“Faith must be lived within a community”: Bishop to St. Austin’s Parishioners, Kenya’s Oldest Inland Catholic Parish

“The community helps you to experience the love of God,” the Kenyan Bishop said, and added, “Join a group. You need a backup. Don’t stay alone. You may not survive.”

Members of St. Austin’s Parish celebrated their Family Day on the theme, “Anchored in faith, alive in hope”. Parishioners celebrated 126 years of evangelization in the East African country.

In his homily, Bishop Kamau underlined the importance of strengthening the family at home, in SCCs, and at the Parish level.

He challenged the parishioners who were celebrating their Family Day to ask themselves if their own families are stable.

“How far are we building our own families back at home?” he posed, and added, “If you have no home where you come from, then you don’t have a home even here either.”

Bishop Kamau said that there are two families that every Christian should take as models. The family of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and that of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

“Love is what unites these two families,” he noted, and added, “There was love, dialogue and understanding in the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. That is why God entrusted His Son to that family.”

As part of the celebrations, St. Austin’s Parish Msongari also launched seven newly established SCC groups.

At the launch, Bishop Kamau challenged the Parish to “do even better,” adding, “Without small Christian communities, it will be difficult to build the Church.”

Further underscoring the importance of SCCs, he said, “You come here only on Sundays. How about the other days? That is why we build small Christian communities where we live to come together and pray together.”

“We bring the life in our Small Christian Communities here in our Church. This is why Small Christian Communities are important,” he said, adding that the aim should be to build the Parish to become a home “such that even if you are rejected out there, where you are working, you feel welcome when you come here.”

The Bishop expressed his admiration of St. Austin’s Church, noting that the oldest Church inland Kenya had planted a seed of faith across what later became the Archdiocese of Nairobi and Machakos and Kitui Dioceses.

He said, “I am always proud of St. Austin’s parish and the Holy Ghost Fathers because the Holy Ghost Fathers brought faith to the Archdiocese of Nairobi. I am also talking about Machakos and Kitui. They too were started by Holy Ghost Fathers. The old missionaries are the ones who taught us, even in those days.”

In his address at the Family and Fun Day celebrations, Fr. Henry Omwoyo, the Priest-in-charge of St. Austin’s said that the event was more than “just a date on the calendar” for the Parish whose story begun in 1899, when three missionaries of the Holy Ghost Fathers Emile Augustin Allgeyer, Alain Hémery, and Blanchard Dillenseger travelled inland from the Kenyan coast.

“We celebrate 126 years of God’s faithfulness, love, and grace poured out upon our parish family,” Fr. Henry said, and added, “From humble beginnings in 1899, when the pioneer Spiritan missionaries held the first Mass under the expansive African sky, to today, we stand as a vibrant, living community, deeply rooted in faith and alive in hope.”

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He noted that for over a century, St. Austin’s has been a beacon of faith and unity in inland Kenya.

“What began as a small mission has blossomed into a diverse family of believers,” Fr. Henry said, observing that the Parish had grown to include communities such as the Catholic International Community (CIC) and the Communauté Catholique Francophone de Nairobi (CCFN).

“For decades, this parish has offered a home, a spiritual haven where generations have encountered Christ through sacraments, catechesis, outreach, prayer, fellowship, and service,” he said.

St. Austin’s parish also announced the projected opening of its Prayer Garden, a project that commenced as part of the Parish’s 125 years of faith celebrations.

Described as “a sanctuary of peace, reflection, and prayer for all who seek God's voice,” St. Austin’s Prayer Garden is nearing completion and will be officially opened on 14 June 2026, a day after the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to whose patronage the Garden is dedicated.