To Kitui, Kenya, and back: Reflections from a delegate

Marci Franzen For The Catholic Spirit

On June 6, 14 people from 10 parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis left the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport bound for Kitui, Kenya. For several members of the delegation, the trip was a homecoming — a chance to reconnect with friends made during the nearly 20 years of the partnership between the archdiocese and the Diocese of Kitui. For others, including myself, it was the beginning of a journey in appreciation, gratitude and hope for a country, its people and our connectedness to those who share our faith.

The global solidarity partnership with the Diocese of Kitui began in 2003 in response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ document, “A Call to Solidarity with Africa.” Archbishop Harry Flynn, Father Nicholas Maanzo and Bishop Boniface Lele formalized the partnership in 2004 and the first delegation from the archdiocese arrived in Kitui in 2005. The purpose of each two-week trip is not to perform tasks but rather to mutually share faith, experience, culture and resources — gifts to us from God.

After spending our first night in Nairobi, we arrived at the Kitui Pastoral Center. The Pastoral Center looks and operates similarly to a retreat center you would find in the U.S. It hosts groups from all over the world and offers private accommodations in its gated campus filled with trees, flowers and occasional wildlife.

We were welcomed with music, dancing and introductions; then it was time to get to work.

According to personalized itineraries, Everlyn Wentzlaff and I would be leaving with Father Patrick Mwavu in the morning for the Kimangao parish.

Kimangao is about two and a half hours north of Kitui City. We saw modern roads change to dirt roads shared with donkeys, cows, goats and their escorts. We felt as though we’d been dropped into a MarioKart game as Father Mwavu avoided animals, washed-out roads, and people on foot.

For safety and security, St. Theresa Catholic Church in Kimangao is located in a gated compound, as are most homes and churches in Kitui. Behind the stucco walls are the church, priest housing, vegetable gardens and grazing room for chickens and goats. Sister Brenda, one of the two sisters assigned to the parish, greeted us and led the way to our rooms at the small convent next to the parish.

Our days in Kimangao were long. Daily Mass was often before sunrise. Then, breakfast was served at the priest residence. Our meals were prepared by the parish’s cook, Abdallah. Though he had been working as a cook in the diocese for 15 years, he appeared youthful and was eager to join our conversations. Working with only fresh ingredients (there is little refrigeration or running hot water in Kimangao) Abdallah treated us to a minimum of three meals a day. If our schedule allowed, we would return for morning and/or afternoon tea, and if we returned late in the evening, he would often prepare us dinner at 9 or 10 p.m. When we finally returned to the convent for the night, our hearts and stomachs were full.

One morning, we headed to Kandwia to visit a rock catchment for water supported through the partnership. Our first stop was to the home of Josephat and Stella who live near the catchment. We were welcomed into their home with hugs and handshakes and sat down for a small breakfast. We shared stories as if we had known each other for years. Stella, who is in her mid-60s, nearly died of COVID last year and is still in recovery. She had spent a month in ICU in Nairobi. Her struggle was visible but overshadowed by her generosity, hospitality and love of God. She asked Father Mwavu to bless several items she had stacked on her table. He blessed them and we prayed together. We left feeling connected in our faith and overcome with their generosity.

After breakfast, Josephat led us on a walk to the water catchment site, which was busy. Women were gathered on two sides filling their jerry cans with water. One side had steps but on the other side, the women were gathering water on the slope of the rock. Josephat told us that two people drowned in the past year due to the lack of safety measures. Additionally, the catchment is leaking and needs repair. It will not rain again until late September and half the water collected in May had been used by mid-June. They can’t afford to lose more water and they need help. We left the site with notes and photos to share with our fellow delegates and the team from Kitui.

Other days were spent visiting nearby parishes and schools. We left each site with feelings of gratitude, joy, connection and admiration for everyone we met.

On June 10, the delegation was reunited for the day to attend the ordination of seven priests and four deacons. Over 7,000 attended the outdoor ceremony and as special guests, we had front row seats next to the concelebrating priests, deacons and seminarians. The five-hour ceremony was astounding. Filled with African music, dancing and singing, we were completely immersed in the joy of those being ordained, their families and the communities receiving the newly ordained into their parish. We returned to Kimangao exhausted and in awe of what we had witnessed.

Our time in Kimangao went quickly. We were able to express our gratitude to Father Mwavu, Sister Brenda and Abdallah with prayer shawls donated by St. Patrick in Edina and St. Thomas Becket in Eagan. It was a small token for all they had done for us.

Back at the Pastoral Center in Kitui, our delegation regrouped to share experiences and meet with the team from Kitui. Josephat from Kimangao also joined us for the last evening. He had seen the prayer shawls and asked if there were any extras for Stella. Janine Ricker, our trip coordinator from the Center for Mission, was able to get one of the last two available for us to pass on the next day. Father Patrick sent me a photo of Stella wearing it soon after. She looked beautiful.