Keep “fire of faith burning”: Spiritan Bishop to Parishioners of Kenya’s Oldest Inland Parish at Anniversary Conclusion

“We must be active since we were the first to receive the gift of faith,” the Kenyan-born member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans/CSSp.) emphasized.

He went on to laud parishioners of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN) Parish for manifesting their Christian faith in a partnership with needy colleagues in a first evangelization context in Kenya’s Nakuru Catholic Diocese in a twinning initiative.

Through this initiative, members of the Kings and Queens youth group of St. Austin’s Msongari Parish have over the past seven years reach out to their needy colleagues in Pokot in an evangelization initiative.

Reflecting on this initiative that started in 2017, Bishop Mbinda said, “I am so happy when I hear Christians from here especially our youth supported by each one of us are going to evangelize the people of Pokot.”

Credit: St. Austin's Msongari Catholic Parish

The twinning initiative, he said, is a “gesture of burning faith, leaving it not only by words but also by action.”

“It is a good spirit touching the lives of those who have not yet heard the gospel or those who have scarcely heard it,” the first-ever Kenyan-born Spiritan Bishop further said, alluding to the charism of the 321-year-old French-founded missionary Congregation that currently has a dominant African membership.

He went on to reflect on the sacrifices of the pioneer and early Spiritans and their impact on Kenyans’ faith journey.

“We are here to give thanks to God because we are celebrating 125 years of the planting of the seed of faith here in St. Austin's Parish; not only planting the seed but also watching it over the years as it grew and the seed was propagated not only here within this mission but also to other parts of our country and beyond,” he said.

Credit: St. Austin's Msongari Catholic Parish

Referring to the theme that guided the anniversary celebrations, “Celebrating 125 years of Faith: Walking Together in the Holy Spirit”, Bisho Mbinda recognized the important role of the Spirit of God in the ongoing journey of faith in the East African nation.

“The Spirit continues to trigger us; the Spirit continues to provoke us so that we can be true witnesses of the gospel,” he said, adding, “Our witness builds the Christian community, the Church, the body of Christ of whom each one of us here present is.”

Emphasizing the important role of the Spiritan missionaries, who founded the St. Austin’s Msongari mission as the first Parish in Inland Kenya, the Spiritan Bishop said, “Led by the same Holy Spirit 125 years ago, that holy year 1899, the Holy Ghost missionaries arrived here and established this mission; they brought us the good news of our salvation and it is from here that the Church spread to the other parts of the country.”

Credit: St. Austin's Msongari Catholic Parish

He described the century and a quarter period since the founding of the Kenyan Parish as “great years of evangelization, great years of faith being planted in each one of us, and a great testimony of the resilience of the Catholic Church and its unwavering efforts to evangelize.”

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Bishop Mbinda drew parallels between the founding of St. Austin’s Parish and Moses’ encounter with God in Exodus. He said, “St. Austin's Parish can be said to be the cradle of evangelization in Inland Kenya, and we are a family that stands on holy ground, where God chose to deliver the message of salvation.”

St. Austin’s Parish, he went on to say, “is where God chose to interact with us at a personal level through the first missionaries. It is a place to be revered; a pilgrimage site that connects us to the roots of our faith.”

Credit: St. Austin's Msongari Catholic Parish

Bishop Mbinda recalled the challenges early missionaries faced, many of whom, he said, died young. Their sacrifices, he added, should inspire believers to remain steadfast in their faith.

The first missionaries, he said, “kept on pushing; they were determined; they never lost hope; they forged to the frontiers and the testimony of their dying at early age can be seen first of all in the graves in Bagamoyo where some of them died when they were even teenagers, and even in our graveyard here in St. Austin's.”

In his homily during the December 8 celebration, the Local Ordinary of Lodwar Diocese, where he started his Episcopal Ministry in June 2022 reiterated his previous criticism of the Kenyan government for inflating the work permits for missionaries by 1,000 percent, from KES.15,000 (US$150) to KES.150,000 (US$1,500).

Credit: St. Austin's Msongari Catholic Parish

For the sacrifices that missionaries give to this country, he said, “they do not actually require to be treated in such a manner; and I think all of us here are products of the work of the missionaries.”

“I think the missionaries should be treated better, and it's my plea that those who are concerned with such issues should always have a better preference for the missionaries,” Bishop Mbinda emphasized, noting that most missionaries bring along their expertise that benefit Kenyan local communities.

In his homily, the Kenyan Catholic Bishop also paid tribute to Kenya’s first native Catholic Bishop and Cardinal, Servant of God Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga, appealing for prayers for the ongoing cause of his canonization. 

Credit: St. Austin's Msongari Catholic Parish

Cardinal Otunga is “a model of faith and commitment,” Bishop Mbinda said, and recognizing the important role of pioneer Missionaries in Kenya added, “If the missionaries never came here that time and they never remained focused to spread the good news perhaps we would not be talking about the canonization process of the servant of God Cardinal Otunga.”

“We pray that we may live to celebrate the joy of his canonization,” he implored during the conclusion of the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of St. Austin’s Msongari Parish. 

“We have done 125 years now, but the work is not yet finished. Let's pray for each other; let's support each other so that the word of the Lord may reach the ends of the world,” the Kenyan Spiritan Bishop said on December 8.