Let’s Share Cardinal Otunga’s Virtues, Legacy in Families, Catholic Institutions: Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya

Nairobi, 08 September, 2025 / 3:23 PM

The Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya has urged the people of God in the East African nation to become aware of and share the virtues and legacy of the Servant of God Michael Maurice Cardinal Otunga in families as well as Catholic institutions as his sainthood cause is pursued.

In his homily on the 22nd death anniversary of Kenya’s first native Catholic Bishop and Cardinal on Saturday, September 6, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen urged Kenyans to “continually lift up” the Cardinal’s cause of sainthood by seeking his intercession.

“We have a duty…to promote his story, the story of his life in Parishes, schools, and families; we should speak of his life and legacy,” Archbishop van Megen said during the Memorial Mass held at Resurrection Garden of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN).

The representative of the Holy Father in Kenya said that sharing stories, videos, books, pictures, and other resources on the Servant of God, whose Sainthood cause started in 2010 “can deepen devotion among the faithful and inspire others to follow his example.”

The more the testimonies about Cardinal Otunga, the more hearts can be touched by his example, thereby initiating conversion among the people of God in the country, he said.

Declared “Servant of God” in 2010, Cardinal Otunga’s cause of Sainthood is in the Roman Phase, which involves the examination and verification of documents (evidence) submitted by the petitioner, the Local Ordinary of ADN.

The documents are examined by a group of theologians and reviewed by another group of experts. If the review is favourable, the documents are submitted to the Holy Father for approval and subsequent issuance of a Papal decree confirming the virtuous life of the candidate to whom he confers the title, “Venerable”.

In his September 6 homily, the Dutch-born Vatican diplomat underscored the importance of documentation in aiding Cardinal Otunga’s sainthood journey.

Archbishop van Megen emphasized, “If you or someone that you know has a meaningful encounter with Cardinal Otunga or experiences a grace through his intercession, that testimony may hold great value for the Church's investigation.”

He added, “Through prayer, imitation, promotion, and sharing of testimony, we become collaborators in the holy task of lifting one of our own as a light for the Church and the world. Kenya needs its own saint.”

Beyond prayer, he said, people are invited to emulate the Kenyan Servant of God.

The Vatican diplomat described the Servant of God, who passed on in September 2003 as “a beacon of holiness and a model for our Christian living” and added, “His deep faith, humility, and unwavering commitment to the poor and marginalized remind us that sanctity is not beyond reach, even in our time.”

“Living out these virtues of Cardinal Otunga in our daily lives honours his legacy and brings the gospel to life in our communities,” said the Vatican diplomat who has been Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya following his appointment in February 2019.

In his September 6 homily, Archbishop van Megen said the completion of the cause of the Servant of God’s Sainthood “would not only honour a great son of Kenya but would offer to the universal Church a radiant model of African holiness, one deeply rooted in humility, service, and unshakable faith.”

Cardinal Otunga’s canonization, he further said, “would be a powerful reminder to sanctity that knows no borders, and that the soil of Africa too bears saints who reflect the face of Christ in our time.”

“As we journey and continue to journey through this jubilee of hope in 2025 and continue to walk the path of the Synod on synodality, the life of Cardinal Otunga speaks with striking clarity to the needs of our Church here in Kenya and at large the universal Church and the world today,” he said.

Archbishop van Megen said that the Cardinal’s quiet strength, deep prayer, and tireless commitment to the poor “reminds us that the Church is not just an institution, but a family called to work together in faith, to listen with love and with joy.”

Also speaking at the September 6 Memorial Mass at ADN’s Resurrection Garden, the Chairman of the Kenyan Committee spearheading the cause of Sainthood of the Servant of God echoed the Apostolic Nuncio’s invitation that Cardinal Otunga’s virtues and legacy be shared.

“The Nuncio said that this story should continue to be told. I want to make recognition of the presence of young people. This story must not die. We just sang the psalm that the just man will be remembered forever. We have to pass on this story to the younger people,” Fr. Peter Kaigua said.

Meanwhile, the Administrator of the Committee, Sr. Esther Ichugu, shared the progress of Cardinal Otunga’s sainthood cause, saying, “The process is still in progress and at a good point.”

Sr. Esther said that the Relator and the Roman Postulator occasionally brief the current Petitioner, Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo, on the progress.

Acknowledging with gratitude the reported miracles attributed to the intercession of the Servant of God, the Kenyan member of the Institute of the Dimesse Sisters (FMI – Figlie di Maria Immaculata) noted, “We have received testimonies of miracles through SMS, emails, and even phone calls.”

Urging Kenyans to continue sending testimonies, she added, “We have many miracles and graces that we have received. But that does not mean we should not continue to pray.”

“We are waiting for the Roman Postulator to evaluate these miracles, so that he can tell us which ones qualify as extraordinary miracles,” Sr. Esther said.

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She added, “As we continue to wait for that process, which we ourselves cannot control, we just have to wait in patience that the process is done in accordance with the rules and criteria of the Causes of Saints.”