For Abigail Standish, the Coordinator of the Catholic Social Teaching in Phoenix Diocese and team leader of the U.S. delegation, the trip to Kenya was about expanding horizons.
Abigail Standish. Credit: ACI Africa
“Our mission was to help our young adults experience the universal Church and global solidarity. We wanted them to understand that the Church is not just Phoenix; it’s the entire world,” Ms. Standish told ACI Africa.
She said the group’s interactions with Kenyan youths has revealed many shared realities, ranging from mental health concerns to the influence of social media. She underscored the importance of intercultural dialogue.
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“There are different struggles in Kenya and Phoenix, but also so many similarities. We were able to have open conversations about challenges, but also about hope,” Ms. Standish said.
She noted that while mental health is a growing area of ministry in Kenya, it is already well developed in the U.S. and that this, in her view, presents an opportunity for mutual learning.
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“We talked about how social media can be both a tool for evangelization and a source of isolation. That’s something young people are grappling with on both continents,” the Catholic youth leader said.
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Reflecting on their visit to St. Mary’s Mukuru, a slum Parish in the Eastern suburbs of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, Ms. Standish said the experience was especially moving in the context of the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, which Pope Francis officially launched on the Eve of Christmas 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
“To see how much is being done with so little is inspiring. This visit has given us renewed hope that the Church is still alive, especially among young people. Even in Parishes with limited resources, the joy and faith are tangible,” she said.
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While the Diocese of Phoenix is among the fastest growing Episcopal Sees in the U.S., Ms. Standish noted that many American Dioceses face declining numbers of Catholics participating in Holy Mass and that Parishes are being shut down and amalgamated.
The Kenyan experience, she said, offers a hopeful contrast. “It reminds us that the key to growth is love, community, and joyful witness; we’ve seen that here in a powerful way,” Ms. Standish told ACI Africa on June 22 at St. Mary’s Mukuru Parish.
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In the June 22 interviews, Mr. Markey said that although the trip was limited to Kenya, it was envisioned as the first of many future missions. The Diocese plans to evaluate the pilot project and possibly expand the program in the coming years to cover other African nations.
“This isn’t just a cultural tour. The EYE Project is meant to form missionary disciples—young leaders who return home ready to transform their parishes,” he said, and continued, “The experience was profound. It taught us that the Church encounters others not to proselytize, but to love, understand, and dialogue.”
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Bishop Dolan’s role on the U.S. Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Church in Africa ensures continued collaboration between Phoenix and African Dioceses, the Focolare Movement member told ACI Africa.
In the interviews, Ms. Standish clarified, “We are not here as visitors only. The young adults who came will carry this experience into their communities and ministries. They have been changed—and now they will be instruments of change.”
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“You have shown us what it means to be the Body of Christ—alive, joyful, and united,” she further said on June 22, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
On her part, Marisa Lopez, a crisis counsellor working with youths in Phoenix Diocese, said she was particularly moved by the initiatives of Kenyan youths, who support their peers in the judicial system.
Marisa Lopez. Credit: ACI Africa
“That was really beautiful and moving when I heard about it,” Ms. Lopez said, and added, “It’s been on my mind already, but I wasn’t sure how to start. Speaking with them, they were able to give me some ideas… how they support each other, how they bring faith into it—those different things really moved my heart.”
Kenyan Youths supporting peers in the judicial system, she said, “inspire me. They’re challenging me with their ideas… I would say to just keep doing what they’re doing. Try to help as many people as they possibly can but also take care of themselves as well.”
For Junuee Castro, a Youth and Young Adult Coordinator in Phoenix Diocese, the trip in Kenya has offered them a “transformative” experience.
Junuee Castro. Credit: ACI Africa
“Encountering the young Church here in Kenya… the people, the culture, the language… has been very not only transformative but eye-opening,” Ms. Castro said, adding, “This has definitely brought that vision of unity within our Diocese with a great example here in Kenya of seeing how close-knit the communities are.”
She told ACI Africa that she’s finding the Church people God in Africa “truly dynamic and vibrant.”
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The Church in Africa, she said, is “very vivid. It’s very joyful—the singing and the dancing… it uplifts the Eucharist for me… a new vision of what it means to be Eucharistic people.”
On her part, Lazmhy Gallo, a youth minister and high school teacher from Phoenix, expressed heartfelt admiration for the community spirit she encountered in the visits that included Kenya’s Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri.
Lazmhy Gallo. Credit: ACI Africa
“The people are so welcoming… You feel at home, like, ‘hello, cousins!’ And I’m like, we’re cousins, we’re family, we’re brothers and sisters in Christ,” Ms. Gallo said.
“I’ve learned different things that I would love to take back home… the history, the dances, the culture… and also let my students know that people are struggling everywhere. But together, we can make it a better world,” the high school teacher added.
For Ms. Gallo went on to describe the Kenyan trip as eye-opening. “It’s my first time outside of my country, and coming here was a massive blessing because it opened my eyes,” she said, adding, “With my youth group, I want to start helping different organizations that help feed the poor, support the homeless, and orphanages.”
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She cautioned young people in Kenya against despair, saying, “Don’t give up. Love God. Trust in God; He has an amazing plan for all of us.”
Taylor Robbins from Sacred Heart Prescot Parish of Phoenix Diocese told ACI Africa that participating in the Eucharistic celebration in Kenya is inspiring.
Taylor Robbins. Credit: ACI Africa
“The way the Mass is celebrated here is just so joyful. The Archdiocese of Nairobi is doing phenomenal work… at every level… That’s very inspiring. I want to bring back a sense of unity to my Parish,” Mr. Taylor told ACI Africa.
He added, “We are pilgrims of hope together in prayer… that’s something I’ve heard all over Africa and not in America… I want to give them the hope and the joy that I’ve experienced here.”
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Asked about his message to Catholics in Kenya, Mr. Taylor said, “Keep up your joy. Your joy is a light to the world… a joy that is missionary.”
Set to return to the U.S. on Wednesday, June 25, the Catholic young adults from Phoenix Diocese Kenya were accompanied by Fr. Teilo Lwande, a Kenyan-born member of the Apostles of Jesus Missionaries (A.J.) ministering in the American Catholic Diocese.
Fr. Teilo Lwande. Credit: ACI Africa
Fr. Lwande told ACI Africa that “it feels great to come back home. Our goal is to journey with these young people, pray with them, and ensure they’re experiencing the Catholic Church in Kenya.”
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He recognized with appreciation the people of God in Kenya for their commitment to the ongoing 2025 Jubilee Year, being realized under the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope”.
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“Everyone seems to know what the jubilee is about. Back at home in the U.S., people are aware, but it’s not felt as much as I felt it here in Kenya,” the Kenyan AJ Priest for 12 years said during the June 22 interview at St. Mary’s Mukuru Parish.
He added, “We have a lot to do back in the U.S. to make sure every Christian knows how to focus on the jubilee of hope.”
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
Patrick Markey. Credit: ACI Africa
Credit: ACI Africa
Credit: ACI Africa
Credit: ACI Africa
