Fr. John W. Eybel was born June 18, 1944, in Oakland, California, the son of John F. and Grace Foley Eybel. He attended the Holy Name Sisters' Marylrose grade school in Oakland. Then, in Bakersfield, he attended St. Francis grade school with the Dominican Sisters and Garces Memorial high school with the Christian Brothers (FSC) before entering Maryknoll in 1961.

After his ordination in 1970, he was assigned to work in Tanzania. He studied the Luo language at Maryknoll Language School in Musoma, Tanzania, and then worked in parish ministry at Kowak Catholic Church in Musoma Diocese from 1971 to 1974.

After returning to language school to learn Swahili, the Tanzania National language, Father Eybel worked at St. Pius Seminary (secondary school) in Musoma Diocese from 1976 to 1980, where he served in a variety of capacities: vice-rector, burser/procurator, English teacher, spiritual director and boxing coach.

With a taste for spiritual direction and the counseling of students, he took a two-year sabbatical from the seminary in 1980, during which time he earned credentials for counseling and the supervision of clinical pastoral education from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.

In 1984, under the auspices of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, he initiated a course of Clinical Pastoral Education at Bugando Medical Center in the now Mwanza Archdiocese. Over 175 pastors, sisters, seminarians and health care personnel from Tanzania and elsewhere in East Africa, as well as a handful of expatriates, have completed the interfaith 16 week course which by necessity has emphasized care for AIDS patients.

Over the years, Father Eybel has performed various administrative tasks in the Maryknoll Tanzania Region: Continuing Education Coordinator, FED Area Representative, Orientation to Mission Coordinator (for newcomers to the Region), and Regional Council member. His abiding interest is in teaching, pastoral supervision and in developing education and continuing formation programs suitable for East Africa.

John's Reflections            John's Education Ministry            John's AIDS Ministry

Visit the CPE-Bugando Website

John may be contacted by Email at:  JEybel@Hotmail.com

Visit the Maryknollers Currently in Mwanza, Tanzania