KENYA: KCCB acknowledges with gratitude the support from the People during the Papal visit

The
Catholic Bishops of Kenya have expressed their appreciation with gratitude for
the support they have received from Christians and other people of good will that
enable the Pope Francis ‘visit to a success and blessing to the country.

In
their press statement which AMECEA Online News has a copy, Bishop Phillip
Anyolo, the Chairman of KCCB stated, “I write to thank you most sincerely for
your invaluable support towards hosting the Holy Father in our beloved Country.
The Holy Father’s visit, which was very successful, was a blessing to all of
us, and a moment of great pride for our Nation and the entire Church fraternity
in Kenya.”

“On
behalf of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, (KCCB) and on my own behalf,
I wish to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your warm and kind
gesture. We were deeply touched by your generosity in terms of prayers, resources
and time, which went a long way in ensuring that the Holy Father’s visit became
the great success that it turned out to be,” read the statement.

Read the full statement

MESSAGE OF APPRECIATION TO ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT

TOWARDS HOSTING THE HOLY FATHER, POPE FRANCIS, IN KENYA

Dear
Christians and people of goodwill,

Receive
greetings and cordial regards from Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I
write to thank you most sincerely for your invaluable support towards hosting the
Holy Father in our beloved Country. The Holy Father’s visit, which was very successful,
was a blessing to all of us, and a moment of great pride for our Nation and the
entire Church fraternity in Kenya.

On
behalf of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, and on my own behalf, I
wish to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your warm and kind
gesture. We were deeply touched by your generosity in terms of prayers, resources
and time, which went a long way in ensuring that the Holy Father’s visit became
the great success that it turned out to be.

In a very special way,
allow me to thank the following groups:

1.  The Government of the Republic of Kenya under
the able leadership of His Excellency the President, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, for
your financial and logistical support during the planning of the visit and for
the entire duration of the Holy Father’s stay in the Country.

2.  The Apostolic Nuncio for hosting the Holy
Father at his residence and for his advice and support in planning for the
visit.

3.  My Brother Archbishops and Bishops for
overall coordination of the visit of the Holy Father and for creating time from
your busy schedules to personally oversee certain core activities of the visit.

4.  The Steering Committee, various
Sub-Committees and staff of Kenya Catholic Secretariat, for your tireless efforts
and logistical support during the planning process and in hosting of the Holy
Father.

5.  The County Government of Nairobi and Governor
Evans Kidero for your logistical support. We cannot also forget other County
Governments in the Republic of Kenya for their great support throughout the
planning process.

6.
 Corporate organizations and individual Kenyans
for your generous financial support throughout.

7.  Development partners and Donors for your generous
financial and material support.

8.  The University of Nairobi for accepting to host
the Papal Mass, St.  Joseph the Worker Catholic
Parish-Kangemi, St.  Mary’s School Msongari
and Management of Safaricom Stadium – Kasarani for hosting the Pope.

9.  The media, both local and international, for
creating awareness about the visit and for keeping the world informed about the
activities of the Holy Father during this visit.

10.  Schools and other educational institutions
for preparing and facilitating students to travel to Moi International Sports
Centre, Kasarani, to meet the Holy Father to hear his message and receive
blessings.

11.  All Pastoral Coordinators, Education
Secretaries and youth coordinators for mobilising and preparing the young
people to meet with the Holy Father.

12.  Kenyans from all walks of life for your
prayers and turning up in large numbers to cheer and welcome the Holy Father wherever
he passed. Most specially, we thank you all Christians for your financial
support, presence and participation during Papal Mass at the University of
Nairobi Grounds.  Particularly, I thank
you for your peaceful and serene disposition that enabled the Holy Father to
bestow the blessings to all Christians and our Country.

13.  Everyone who played a part in the successful
visit of the Holy Father in one way or the other, I acknowledge your support. I
pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless you all, your families and institutions.
May you be prosperous in all your endeavours.

In
the meantime, the Church is in the process of rolling out a comprehensive Pastoral
Plan to guide Kenyans in embracing and responding to the message of the Holy
Father to us during his visit to our Country.

I
wish you all God’s blessings and special graces that come with this Advent
season.

Yours
Sincerely

+Bishop
Phillip Anyolo

Chairman
KCCB