Returning to a community where he once lived and ministered, Michael Cardinal Czerny on July 17 encouraged young people at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Kangemi-Nairobi, to make the most of the opportunities available to them, saying their education and formation should prepare them to serve others and build stronger communities.
The Vatican official, who serves as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, visited the parish’s education and social outreach institutions ahead of the 21st Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) which opened on July 19.
His visit took him to the St. Joseph Development Programmes, including the St. Joseph Upendo Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Centre, the Dollycraft Unit, which produces liturgical vestments and clerical shirts, St. Joseph Technical School and the parish secondary school.
Throughout the afternoon, Cardinal Czerny met staff, students and children involved in the various programmes. The young people welcomed him with songs, poems and cultural performances before engaging him in conversation.
Addressing students at the technical school, the Cardinal encouraged the students to appreciate the opportunities they have at St. Joseph the Worker Parish and to use them to prepare for lives of service.
The visit also marked a personal homecoming for Cardinal Czerny, who lived and worked in Kangemi while serving as the founding director of the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN), established in 2002.
Recalling his years in the parish, the Cardinal expressed joy at returning after 15 years and seeing how the community and its ministries had grown. He remembered celebrating Mass in the parish and accompanying the people of Kangemi during his earlier ministry.
Cardinal Czerny was accompanied by Fr. James Mugwe, the outgoing director of the St. Joseph Development Programme, Fr. Paul Kilonzo, the incoming director, Fr. Joseph, the Cardinal’s secretary, Fr. Dumisani Vilakati, head of the Africa Section at the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, Fr. Rampa Gobbo of the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa, and Fr. Ishmael Matambora, now Socius to the JCAM President.
Discussion about this post