Kenyan Bishops Eager to Engage the Holy Father on Country's Full Seminaries, Vibrant Church in Rome Visit

On the growth in religious and priestly vocations in the East African country, the Archbishop of Kenya’s Archdiocese of Kisumu said, “At the moment, all Major Seminaries in Kenya are full to the brim. The Seminaries are so full that we cannot take candidates who are qualified.” 

He said the full Major Seminaries are “a good sign of the growth of a faith in Kenya.”

“There is an explosion of priestly vocations that the Conference of Bishops is having to think about how to cater for this great gift of faith coming from a community of people who want to dedicate themselves to the service of God,” the KCCB Chair said. 

Archbishop Muhatia also acknowledged the abundance of female Religious vocations in the country, saying, “We have also seen local congregations of brothers coming up and receiving very many vocations.”

He said that despite the numerous spiritual attacks against the family, the Church in Kenya had also witnessed more and more people committing themselves to the sacrament of matrimony.

The Archbishop attributed the growth of faith in Kenya to the country’s many years of evangelization.

“I would say the time is ripe for this upsurge in vocations. We have been preparing for this moment,” he said, and added, “A lot of evangelization has been going on for many years and now, I believe that the Church in Kenya is ready to reap from many years of its hard work.”

“There is a convergence of factors contributing to this growth and the contribution of many people including the Religious, Priests, and even the Lay people. The Church is growing in the right direction and most importantly, it is the Holy Spirit that is at work,” the Archbishop said.

Archbishop Muhatia noted that despite the growth of faith in Kenya, some Dioceses in the East African country are still undergoing primary evangelization with inadequate personnel. 

He said that because of a challenging landscape and other natural factors, there are people who haven’t been reached by the message of the Gospel. 

The Archbishop said that Dioceses that are experiencing “a surge in vocations” are looking for how to share the vocations with places in the country that are still in need of Priests and Religious Men and Women. 

“Time has come for the Kenyan Church to be an apostle to itself,” he said, and added, “It is time for Dioceses that have more vocations of Priesthood to share with Dioceses that are still experiencing challenges with personnel. This is the most sustainable solution because it is within our reach.”

“We will also appeal to the Holy Father to support upcoming areas in Kenya that still need continued assistance. They need the assistance of the Holy Father as he has been doing,” he said.

“We are however aware that the number of traditional benefactors that have been helping the Holy Father is reducing. We therefore need to begin thinking locally about how to mobilize resources for the areas of the country that need assistance. This is the most sustainable solution for us,” Archbishop Muhatia said. 

The Archbishop said KCCB’s one-week Ad Limina visit has a spiritual significance in the sense that the Bishops are going to express themselves as the successors of Sts. Peter and Paul who were martyred and buried in Rome. 

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He said the Bishops would also celebrate Mass at the tombs of the two apostles.

Explaining the nature of the visit, the Kenyan Archbishop said, “The Bishops go in visit ad Limina to have a conversation with the Holy Father and through the offices that represent him in Rome. They share the situation of their Local Churches in the visit that takes place every five years.”

KCCB members are visiting nine years after their last visit instead of the usual five-year gap. Archbishop Muhatia attributed the lapse to Covid-19 that limited travelling as well as the health challenges that the Holy Father has had to deal with in the past.

He said the visit is obligatory for all Bishops in active ministry including Diocesan Bishops, Auxiliaries, and Apostolic Administrators. 

The only Bishops exempted are the retired ones, he said, and added, “Every Bishop or head of Bishop has already prepared a report of what has transpired in their jurisdictions during the nine years. The reports are already in Rome. The report includes the challenges that are facing the Church and some of the solutions we propose as Bishops.”