Catholic Women Association Members in Nairobi Archdiocese Urged to Be “vessels of hope” in Families

“You cannot spread hope to your families when you are devoid of the same hope and the only way we can get hope is through unwavering faith in God,” he said at the event that Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo of ADN presided over.

The Kenyan Catholic Priest urged the women to view the challenges they encounter in their respective families as part of the cross they have to carry and to do so without grumbling. 

Credit: ACI Africa

“Prioritize thanksgiving to God even if there are challenges in your families; start by thanking God for having that family in the first place,” Fr. Chege said.

The March 23 annual Eucharistic celebration had over 20,000 CWA members in attendance. Archbishop Anyolo commissioned 2,313 new CWA members drawn from the 15 Deaneries of the Kenyan Archdiocese.

In his homily, the CWA Chaplain in Nairobi Archdiocese highlighted some of the effects of challenges in family, including experiences of being heart broken, despair, and loss of meaning in life, and suicidal thoughts, among others.

“These things are embarrassing, and they instil fear in us; Christians are not the ones to commit suicide neither should they live in despair,” Fr. Chege said, and added, “The word of God today should awaken hope in us; our source of hope lies in the presence of the Lord.  We are a people of faith, and we are supposed to be the light and salt of the world.”

The member of the Clergy of ADN went on to caution CWA members against unorthodox religious practices, which he said are “in the form of rituals that contradict human thinking and reason.”

“Let us not be yoked with or lured by people who are lost, people without integrity and faith, people who do know God but are using His name,” Fr. Chege said, and emphasized the need for CWA members to remain strong in living their Catholic faith amid “challenges and storms” in family life.

The CWA Chaplain in ADN encouraged the Catholic women to look upon the Blessed Virgin Mary for inspiration, saying, “The way Mary said yes to the will of God, let us also say yes to God and remain faithful to Him even amid challenges and storms.”

In his remarks at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the ADN Assistant Pastoral Coordinator, Fr. James Kinuthia, commended CWA members for their “remarkable contributions” to the Kenyan Archdiocese.

The ADN Pastoral assistant coordinator, Fr. James Kinuthia. Credit: ACI Africa

“We commend the ADN CWA and the leadership for your remarkable contributions to both the Church and the wider community,” Fr. Kinuthia said, and added, “Your dedication is evident in various endeavours including mentoring the boy child.”

On his part, the Chaplain of the Catholic Men Association (CMA) in ADN, Fr. Benard Mwaura, called upon CWA members to support the group’s Beacon Boy program that seeks to nurture boys below 17 years into responsible men.

“I am sending you home; if you have a boy aged 17 years and below, bring them to us and we shall equip them with necessary teachings,” Fr. Mwaura said, and added, “We are educating them to be responsible boys.”

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Credit: ACI Africa

The member of the Clergy of the ADN advocated for synergy between CWA and CMA, saying, “Together with the CWA Chaplain, we shall come up with a strategy to foster collaboration between CMA and CWA especially when it comes to projects.”

The Local Ordinary of Nairobi, who presided over the Eucharistic celebration congratulated CWA members for making the March 23 event successful and emphasized the important role of women in the evangelization ministry. 

Archbishop Anyolo echoed the message of the CMA Chaplain on synergy, saying, “Let’s do the work of CMA and CWA in one accord.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“This one accord will build the family because, without the family, everything else becomes useless,” the Kenyan Catholic Archbishop, who has been at the helm of the ADN since November 2021 said, adding that the collaboration should extend to the youth at every level and the Pontifical Missionary Childhood (PMC).

Also speaking at the annual CWA celebration, the Archbishop emeritus of the ADN, John Cardinal Njue, called for unity in the Lord. 

Credit: ACI Africa

“It is in this way, my dear mothers, that you will be able to realize that wherever you go your own identity is there, and that identity must be lived existentially, not nominally,” Cardinal Njue said, emphasizing his call for unity in the Lord. 

The Kenyan Cardinal added, “Make sure there is that kind of so much needed unity in that family that God has made you to be part of.”