KENYA: Mission Work is not an Individual Responsibility, Pastoral Agents Told
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Many pastoral agents carry out mission work single-handedly without involving other actors, a Catholic nun has observed urging members of liaison committee of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) Directors and the Pontifical Missionary Childhood (PMC) Coordinators drawn from 26 dioceses in Kenya to embrace team spirit in their ministry.
Speaking on the last day of a three-day virtual workshop organized by the Commission for the Clergy and Religious –Liaison Committee of the KCCB, Sr. Marren Rose Awiti a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) commonly known as the Loreto Sisters told participants, “We need one another in ministry, we cannot do it alone as individuals, collaboration is key.”
In the workshop themed Collaboration for mission, Sr. Awiti who is a Canon Lawyer focused her reflection on the topic “Uniting our gifts in the Mission of the Church,” inspired by Pope Francis’ new Encyclical Frattelli Tutti published on October 3, 2020.
“We need to walk together, be in the company of others and see them as companions on the journey,” Sr. Awiti narrated adding, “Our own wisdom can be greatly enriched by insights from others when we do not claim a position of know-it-all. This is the spirit of synodality.”
Again, re-echoing Pope Francis reflection on the Good Samaritan in the Encyclical, Sr. Awiti reminded the animators who were mainly members of the clergy and Religious men and women that “Our ministries must endeavour to build a human community which identifies with the vulnerability of others, which rejects the creation of a society of exclusion.”
“We cannot be indifferent to the suffering of others; we cannot allow anyone to live as an outcast,” Sr. Awiti underscored.
Addressing about 70 participants Saturday, October 28, Sr. Awiti noted that the biblical story of the Good Samaritan portrays two categories of people, “those who care for someone who is hurting and those who pass by.”
She urged the pastoral animators in a workshop moderated by Moderator Fr. John Kivosio, from Kitui diocese that it is time to take heed of Pope Francis’ call for ‘Seeing, Judging and Acting’.
The Loreto Sisters further hinted on a renewed way of creating fraternal friendship by being open to dialogue and forging paths of renewed encounter.
“Fraternal friendship can be a roadmap for our collaborative endevours,” she said adding, “There is need for an open attitude of allowing ourselves to be enriched by others’ spirituality and charism (and) being open to learn about other’s spiritualties, allowing them to inspire us strengthen and enrich our collaborative initiatives in mission.”
She concludes, “Tapping from others’ spirituality does not mean compromising one’s own spirituality. It is when we are deeply grounded and rooted in our spirituality that we are able to be enriched by others.”
