Newly Ordained Catholic Priests in Kenya Cautioned against Becoming “a burden to Christians”

Nairobi, 27 June, 2025 / 8:56 PM

The four newly ordained Priests for the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN) have been urged to understand their identity as servants of the people of God and manifest it in their Priestly ministry. 

In his Thursday, June 26 homily during the Ordination Mass at Holy Family Minor Basilica, Bishop David Kamau Ng’ang’a cautioned the four Deacons against turning into “a burden” to the flock under their pastoral care.

“If you cannot direct yourself, then you cannot direct others. In doing this, a Priest must be known and recognized as a true follower of the one who came not to be served but to serve.  Do not become a burden to Christians,” Bishop Kamau said.

Burdening the people of God begins when the Clergy seek their personal interests rather than those related to the fostering of the Kingdom of God as willed by the person of Jesus Christ, he said, and urged them to “seek the interests of Jesus Christ.”

“Do the work of Christ, who is the head and shepherd, united with the Bishop and under his authority,” Bishop Kamau, one of the Auxiliary Bishops of ADN, emphasized during the Priestly Ordination of Deacon Michael Kamunyu, Deacon Kelvin Okeyo, Deacon John Gichiri, and Deacon Crispus Mutugu. 

He told the four Priests-elect that they “have been chosen from among the people and appointed for the people in matters concerning God.”

“You are not a Priest for yourself,” Bishop Kamau said, adding, “You have been given a responsibility and a duty by Christ. We are entrusted with the eternal life of our people, and this is a very serious business, my sons.”

He underscored the need to foster unity as part of the Priestly ministry and advised the four Priests-elect to “make an effort to unite Christians into one family.”

“Our responsibility as Priests is to bring the faithful together as one family of God the Father through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit,” he said, and added, “My sons, always keep before you the example of the Good Shepherd, who came not to be served but to serve; He came to redeem and to seek what was lost.”

The Kenyan Catholic Bishop encouraged the four Deacons to prioritize the appropriate preaching of the Word of God so that it becomes a source of joy to the believers.

“The work of a Priest is to bring people back to the ways of God. The right direction is the direction toward God. There is no other way. But to do this, a Priest must know the direction,” Bishop Kamau said.

Administering Sacraments will be one way of bringing people to God, he said, and explained, “Through baptism, you will add people to the family of God. Through the sacrament of penance, you will forgive people’s sins in the name of Christ and the Church. You will comfort the sick by anointing them with oil.”

The Kenyan Auxiliary Bishop, since his Episcopal Consecration in March 2000, emphasized the important place of prayer in the life of a Priest. 

“If we are not motivated by prayer while doing these things, sooner or later we get tired. And when we lose focus, we lose meaning and value and become empty. If we live for the wrong reason, we are no longer Priests,” he said. 

Bishop Kamau appealed, “My sons, be people of prayer always. Christ Himself gave us an example. He used to pray at all times. He would stay awake in prayer. Therefore, we take Jesus Christ as our model.”

He called upon the Priests-elect to seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as “the Mother of the Church, Mother of Priests, and Mother of the Apostles.”

He highlighted the close collaboration between Priests and the Bishop as important in the realization of the mission of Jesus Christ. 

In his June 26 homily, Bishop Kamau also called upon the people of God to pray for the Clergy. He said, “Pray for us so that we are not a burden to you. When we fall short as human beings, do the work of praying for us.”