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Church Not a Company, Goes Beyond “administrative grouping”: Kenyan Archbishop

A poster announcing Family Day in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi in Kenya. Credit: Nairobi Archdiocese

The definition of the Church as the family of God goes beyond an “administrative grouping” and does not operate as a company, the Archbishop of Kenya’s Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi has said.

In his Archdiocesan family day pastoral letter circulated across parishes of the Archdiocese, Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo said that the Church is a family of believers in Jesus Christ drawn together and constituted by the Holy Spirit.

“The Church is not principally an administrative grouping, organized and occasionally reorganized like a company,” Archbishop Anyolo said ahead of the family day celebration scheduled for Saturday, August 12.

The Church’s distinctive characteristics, the Catholic Archbishop said, include prayer, the Holy Eucharist, and a life of love enshrined in charity.

He said that some fundamental elements such as one faith, sacraments, and charity keep the Church united.

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“The family exists to generate life and to deepen the companionship between believers as they journey toward their shared destiny,” the Archbishop said ahead of the event to be celebrated under the theme, “A united Family, Strong in Faith Journeying together in Spirit and Truth.”

He said that family stability is critical for the future, a notion he notes does not only apply to the natural family but also to the Parish and Archdiocesan family.

“Every family, including a parish and diocesan family, has a mission to build up the Church and increase the kingdom of God in that part of the world,” the Catholic Archbishop who has been at the helm of Nairobi Archdiocese since November 2021 says.

In the family of God, Archbishop Anyolo says, “we continually meet and encounter Christ in prayer, holy sacraments, and mutual love and sharing. In our personal families, we learn to confront difficulties and face the realities of life enlightened by Christ’s presence.”

Archbishop Anyolo says that both natural and Church families bring together companionship in a space, daily living, and working together on a common journey with a common goal which is destiny with God.

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Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.