Let’s “take care” of Faith Kenya’s Pioneer Missionaries Shared: Bishop at Jubilee Launch

He noted that in Machakos Diocese in particular, the Spiritans are unique because of their spirituality, especially their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. 

In his message to Spiritans who participated in the December 10 launch of the quasquicentennial Jubilee celebrations to be marked under the theme, “Celebrating 125 years of faith: Walking together in the Holy Spirit”, Bishop Kamau said, “You are called upon to work hard like our ancestors in faith did.”

The Kenyan Catholic Bishop further called upon parishioners of St. Austin’s Parish to be proud of their Parish, which he described as “a historical site”, mainly for its uniqueness in being the first inland Parish in the country.

Credit: ACI Africa

On his part, the Superior General of the Spiritans, Fr. Alain Mayama hailed the collaboration between St. Austin’s Parish and the Archdiocese of Nairobi, saying, “The Congregation is very grateful for the support given by the Archdiocese of Nairobi and continues to pray that the local church here will continue to grow.”

“As missionaries, we do our part in collaborating with the local Church to advance the course of the good news. We are now part of the local Church that has grown, one that has shown resilience and strength and continues to proclaim the good news in a Synodal way,” the native of Congo Brazzaville who was elected in 2021 to become the first African Superior General of the 320-year-old Congregation said.

Other speakers at the December 10 launch of the quasquicentennial Jubilee celebrations, which coincided with the Family Day of the Parish underscored the need to acknowledge Priests who they said “labored in the Spiritans’ vineyard” at Kenya’s oldest inland Catholic Parish and saw the growth of the local Church in the East African country.

Credit: ACI Africa

The Parish Priest, Fr. George Omondi, said, “We wish to look for Priests who have served in this Parish and are still alive. We will put down a list of their names and look for them to be a part of our anniversary celebration.”

Fr. John Wambu, who gave the history of the Holy Ghost Fathers in Kenya, said that Spiritans who had served at St. Austin’s Parish had continued in the spirit of the three early missionaries who established the Parish in 1899.

“Some 124 years later, there are so many people who have labored in the Spiritans’ vineyard. We owe them remembrance for the course they started,” Fr. Wambu said.

The Kenyan Spiritan Priest who is the Director of the Spiritan Technical College (STC) at Sultan Hamud in Kenya’s newest Catholic Diocese of Wote added, “In our anniversary celebration, we are going to reach out to the many who have worked here at St. Austins and are still living. We will make them know that we appreciate what they did.”

Credit: ACI Africa

He traced the roots of St. Ausin’s Parish to the three Spiritans, who arrived in Nairobi on 12 August 1899, after traveling for three days on a train from the Kenyan coast. The three were Bishop Emile Allgeyer, Fr. Alain Hemery, and Br. Blanchard Dillenseger.

After building St. Austin’s Parish, the three are said to have secured land from a local chief to build another church, which is the site of the present-day Holy Family Basilica. 

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From St. Austin's Parish, the Catholic Church spread out to other parts of Kenya with the Holy Ghost Missionaries evangelizing in the Archdioceses of Nairobi and Mombasa in their initial vastness.

Meanwhile, St. Austin’s Msongari Parish has unveiled a list of activities aimed at deepening parishioners’ participation in the Sacraments of the Church.

Speaking to ACI Africa on the sidelines of the December 10 events, the Parish Priest expressed optimism that the anniversary celebrations would bring on board as many parishioners as possible.

“Every parishioner should be part of this anniversary celebration in terms of planned activities. We have planned to celebrate all Sacraments, (from) Baptism to Ordination, to Anointing of the sick, and so on. We plan to celebrate these Sacraments consciously and in large numbers if possible,” Fr. Omondi said at the event which coincided with the Family Day celebrations of the Parish.

In an array of other activities planned for 2024, St. Austin’s Msongari Parish hopes to witness the Priestly Ordination of nine Spiritans at the parish in June.

Credit: ACI Africa

While February has been dedicated to praying for the sick, the Kenyan Catholic Parish has organized major celebrations of the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation in October.

The Parish has set aside other months to celebrate the women, the men as well as the grandparents in line with other Church and global commemorations. 

The whole month of January 2024 has been dedicated to the naming of houses, structures and streets in St. Austin’s parish, and December 2023 to the blessing of all households in the Parish.

In August 2024, the St Austin’s Msongari Parish has organized for a pilgrimage to mark the 125 years of the Parish, with parishioners “walking in the footsteps of the first missionaries who served at the parish,” Fr. Wambu said on December 10 during his presentation of the history of Spiritans in Kenya.