KENYA: AMECEA Pastoral Institute Suspends Re-Opening Tentatively to January 2021
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) Pastoral Institute (API), based at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa-Gaba Campus in Kenya’s Eldoret Diocese has postpone re-opening of the Institute from September 2020 as earlier announced to tentatively January 2021.
Suspension of the planned reopening comes after the Education Cabinet Secretary reported that the spike of COVID-19 cases in the county has shelved the initial proposal to reopen schools in September.
The API is an institute that provides a unique opportunity to pastoral agents – priests, Religious men and women, catechists and lay ministers – in the whole AMECEA region and beyond to expand their spiritual and intellectual horizons as well as rejuvenate their passion for the Christian calling.
According to the management of API in a note sent to AMECEA Online concerning next year’s intake, “Those interested in joining the spiritual renewal programme for three, six or nine months will have the privilege to use the renovated spiritual ground that provides artefacts for spiritual meditation in January 2021.”
API is a brain child of the AMECEA founding Bishops whose intent was to have a facility in the region to facilitate the work of evangelization and expansion of missionary activities of the Church within AMECEA region and beyond.
The Institute was launched in 1968 in Uganda but later moved to Kenya in Eldoret Diocese in 1976 due to political insecurity in Uganda at that time.
The 16th AMECEA Plenary Assembly in Lusaka, Zambia 2008, decided that API be incorporated into CUEA, thus becoming part of the current CUEA Gaba Campus.
