KENYA: Franciscan Nuns Respond to Pope’s Request, Host Refugees from Ukraine

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna (FSSA), whose Mother house is in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Kisumu has welcomed refugees from Ukraine in one of their communities in Oudenbosch, Netherlands where the Order was originally founded.

Following the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia which broke early this year, Pope Francis while addressing the weekly audience on Ash Wednesday March 2, which was declared a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine, requested people across the world to remember Ukrainians who were seeking protection from the war.

Narrating to AMECEA Online in an interview about the hosting of refugees, the Superior General of FSSA Sr. Mary Benigna Aoko said: “Our Charism asks of us to live among the marginalized and the disadvantaged in our society and beyond, the refugees are the disadvantaged at the moment and being in solidarity with them to the extent of offering a place to stay away from war and pain for this is being Christ like act.”

She added applauding members of the FSSA in Oudenbosch for opening their door to the needy saying, “This is a great gesture towards the vulnerable and it indeed speaks volumes. Besides, it is a privilege to be identified with the refugees for we are one human family irrespective of our standards, color and race.”

The Kenyan nun has asked the countries with ongoing atrocities including Ukraine and Russia, “to stop war and seek for peace.”

“Let us consider each other as brothers and sisters created in the image and likeness of God. Let us treat each other with love and promote peace in our world which is now surrounded with violence, hatred and conflict,” she appealed.

On her side, the former Superior General of FSSA Sr. Vita de Wild acknowledged that they have been receiving refugees from early this month and about 90 are in the compound.

“Refugees from Ukraine keep arriving. They are children and women who are still quite young. I guess the women could be around 35 or 40 years, while children are about 2 or 3 years old and some are about 6 or 7 years old,” the nun based in the Netherlands highlighted in an interview and continued, “The men have remained in Ukraine to defend their country against the Russians.”

Sr. de Wild who served in Kenya for several years before going back to Netherlands revealed that the Dutch government is fully responsible for the upkeep of the refugees and before their arrival since they are in various parts of the nation, “There was a collection of money in the whole country.”

“The people were very generous. They brought millions of Euros and many others around us donated clothes and toys for the children,” she said noting that they are not sure how long the refugees will stay with them as the war is still on and “they lost everything and big towns are completely destroyed.”

She asked for continued prayers that the Almighty God may intervene.