Pauline Sisters Keeping “church on toes” Through Media: Catholic Archbishop in Kenya

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To explain the role of FSP members in shaping politics in Kenya, the Local Ordinary of Mombasa Archdiocese who doubles as the President of the of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) highlighted the compilation and publication of the Messages of KCCB members over a period of 35 years in the book, “The Conscience of Society: The Social Teaching of the Catholic Bishops of Kenya 1960-1995”.

He also lauded the Daughters of St. Paul for equipping Catholic bookshops with relevant content that enriches the people of God. 

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“At our local levels, the universities and colleges, the catechetical centers, Seminaries and houses of formation, the magazines and journals, are enjoying your presence,” Archbishop Kivuva said in reference to FSP members, adding that through the media apostolate of the Daughters of St. Paul, “the youth ministry is vibrant.”

The Kenyan Catholic Church leader encouraged members of the international Religious Order that engages “communications media to spread the Gospel message and to promote the dignity of all people” to continue fostering their Charism amid rapid changes, saying, “digital means of communication keep changing every year.”

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“We are all collaborators in an evangelization ministry that seeks reaching out even to the most remote areas where no one appears,” the 71-year-old Catholic Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in June 2003 as Bishop of Kenya’s Machakos Diocese said.

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He continued, “When Jesus told us, ‘Go out to the whole world…’, he did not mean walk to the whole world, He foresaw the many means of communication that would be born during our times.”

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Some of the digital means of communication need to be evangelized, Archbishop Kivuva said, and cautioned against digital content that he said is messing up families and lives of young people.

Aware of the existence of destructive media content, the Catholic Church leader emphasized the need for the Church to avail alternative constructive content to the youth and vulnerable adults. 

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Addressing himself to the three FSP members who were taking their perpetual profession during the April 14 event, Archbishop Kivuva invited them to participate in shaping “the lives of our families”.

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“My dear sisters, you are baptized. Today you are being consecrated and being sent to the whole world as Jesus told His disciples to help shape the lives of our families, and young people in our schools through all that you have,” the Catholic Bishop told Sr. Lucy Nasimiyu Mutenyo, Sr. Elizabeth Mueni Mumbe, and Sr. Jacinta Mukai Muindi, the three FSP members who have described Catholic Bookshops as their “pulpit”.

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He cautioned them against the temptation to get discouraged amid life’s challenges, saying, “Taking your final vows does not mean you have finished everything; you are just starting; remember the devil is always at your pursuit mainly to discourage you.”

Archbishop Kivuva also urged the three FSP members to embrace what he referred to as “secret of success”, including a life of prayer, hard work and discipline.

“The secret of success of any religious community or family lies in prayer, hard work, and discipline. With the three you can form your life around the community and the Church, and you can also encourage young people to be men and women to embrace the same,” he said.

Speaking during the April 14 celebration, the Regional Superior of FSP communities in Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia welcomed the newly professed Sisters to the Society as perpetual members.

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“As a Pauline community, we welcome you with fraternal embrace to our family,” Sr. Rosemary Mueni Mwaiwa, said, and added, “Let the spirit of the divine master lead you to new path of great fidelity, to give wings and feet to the Gospel so that it may travel far and wide.”

Sr. Mwaiwa encouraged three FSP member who had just made their perpetual profession “to be communicators of hope in a world prone to desperation; to be communicators of faith in a society that sometimes seems resigned to disbelief; and to be communicators of love amid daily events that result to selfishness.”

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The Kenyan-born Catholic Sister who has previously underscored the need to prioritize education in faith in the person of Jesus Christ when engaging in promoting vocations to Religious Life went on to assure the three Daughters of St. Paul prayerful support and encouragement in living their Pauline Consecration to the full.

“When challenges come your way, the word of God and the Eucharist will sustain you and Sisters in the community will be your shoulders to lean on,” the Nairobi-based FSP member who has been Regional Superior since 2021 said.