KENYA: KCCB mourns Bishop Emeritus Colin Davies
The Late Bishop Colin Cameron Davis, Emeritus of Ngong
By Rose Achiego
The Catholic Bishops of Kenya and the Catholic Diocese of Ngong learned with sadness the demise of Rt. Rev Colin Davies a Mill Hill Missionary (MHM) who died peacefully on the evening of Sunday 8th January at Herbart House in England, London.
In an exclusive interview, the Bishop of Ngong Rt. Rev John Obala Owaa eulogized the late Bishop Davies, as a great pastor who served God and his people with a lot of dedication and simplicity.
Bishop Obala said the diocese of Ngong continues to build on the foundation that was laid by the late Bishop Davies. “He spent half of his years in Ngong diocese and therefore initiated many projects and ordained most of the priests that are serving in the diocese”.
He said that the Diocese of Ngong has organized a requiem Mass on Friday, 20th, January, 2017 at St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral to pray for the soul of Bishop Davies and to console his family, relatives, friends, the faithful whom he ministered to and the Mill Hill Missionaries.
Bishop Obala who has invited all the Bishops, the clergy and the faithful to participate in the requiem Mass said the celebration in Kenya will coincide with the requiem Mass which will be on Friday 20th January 11.00 am at Herbart House followed by the burial at a private cemetery in London, England.
Meanwhile, according to information retrieved from AMECEA Social Communications office, the late Rt. Rev Colin Davies, published two books through Paulines Publication Mission to the Maasai and From Pilot to Pastoral Bishop which he launched on 15th April , 2014 in Ngong.
In the book From Pilot to Pastoral Bishop, Bishop Colin narrated his missionary journey from the military where he worked as a Pilot. He was born in Spain in 1924, joined Royal Air Force (RAF), in England in 1942 and qualified as a Royal Air Force Pilot on the 27th of March, 1945. He recalls serving the British Army in the World War II as a pilot without having to drop a single bomb.
He said the war experience impacted on the young RAF officer. Interactions with his fellow officers led him to discern their lack of knowledge of the Christian faith, and he accepted the likelihood of becoming a lay catechist. However, the influence of an uncle, a priest in the Archdiocese of Westminster, ultimately led Davies to commit his life to God as a priest of the Mill Hill Missionaries.
Ordained a Priest in 1952, he spent seven years at the Mill Hill College in Liverpool. In 1959 he was appointed to the then Prefecture Apostolic of Ngong, and spent the remainder of his priestly life there. He became Prefect Apostolic of Ngong in 1964, and was consecrated Bishop in 1977.
In 2002 Colin Davies celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest and Silver Jubilee as a Bishop and during this year his resignation as Bishop was finally accepted and was succeeded by Bishop Cornelius Schilder MHM.
In 2003 his generous service in the diocese of Ngong was officially recognized when he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to rural development and the local community in Kenya. This was an award that the Bishop insisted was given to him as the figure head but it recognized the tremendous work done over the years by many other great people.
In 2013 ill-health forced him to retire to England where he died at 92.
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