Preside Over, Celebrate Sacraments “properly vested”: Catholic Archbishop in Kenya at Priestly Ordination

Credit: Radio Maria Kenya- Kisumu

“They are in the presence of the holy, who cannot be approached recklessly, aimlessly, unworthily,” the Kenyan Catholic Archbishop emphasized during the October 31 Priestly Ordination of five Deacons at Tumsifu Centre of Kisumu Archdiocese.

He urged the five Priests-elect to draw inspiration from the Seraphim, saying, “It is good for us on a day of ordination like this to emphasize to you, my brothers, the five of you, you will be sent by God. But remember, before you fly with two wings, cover yourself with four wings. You are in the presence of the holy.”

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“It is only when the angels are covered, face and feet, that we hear them say and announce, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts,” Archbishop Muhatia said, adding that for the two angels, “to be in the presence of God who is holy three times, (they) have to cover themselves.”

“Emulate their example. Don't be a Priest full of presumptions; don't be a Priest full of negligence; don't be reckless Priests. You are being invited to serve one who is holy three times—the holiest,” he reiterated.

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The Catholic Archbishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 2010 as Bishop of Nakuru Diocese in Kenya emphasized, “My dear brothers, the Priests, it is not for nothing that you have to celebrate the sacraments properly vested. Don't create your own tradition. Don't celebrate mass with a stole only. Don't go and meet the sick in your shirt only.”

Those ordained Priests included Deacon Enock Odongo, Deacon Patrick Odhiambo, Deacon Cornelius Alwala, Deacon Francis Otieno, and Deacon Paul Odhiambo.

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In his homily, Archbishop Muhatia expressed his joy “before the Lord God because of the gift of our five brothers to be ordained priests.”

“We want to thank their families, their parents, their fathers, their mothers, their relatives, their guardians, their formators, and lastly, Fr. Crispin Barasa, who gave them the retreat in preparation for Holy Orders, the ordination of today,” he said during the October 31 celebration.

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The Local Ordinary of Kisumu Archdiocese, who doubles as the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) went on to challenge Priests to see how Prophet Isaiah’s vision “informs our ministry as priests”, including the “many things we take for granted.”

Referring to Prophet Isaiah’s “cries” acknowledging that he is “a man of unclean lips, because I share in the sin of my people, I live among people of unclean lips, and I have seen the Lord,” Archbishop Muhatia underscored the need for Priests to acknowledge their respective “unworthiness”.

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“The prophet (Isaiah) is scared. Seeing how the angels, which are holier than him, have approached God, and he, unworthy as he is, has seen the Lord, he is terrified,” he said, and recalled that the angel, armed with burning coal taken from the altar, touched the mouth of prophet Isaiah, saying, “Behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away. Your sin is forgiven.”

“God is in control,” Archbishop Muhatia said, and added, “My dear brothers to be ordained, express your unworthiness in the presence of God, before the Lord. And the Lord, holy three times, will sanctify you for mission.”

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“You only go through the experience of forgiveness, my brothers, the five of you, if you acknowledge your unworthiness, the way Isaiah has done,” he emphasized.

The Catholic Archbishop also gave the example of prophet Jeremiah, who made known to the Lord his limitations, saying, “I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.”

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For both Isaiah and Jeremiah, Archbishop Muhatia said, “God takes charge of the rest of the process because His work has to go on.”

“Human unworthiness cannot stop the work of God. On the contrary, God intervenes when human beings, in their unworthiness, acknowledge the holiness of God as grace sanctifies,” the 56-year-old Catholic Archbishop, who has been at the helm of Kisumu Archdiocese since March 2022 explained.

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He called upon the five Priests-elect to “acknowledge your unworthiness for the mission that God is about to give you” and warned, “ Woe unto you if you don't acknowledge this unworthiness, allow the Lord to burn your lips with burning coal.”

“The Priest, who does not acknowledge his own unworthiness for the ministry to which he has been called cannot be a successful Priest,” Archbishop Muhatia further warned. Such a Priest, he continued, “will be swallowed up in pride; he will be unavailable; he will become rich with money and poor with grace.”

“You are becoming ambassadors of the holiness of God, and your life is going to be a proclamation of ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ three times,” Archbishop Muhatia told the five Priests-elect.

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He added, “Throughout your life, as you proclaim the holiness of God with your life, you are also going to be ambassadors of God’s redemption in the confessional. You are going to be a witness of God’s mercy in the midst of the believing community.”

“Yes, you are a Priest; you are a Priest at the service of the holiness of God, the service of the believing community, carrying God’s redemption to them, because you yourself have been called from among them,” the Chairman of KCCB said during the October 31 ordination celebration.