The Kenya Mission of the Midwest Province, USA, was one of the winners of this year’s Mission Award for its Emmaus Programme for Diocesan Priests, which began as a response to the call of Kenyan bishops that Vincentians reach out to their priests, many alone and lonely, scattered throughout the desolate areas of Kenya. More… The goal of the programme is to provide an integrated series of seminars in a reflective, spiritual setting in order to enable diocesan clergy to engage in formation and ongoing development, encourage personal holiness, increase priestly support and morale and assist in improving ministerial competence in missionary areas.
Below, are excerpts from a letter the Visitor of the Midwest Province, James Swift, wrote to the Superior General to thank him for this award.I want to thank you and the Curia for granting us the Mission Award for Kenya mission.
I am most grateful for this award.We are struggling to find money to keep the Emmaus program continuing. Apostolically, it seems to be a key piece for our overall apostolic future program in Kenya. And it certainly has made a major difference already — first in the metropolitan Province of Nairobi and now in other dioceses in Kenya.
When even Kenyan bishops are willing to consider finding some funds to keep and expand the program, you know it is appreciated. What is really great is to hear the witness of the priests telling how much they have profited from their participation in the Emmaus program. It is also a great teaching tool for our seminarians at DePaul Centre — they get to see upfront one of the pillars of apostolic outreach in CM since Vincent.
Just this spring when I visited Kenya, an auxiliary bishop asked if we could expand the program to include an internship for diocesan seminarians already ordained as deacons and finished with their academic program. They are in great need of an intense pastoral and spiritual program of many months before they are ordained as priests. At the time the bishop asked, I thought: 1) this is so reminiscent of Vincent’s first efforts to help the clergy before ordination; and 2) we do not have the funding to continue the present Emmaus programs much less add this piece.
So, the mission award is a great blessing for what we hope and pray will someday be the Kenya
