OVER 13,000 GATHER FOR 16TH ARCHDIOCESE OF NAIROBI FAMILY DAY AT MSONGARI
More than 13,000 Catholics thronged St. Mary’s Msongari grounds for the 16th Archdiocese of Nairobi Family Day, a celebration marked by prayer, unity, and messages of hope for the future of families and the Church.
The Mass was led by Archbishop Philip Anyolo and concelebrated by Bishop David Kamau, Bishop Simon Peter Kamomoe, Archbishop Emeritus John Cardinal Njue, Bishop Wallace Ng’ang’a of the Military Ordinariate, and Bishop Cleophas Oseso of Nakuru Diocese.
In the homily, Bishop Kamomoe called on young people to embrace the sanctity of marriage and challenged couples to protect and nurture their unions through faith in God.
“Married life calls for tolerance,” he said. “Follow Christ, who was patient in his suffering. Love your spouse as Christ loves the Church.”
He urged Christians to maintain unity in their homes, warning that a fractured family leads to a fractured society and country. “Guide our children to have good values and social competence so they can excel in their vocations as they grow,” he added.
The event saw 90 couples from various parishes, celebrating 25 and 50 years of marriage, renew their vows. Priest jubilarians, Fr. Joseph Mokaya (50 years in priesthood), Fr. James Maloba, and Fr. Michael Kimani (25 years in priesthood) were also honored.
During the event, St. John the Baptist Parish Katua was decreed to be the 127th parish in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, with St. Rita Catholic Church, Chokaa as its outstation.
His Grace, Archbishop Philip Anyolo expressed gratitude for the faithful’s generosity in supporting the archdiocese’s pastoral work through their contributions in the Family Day. He emphasized that for the Church to fulfill its mission, it needs to be self-sustaining and to extend Christian action beyond believers through spreading of hope during this jubilee year of hope.
“We have reasons for hope today,” he said. “Hope is essential in life, and we must spread it as a virtue until our last breath. We are the hope of today.”
