“Give us work”: Women Religious in Research End Maiden Symposium with Unique Invitation to Catholic Dioceses in Africa

The Chairperson of the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK) added, “Our vision is to be Africa's leading center for action research and consulting, driving transformation into the church and society beyond. And the mission is providing research-based insights powered by technology for agents of revitalization and research.”

“We are going to expand our reach,” Sr. Kangogo explained later, in an interview with ACI Africa, and added, “In this regard, we invite Dioceses to give us work. We can map their Parishes. We can map their social activities. We can do research in their institutions.”

Credit: ACI Africa

The Kenyan member of the Religious Institute of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart (DSH) said that women Religious are best placed to conduct research in the remotest places where the evangelization is taking place, owing to their reach, active involvement in preaching the Gospel, and proximity with the people of God.

“As Sisters, we work in the remotest parts of our countries where no one dares to go. This way, we are better placed to do research for the Church at the grassroots level. We can investigate the situation of evangelization in these remote areas,” she said. 

Sr. Kangogo expressed the readiness of Catholic Sisters to look at the needs of the entire Church, noting, “We all are collaborators in the work of evangelization.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“With scientifically collected data, the Church will be in a better position to address the needs of the people,” she emphasized, highlighting the key mandate of CERRA-Africa, which is to facilitate data-based solutions in the Church in Africa.

The AOSK Chairperson said that CERRA-Africa seeks to be “the foremost provider of actionable insights, enabling the Church organizations to make informed decisions that drive faith-based transformation across the continent.”

She highlighted the strategic objectives for CEARRA-Africa’s next five years, including building research and consulting capacity, ensuring financial sustainability and institutional growth, enhancing visibility and interest in the church and society, and driving the Centre’s effectiveness. 

Credit: ACI Africa

Held at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi, CERRA-Africa’s maiden research symposium brought together researchers from various ICLSAL across Africa and CERRA-Africa’s collaborators from other continents, who spoke about their experiences in their apostolates and ministries.

The symposium, the first of its kind in Africa, saw Catholic Sisters engaged in research collaborate with each other and with others. Their aim was to identify challenges in Religious Life for future initiatives.

Participants in the three-day symposium that was realized under the theme, “Creating Global Impact through Sustainable Development”, presented their experiences in religious formation, education, pastoral care, healthcare, care for the elderly, and other social services.

In his homily at the June 12 Holy Mass to close the symposium, Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi lauded CERRA-Africa’s courage to evangelize through actionable research.

(Story continues below)

Closing Mass of the CERRA-Africa research symposium in Nairobi, Kenya Credit: ACI Africa

“We know research is very important because it informs our practices,” Archbishop Anyolo said, and added, “The research that you are doing will enable you to serve even more strongly the people of God, and to make them better people, a better society, a better creation, and a better Church. We want to thank you for that.”

Acknowledging Catholic Sisters’ apostolate to transform lives, the Kenyan Catholic Archbishop said, “I want to appreciate your invaluable and irreplaceable contribution that you make in evangelization. I know with your own qualities as women Consecrated, you contribute in a special way to the life of development of the Church, to the life of growth of faith and holiness, and also to the life of the Church in her many activities in favor of development. And ultimately to the good of social and civil society in which we live.”

The Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 1996 as Bishop of Kenya’s Kericho Diocese lauded the collaboration among women Religious engaged in research, and invited them to address, through their apostolate, the growing needs of youths.

Credit: ACI Africa

“You as a Religious people have played a very important role in sustaining the youth. I want to encourage you to do more research in helping the youth, because as you do that, then we are also building a church that is not just present today, but even present in the future,” Archbishop Anyolo said.

He explained, “We are building a Christianity that is not just present today but is also present in the future; vocations that are not just present today but also present in the future.”

The Local Ordinary of Nairobi since his installation in November 2021 encouraged Catholic Sisters to always seek to engage in research that transforms lives and brings people closer to God.