serves Windsor's African Catholic congregation as part of the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes. The community gathers at St. Alphonsus Church in downtown Windsor for a once-monthly liturgy that combines the universal Catholic Mass with the music, language, and rhythms of the African continent. The community's name honours Saint Daniel Comboni, the 19th-century Italian missionary to Sudan who founded the Comboni Missionaries and the Comboni Missionary Sisters.
History and Founding (2009)
The community was formally established on 4 October 2009 when Auxiliary Bishop Robert Anthony Daniels presided at the inaugural Mass at St. Alphonsus Church, concelebrated with the dean, diocesan priests, two African priests on loan to the Diocese (from Congo and Cameroon), and the Comboni Missionaries Fr. John James Fraser and Fr. Brian Joseph Quigley. The liturgy was celebrated in English, but the choir sang hymns in at least six different African languages, and the colourful entrance procession and lively offertory reflected what Comboni sources described as 'a lively and youthful Church.' From the beginning, the community welcomed refugees and newcomers from Sudan, Ethiopia, and across the African continent.
- Inaugural Mass: 4 October 2009, St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor
- Presider: Auxiliary Bishop Robert Anthony Daniels
- Concelebrants included Comboni Missionaries Fr. John James Fraser and Fr. Brian Joseph Quigley, plus African priests from Congo and Cameroon
- Founding supporters included members of the Sudanese Community who travelled from Kitchener
Connection to the Comboni Missionaries
The community's patron saint, Daniel Comboni, founded both the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) and the Comboni Missionary Sisters. Comboni missionaries from the North American Province, based at St. Joseph Parish in Kitchener, were present at the community's founding and continue to express solidarity with the African communities forming across Canada — many of whom, particularly the Sudanese, have a strong devotion to Comboni.
- St. Daniel Comboni (1831–1881): Italian missionary bishop, Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa
- Motto: 'O Nigrizia o morte!' ('Either Africa or death')
- Plan for the 'Rebirth of Africa' — 'Save Africa through Africa'
- Beatified 17 March 1996; canonized 5 October 2003
Community Life and Hospitality
From its founding Mass onward, the community has been marked by warm hospitality. After the inaugural 2009 liturgy, guests and members were invited to a meal prepared by the women of the community, and this tradition continues today. The community has long been described by its members as a 'haven' for African newcomers and refugees — a place where those who have experienced trauma in refugee camps or in countries at war can gather with fellow Catholics and share one faith.
- Shared meals after Mass prepared by community women
- Pastoral outreach to African refugees and newcomers
- Chair of the community (2016): Vincent Nwaesei
Part of the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes
The community is one of five members of the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes, formed on 1 September 2020 in the Diocese of London. The Family also includes the territorial parishes of Our Lady of the Assumption, St. Alphonsus, and St. Angela Merici, as well as the St. Benedict Tridentine Catholic Community. Bishop Ronald Fabbro approved the name 'Heritage' precisely because each member community carries a distinct cultural heritage: St. Alphonsus represents the social-justice and African-heritage roots of the diocese; St. Angela Merici, the Italian national parish; Assumption, the early French settlement; St. Benedict, the Tridentine Latin Mass; and St. Daniel Comboni, the African community.
- Family formed: 1 September 2020
- Diocese: London, Ontario (Bishop Ronald P. Fabbro, CSB)
- Sister communities: Our Lady of the Assumption, St. Alphonsus, St. Angela Merici, St. Benedict Tridentine
Clergy and Pastoral Team
The community is served by the pastoral team of the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes. Fr. Timothy Scott, CSB — a Basilian Father — has served as Pastor since July 2024, following Fr. Steven Huber, CSB (2021–2024) and Fr. Maurice Restivo, CSB (2020–2021). Fr. Jim O'Neill, CSB, a retired Basilian, is a priest in residence. Earlier in the community's life, the Sudanese priest Fr. Nicholas Mauro Iko ministered at St. Alphonsus and was instrumental in welcoming African newcomers to Windsor.
- Current Pastor: Rev. Timothy Scott, CSB (since July 2024)
- Priest in Residence: Rev. Jim O'Neill, CSB
- Earlier minister: Fr. Nicholas Mauro Iko (Sudanese priest)
Visiting and Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed to the monthly liturgy on the first Sunday at 2:00 PM at St. Alphonsus Church, 85 Park Street East, Windsor. The community shares its host parish's contact information; office inquiries for the broader Family of Parishes are handled through the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes office. The community's own website can be found at stdaniel.ca, with information also published on the Family site at windsorheritageparishes.ca/stdanielcomboni/.
- Phone (St. Alphonsus): 519-253-2493
- Address: 85 Park Street East, Windsor, ON N9A 3A8
- Web: windsorheritageparishes.ca/stdanielcomboni/ and stdaniel.ca
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Timothy Scott, CSBJuly 2024 to present
Current Pastor of the Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes; Basilian Father appointed by Bishop Ronald Fabbro.
- Rev. Steven Huber, CSBJune 2021 to June 2024
Previous Pastor; reassigned by the Basilian General Council to St. Anne's Parish in Houston, Texas.
- Rev. Maurice Restivo, CSBSeptember 2020 to June 2021
First Pastor of the newly formed Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes.