On the Occasion of the 20th Anniversary of Oblate Ministry in Kenya and the Perpetual Profession of Br. Zachary Mwenda, OMI

We met on May 21, 2017 not only to celebrate the Feast of Saint Eugene de Mazenod but to celebrate three other events:

1. 20 years of Ministry in Kenya by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
2. 20 years of life for St. Stephen’s Parish (Kionyo)
3. The Perpetual Profession of our brother Zachary Mwenda.

I invite all of you to join myself, and the whole Oblate community, in giving thanks to Almighty God for all the graces he has showered on the Oblate Mission and on St. Stephen’s over the last 20 years. We thank in a special way Fr. Jim Bleackley, OMI, Vicar Provincial of our Mother Province, and Fr. Bill Stang, OMI, one of the Kenya Mission founding Oblates in 1997, who bring the blessings of OMI Lacombe Province and Canada to this celebration, and we thank all of you for responding to our invitation.

By the grace of God, the Oblate Mission on one hand and St. Stephen’s Parish on the other, have seen important and significant growth. Many of us can remember what the Oblate Mission looked like in 1997; what St. Stephen’s was and what it has now become. Yes, dear brothers and sisters, there are many good reasons for us to celebrate and give thanks to God, today. We are celebrating the Oblate Charism, “evangelizare pauperibus misit me!” – meaning: He has sent me to evangelize the poor. The Oblate missionary presence and actions have certainly touched many souls in this part of the world. Through Oblate community living and apostolic actions, the Oblates have tried their best to witness to Christ and to proclaim His Good News. The Missionary Oblates are among you as your brothers, at the service of evangelization for the salvation & sanctification of all.

From the beginning of this parish in 1997, Oblate missionaries worked with Christians and people of good will to build the Parish Community, visiting homes, starting Small Christian Communities, forming Lay Leaders and Catechists, supporting different apostolic groups, and through Social Projects and Education Projects.

Today we, the Missionary Oblates with you, can be proud of the work done together.

At the same time, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have also grown. From Kionyo to Meru town, then to Nairobi and Ngong Dioceses. The Oblate charism has attracted young people to join us and to be part of the Missionary Community to fulfill our one mandate: to evangelize the poor!

We are increasing in number, we are expanding by the blessing of God and through the intercession of our holy Founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod, and our mother Mary Immaculate! We are not celebrating any achievement, but we are celebrating the love of God for the long Missionary journey. We have just started and will continue this journey, evangelizing and serving humbly with you. We are now between the past and the future. With courage; with hope; with great faith; and through our commitment and dedication, we can see a bright future: 1) a responsible and mature Church of God at St. Stephen’s Parish; 2) increasing local Oblates who know our people best; 3) expanding and diversifying Missionary outreach through JPIC and education; and 4) Our growing number of Lay Oblate Associates: ordinary men and women who want to assist our Brothers and Priests bring the Good News to the people where they are living.

One of the fruits of our Missionary presence and actions, is that we are being blessed with vocations. Zachary Mwenda’s Final Vows is a sign of the fruits of our work. Today Oblates in Kenya are living cultural diversity and internationality: a testimony to our Missionary spirit and a blessing for the growth of our community in Kenya.

We acknowledge the sacrifices made by the first Oblates who came to Kenya to start the Mission: Frs Bill Stang, Harold Kauffman (RIP), Ken Forster (our Provincial), Joe Singarajah, and other Oblates who joined later in the earlier years: Brs Roman, Harley & Don, Frs Sholto, Joe Jacek, Mario, Mariusz, Daquin, Alfred, Jim Jordan, Didace and even myself. Today, the Mission is blessed with new Missionaries who are fruits of the Oblate work in Kenya: Br. Joseph Magambo, Fr. Gideon, Fr. Stephen, Fr. Dionisius, and now Br. Zachary Mwenda. We’re also blessed with young men in Formation gathered with us today, along with Cosmas (Texas), Moses (Rome), Vincent & Phelix (South Africa) and Joseph Nzioka doing his regency in Kisaju.

On behalf of the Province and you, my dear brothers and sisters, I also express gratitude for the gift of Frs Faustin, Gerry, Jim Fiori, Constant, Sam, Praveen and Bright Makunka. Leadership is not easy, and so we acknowledge the wisdom, hard work and sacrifice made by our past leaders: Frs Ken Forster, Alfred Groleau, Jim Fiori and Mario Azrak.

The Missionary Oblates wouldn’t do much in the Mission without the great support of Oblate Lay Associates and MAMI in Canada and Australia: we appreciate their continuous support in building the Mission. We are grateful to Norman and Sheila Peladeau for their physical contributions and presence in the Mission, along with many others who came for short periods of time: too many to mention here, but we know you!

We thank Bishop John Obala of Ngong Diocese, who gave us the opportunity to minister at Kisaju Parish. We are grateful to our beloved parishioners of Kisaju for their support and love to the Oblates – we really feel it! We promise to continue journeying together to build up the Kingdom of God. Thank you for the big sacrifice to be here today!

It would be wrong if we did not, in a particular way, thank Bishop Emeritus Silas Njeru, who invited the Missionary Oblates into the Diocese of Meru. He opened the door to the Oblates and their Charism to be lived in Meru. We thank our present Bishop, Rt. Rev. Salesius Mugambi, for his support and his encouragement to the Oblates: we wish to assure him of our apostolic commitment in the Diocese of Meru. We thank all the local clergy and leadership in the Diocese of Meru for the good collaboration and cooperation, especially in the early days, teaching us so much.

We also express our gratitude to the Oblate General Administration for responding to the invitation of Emeritus Bishop Silas Njeru.

Last, but not least, we thank the leaders of St. Stephen’s Parish (Constant, Dionisius and Bright) for preparing these events with a lot of dedication and sacrifice: we thank all the parishioners, choir, staff, and altar servers; the dancers and all the invited guests for their active and wonderful participation. We are grateful to the former leadership of the parish: Frs Ken Forster, Mario, Daquin, and Gerry. We acknowledge the great role of different chairmen and councils of the Parish.

Before concluding, I would like to congratulate Br. Zachary on his Perpetual Profession and I thank his parents for offering him to God and to the Oblate family.

Zachary, professing your Final Vows is not just an event but a public commitment to Oblate religious life and to the service of the community and evangelization of God’s people. As you can see, this holy assembly here will witness your Vows to God! Remember that you live your commitment daily through our prayer life, community life and Mission. The Oblate family welcomes you and will support you in living the ideal of your Vows and religious life. You have not yet arrived, you have just joined your brothers on the way to perfection by the testimony of our religious and missionary lives. I request the whole congregation here to continue supporting you with their prayers.

May God bless St. Stephen’s Parish and may He, through the intercession of our Mother Mary and our Oblate Saints, continue to pour blessings on the Oblate Mission in Kenya.

Praised be Jesus-Christ and Mary Immaculate!

By Fidele Munkiele, OMI – Kenya Mission Superior