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It’s Time for Locals to Fully Own the Church
By Francis Njuguna He added that, “As we celebrate the conclusion of this quite demanding project, I remind you that in Christ’s missionary work, there are no breaks , there are no times to pause, everything must continue despite all our efforts and accomplishments since there are still many pastoral challenges but also multiple opportunities ahead of us.” Fr Joya appealed to the newly commissioned leaders in the Parish, by His Eminence John Cardinal Njue during the grand occasion, to work closely with the priests and other religious in the Parish. “They are your leaders who have big dreams and if you collaborate with them, they will surely meet your expectations of making this Parish one of the best in all aspects.”
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one are the days when the local Catholic Church fully depended on donor funding and missionaries for its survival and operations. Today the church is
inching towards self reliance. Of late there have been several examples of locals holding hands and supporting the church. Laisamis parish in Marsabit Diocese organized and financed their Golden Jubilee all on their own while parishioners of Mitaboni Parish in Machakos Diocese are building a modern church without any outside help. The latest example of the church being owned by the locals was witnessed on Sunday, June 23 when John Cardinal Njue consecrated St Joseph Mukasa Ca tholic Church, Kahawa West, Nairobi. The church, (and the parish) in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, is entrusted to the Consolata Missionaries. Cardinal Njue noted that since missionaries supported the local Church to plant the spiritual seeds, it was now the turn of the locals to ensure that the planted seeds were well watered and weeded up. He thanked the faithful, the clergy and religious in the locality (St Joseph Mukasa Parish), for their efforts in putting up the
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Church on a self-reliance basis. “Although some of the money could have come from elsewhere, much of it has been generated locally,” he observed. Ksh 45 million have been used to construct the modern Church which is shaped like an African hut. The Cardinal was assisted during the Mass by a number of Consolata priests, among them the Father -in-Charge of the Parish, Fr John Muragu and his Assistant, Fr Joseph Otieno. John Cardinal Njue prepares to open the new Kahawa West parish church, accompanied by Fr. John Muragu, IMC, the parish priest and Fr. Zackary King’aru (Right) the Vice Regional Superior of Consolata Missionaries. Donor funding for church projects has almost fully dried up and so has some of the missionary congregations who used to support the local church financially. Of late there have been a lot of awareness campaigns on self reliance. The time has come for local faithful to embrace the church and own and fully support it in its endevours. Almost all the dioceses in Kenya have started the Diocesan Family Day where all parishes in a diocese come together and raise funds for self sustenance. The Catholic Diocese of Machakos, under Rt Rev Martin Kivuva, is one of the leading examples in this.
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In his remarks, Rev Fr Joya Hieronymus , Regional Superior for Consolata Missionaries , Eastern Africa and who was represented by the Vice Regional Superior, Fr Zackary King’aru
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said, “This is truly the inauguration of the unique mission
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Church that has been built with 99% if not 100% resources of the generous work of your hands. I am extremely glad you are here to celebrate the fruit of your sacrifice, generous contributions and donations.”
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THE SEED - VOL 25, No. 7 JULY 2013
THE SEED - VOL 25, No. 7, JULY 2013
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