KENYA: The Catholic Church conducts a vigil prayer day for World Mission Sunday
The Catholic Church in Kenya hasconducted a vigil prayer day for world mission Sunday on 19th
October 2013 at Consolata Shrine, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Missionaries from different countries attended the prayer event in
which they shared their personal experiences with the audience under the theme
of “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.”
which they shared their personal experiences with the audience under the theme
of “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.”
Fr. Aloysius Byaruhanga from Ethiopia said there are numerous
challenges facing mission work in Ethiopia, as the Church is regarded as an NGO
making it difficult to work in close collaboration with the Government. He
added that the Church has not been successful in her endeavour to incorporate
CRE into the school curricular and has not been allowed to teach moral values
either. Another Challenge facing Missionaries in Ethiopia is lack of Catechist
and other Church personnel to help in evangelization mission. The missionaries
are also not well sustained by the locals as offerings are very minimal and the
people expect the priests to provide for them.There are also issues like language
barrier, economic challenges andcultural challenges.
challenges facing mission work in Ethiopia, as the Church is regarded as an NGO
making it difficult to work in close collaboration with the Government. He
added that the Church has not been successful in her endeavour to incorporate
CRE into the school curricular and has not been allowed to teach moral values
either. Another Challenge facing Missionaries in Ethiopia is lack of Catechist
and other Church personnel to help in evangelization mission. The missionaries
are also not well sustained by the locals as offerings are very minimal and the
people expect the priests to provide for them.There are also issues like language
barrier, economic challenges andcultural challenges.
‘Ethiopia is a great Country that needs lots of missionary work’
said Fr. Byaruhanga. He noted that The Orthodox Church which is the only
recognized Church in the Country is losing the younger generation to
Pentecostal Churches, while the Muslim community is gaining at a high rate
posing fear that Ethiopia may become purely Muslim state. He however revealed
that the Catholic Church would be the saviour of this situation given that the youth
are very vibrant and that the Catholic Church is the second to the Government
in terms of social service provision.
said Fr. Byaruhanga. He noted that The Orthodox Church which is the only
recognized Church in the Country is losing the younger generation to
Pentecostal Churches, while the Muslim community is gaining at a high rate
posing fear that Ethiopia may become purely Muslim state. He however revealed
that the Catholic Church would be the saviour of this situation given that the youth
are very vibrant and that the Catholic Church is the second to the Government
in terms of social service provision.
Sr. Mary Muthoni Githenji of Cottolengo Missionaries also shared her
missionary experiencefrom Italy pointing out that Christian faith in that
country isdeteriorating as churches are flooded with the old people since the
young and energetic find churches services boring and so they would prefer
social places to church. She urged the African/ Kenyan tofeel encouraged to go
andalso become missionaries in Europe.
missionary experiencefrom Italy pointing out that Christian faith in that
country isdeteriorating as churches are flooded with the old people since the
young and energetic find churches services boring and so they would prefer
social places to church. She urged the African/ Kenyan tofeel encouraged to go
andalso become missionaries in Europe.
Fr. Justus Mainga of FideiDonum talked about language barrier as a
challenge when preaching to faithful from different Kenyan communities giving
an example of his work in Ngong Diocese having come from Machakos Diocese. He
however draws strengthform earlier missionaries who came to evangelize to
Africa amidst all the difficulties.
challenge when preaching to faithful from different Kenyan communities giving
an example of his work in Ngong Diocese having come from Machakos Diocese. He
however draws strengthform earlier missionaries who came to evangelize to
Africa amidst all the difficulties.
He encouraged Dioceses with many priests to donate to some to
Dioceses with less priestsas this would give the priests opportunity to embrace
different cultures, that will eventually break the barriers of tribalism and
unit people to be one adding that today’s aspect of mission is not geographical
as it used to be when pope Pius XII was writing the document FideiDonum but is
about human promotion and values that determine growth of human person.
Dioceses with less priestsas this would give the priests opportunity to embrace
different cultures, that will eventually break the barriers of tribalism and
unit people to be one adding that today’s aspect of mission is not geographical
as it used to be when pope Pius XII was writing the document FideiDonum but is
about human promotion and values that determine growth of human person.
The Pontifical Missionary Society
(PMC), National Director in Kenya Rev. Fr. Celestino Bundi, called on the
missionaries to remember their solidarity and communion as one family in
mission, take time to pray the rosary together and remember the missionaries
working in all corners of the world, remember all the pastoral agents who have
been killed in the course of the previous year in line of duty and united with
the Holy Father, offer sacrifice of mass to increase the zeal to be better
missionaries.
(PMC), National Director in Kenya Rev. Fr. Celestino Bundi, called on the
missionaries to remember their solidarity and communion as one family in
mission, take time to pray the rosary together and remember the missionaries
working in all corners of the world, remember all the pastoral agents who have
been killed in the course of the previous year in line of duty and united with
the Holy Father, offer sacrifice of mass to increase the zeal to be better
missionaries.
SOURCE:
Waumini Communications KCCB
Waumini Communications KCCB
