Catholic Archbishop to Exam Candidates in Kenya: “Don't give up”

Nairobi, 15 October, 2025 / 3:22 PM

Archbishop Philip Arnold Subira Anyolo of Kenya's Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi has encouraged students preparing for their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E) examinations to trust in God and to remain focused as they approach their final papers.

In his Wednesday, October 15 homily at a Confirmation Mass that was held at the Mother of Good Counsel School, Huruma, Archbishop Anyolo reminded young people to prepare for the exams “very honestly and sincerely.”

“Don't give up now. You still have some time in making yourself ready for that exam that is going to come,” Archbishop Anyolo said, and added, “Preparation means you are doing it together with God and you trust in Him, and you trust that things will go well because you have done your work.”

The Archbishop of Nairobi described education as a continuous journey of grace that shapes both the mind and spirit.

“Reaching where you are, you have worked hard.  You have faced many challenges and you have grown in wisdom, knowledge, and in favor,” the Archbishop told the students, some of whom were conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Local Ordinary of Nairobi encouraged the students to remain calm and prayerful, trusting that God would guide their minds and memories during the tests.

He urged the candidates to be grateful for all the phases of their lives, assuring them that there is time for everything.

“You are learning, you are studying, and everything is God's purpose for you. You can't do anything else because you are living at that time where you are at the age of being a student,” he said.

Archbishop Anyolo praised the Confirmands, assuring them that God is calling them “for something special.”

The Catholic Archbishop further described teachers of the students as the “instruments of God’s wisdom” and compared their role to that of Mary and Joseph, who nurtured and guided Jesus Christ.

“Teaching is God-given work. Teaching is helping God do what he is supposed to do and to recreate and continue creating in life because he has chosen you to do that,” he said.

And expressing appreciation to school heads in Kenya, he said, “Thank you for having to take care of these young people. You are the soul of these young people. You are the soul of your school.”