Catholic Bishops in Kenya to Begin “Sunday message strategy” to Foster Evangelization

The Kenyan Archbishop added, “We are assuming WhatsApp groups will be created and will include all the Priests who will be able to send the Bishops’ message to their specific stations where they do not go so that at the time of announcement, some two minutes will be spent reading the message.”

For the initiative to work effectively, there must be good coordination among the Catholic communicators, he said, adding that KCCB members are aware of the initiative and “have approved it”.

The Local Ordinary of Kenya’s Nyeri Archdiocese said that the same weekly message will also be shared with the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) of KCCB, to be further disseminated to all its networks.

The weekly Bishops’ message will also be shared on relevant social media platforms, he further said.

The Bishops' Sunday message strategy, Archbishop Muheria said, “is one of the big initiatives we have come up with, and we feel that will help Catholic Christian wherever they are to hear our voice.”

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The Chairman of the Commission for Social Communications of KCCB challenged the Catholic media houses in Kenya to package the message well so that it can be understood by the faithful.

“When we do the message, please criticize it so that we can improve on it,” the 58-year-old Kenyan Archbishop told Catholic communicators in Kenya during the June 2 virtual session.

He also spoke about a second strategy on the mind of KCCB members to be called “Bishop on camera”, which he said will equally seek to evangelize and increase visibility of Catholic Bishops in Kenya among the faithful

Archbishop Muheria made reference to a May 11 encounter between representatives of Catholic Bishops in Kenya and the Kenya Editors Guild, saying, “We had a breakfast meeting with the secular media. It was very successful and very positive. They are willing to partner with us; our messages can therefore go even much farther than before.”

During the June 2 virtual session, the Kenyan Archbishop said that the partnership with the secular media can help to amplify the “Bishop on camera” evangelization strategy.

“We are going to activate the secular media and tell them that every Sunday the Bishop of one of the jurisdictions will be speaking. We will stick on the topic of election, peace or the message that the Bishop himself will choose or the one that is current,” he said.

KCCB Chairman, Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde, is set to pioneer the “Bishop on camera” initiative on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, Archbishop Muheria disclosed during the June 2 virtual session.

“We are starting this coming Sunday with the Bishop of Mombasa who will come out after Holy Mass and have a short interview with one or two secular media stations,” Archbishop Muheria said.

He advocated for the popularization of the initiatives saying, “We must embrace this Sunday Bishops’ message and make sure that it reaches the far corners of our churches and that the voice is heard clearly in our Catholic radios and televisions.” 

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.