KENYA: Partnership Leads the Church on Same Direction, says Archbishop Kivuva

Sr. Anne Henriette Owino

In a conference organized by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation of Catholic Sisters Initiative in Kenya, Most Rev. Martin Kivuva the chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) who was among the key speakers shared with the participants the importance of inter-connectedness, citing that it is through networking that leads the Church into the same direction.

“In all the strategic issues of networking today, weather you like it or not, you cannot do it alone. We need each other, brother and sister, sister and sister, Church and State; we need all kinds of inter – connectedness. This partnership strengthens our results to go the same direction”, Bishop Kivuva said.

Most Rev. Martin Kivuva of the Archdiocese of Mombasa acknowledged the immense support that Sisters have received, which has benefited the Church in one way or the other: “Through the Hilton foundation, I am aware of the immense support you have received and we have benefited as Church, in line of education, leadership, and the documentation centre, among others”, he added.

In his reflection, Archbishop Kivuva reminded the participants of the role of women in the African society: “The role of women in Africa is typically to unite, being a uniting force. Therefore, to be the winner in Africa, we must find the unique a place of women in the Church.”

The Archbishop of Mombasa Archdiocese encourages members of various Religious congregation to consider the IT in their various apostolates.

“We must take note of the IT in our apostolate because what is happening now, what we are using here is as a result of that initiative. For example, receiving and sending Emails, SMS that you have received some money: this is an area that is becoming dominant in our life,” he continued.

“There are certain changes I’m also noticing that are part of this innovativeness of our time: the incoming of green energy where solar power is everything. Where there was no electricity, now there is electricity and this is almost coming up everywhere: in our clinics, schools. With the IT, we were able to reach out to the people and pray with them during Covid –19,” he narrated.

Most Rev. Kivuva, however, reminded the participants that “when you reach out in schools to children, you are not only reaching to Catholic children but you also increase your area of Harrison and through this we can do more.”

He also invited the participants to look into the new social realities and challenges imaging in their apostolates including migration of the people who left their countries to other places, underscoring that the church is also challenged by the new dimensions that are coming up.

During panel discussion, a question arose whether bishops invite Sisters to their Conferences and Archbishop Kivuva promised to look into that while stressing that our concern must rather be on undoing the past.