News

October 27, 2022January 2, 2024

KENYA: “Don’t Use Force,” Bishop Pante Urges New Bishop of Maralal

By CISA

MARALAL, OCTOBER 25, 2022 (CISA) – It was full of pomp and colour as the faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Maralal gathered at Allamano Grounds, Maralal Town, to witness the auspicious occasion of the consecration and installation of Rt Rev Hieronymus Emusugut Joya IMC, as the second bishop of the diocese on October 23.

“If you want to lead a family or a village, don’t use the heart, but use the lungs. In other words, don’t be in a hurry. Don’t use force. Jesus was very strong. He was the son of God, the King but only once he was very very strong, when he chased from the temple the traders but otherwise in front of the King, he was like a lamb,” counselled Bishop Virgilio Pante, emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Maralal in his homily during the solemn vespers on October 22.

Bishop Pante used the analogy of how a shepherd guides and gathers the sheep using the crook in a steady path with concern and compassion as he demonstrated to the new bishop how to shepherd the diocese not with authority or power but with love and understanding.

“You have to tell the truth. Stand by it firmly, yet with gentleness,” encouraged Bishop Pante as he extended his well wishes to Bishop Joya on his new mission. “You are a servant—a humble servant. I pray that the Lord will guide you to embody servitude, becoming a shepherd who loves and sacrifices for the people of the Diocese of Maralal.”

Much like the anticipation and engagement when one decides to play casino games online, Bishop Joya’s mission involves commitment, dedication, and a heartfelt service to the community he serves, aiming to make a positive impact while embodying humility and compassion. And the same as playing Ice Casino, where people get many slots and bonuses and the most important emotional and financial profit, on bishop’s meetings people get what they came for too.

Bishop Joya becomes the third Kenyan Consolata Missionary bishop after Bishop Peter Kihara Kariuki IMC of Marsabit and Bishop Anthony Ireri Mukobo IMC of Isiolo. He takes over the diocese from Bishop Pante who was at the helm for over 21 years.

October 18, 2022

KENYA: Fr Egidio Pedenzini IMC “Elder of The Samburu,” Passes On at 83

By Paschal Norbert

SEREOLIPI, OCTOBER 17, 2022 (CISA) – Fr Egidio Pedenzini IMC, a Consolata Missionary has died. Fr Pedenzini parish priest of Sere-Olipi Catholic Mission in the Catholic Diocese of Maralal died on the morning of October 14, 2022, at a Nairobi hospital.

At the time of his death, Fr Pedenzini had celebrated 61 years of religious profession and 55 years as a priest.

Fr Pedenzini was born on June 8, 1939, in Mezzocorona province, Trento, Italy. He made his first profession as a Consolata Missionary on October 2, 1961. In 1964, he made his perpetual profession and was ordained into the diaconate in Turin on June 29, 1966. He was ordained a priest on December 17, 1966, in Mori, Italy.

Fr Pedenzini served the people of Samburu with great dedication and zeal for over 50 years from the year 1968 when he was first missioned at St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish Archer’s Post as the assistant parish priest.

He also served in the same capacity as both assistant parish priest and parish priest in South Horr, Baragoi, and Wamba between the years 1970 to 2009.

Fr Cornelio Lomatukae, the assistant parish priest at Sere-Olipi who has served with Fr Pedenzini since 2018 has eulogized the missionary man as brave, courageous, eloquent, and linguistically gifted. He says Fr Pendenzini has contributed so much to the understanding of the Samburu people by authoring so many literary works on their culture.

“He himself is a master’s holder in cultural anthropology on the scope of Samburu people. And he has written so many things about the people of Samburu, he knows more about Samburu’s, actually, he’s an elder,” eulogizes Fr Lomatukae in an interview with CISA on October 14.

“He is a wonderful man. I know he is going to be missed by so many people, and actually, he usually used to refer to himself as the king of the northern region because he has worked there for so many years. All of his crystal life, he has worked in northern Kenya,” he adds.

Sere-Olipi Catholic Mission established in 2009 is one of the missions in Samburu County. It is about 1000 km away from Nairobi and situated along the Isiolo-Marsabit highway through Archer’s post in Samburu East sub-county. This mission has two main centres namely: Sereolipi and Ndonyo Uasin.