FROM THE DIRECTOR…Dear Fellow Missionaries, On your behalf, I receive notes of thanks from our missionaries in the field. Your generosity both with prayer and financial sacrifice is greatly appreciated. The good work being done is overwhelming. Fr. Kieran Healy, who writes from Kenya, sent such a note. He wrote, "Recently we had a difficult time. Br. Paul Okello, a 36-year-old deacon, died about ten days ago. I am just back from the funeral. Little did I think when I set aside a plot at the novitiate that a young Kenyan and a native of Kisumu would be the first in our graveyard." Continuing further in the letter he wrote, "Tomorrow we hope to sign a contract to build a 'Mkete' shelter where we can begin to hold Sunday Masses." He goes on to explain some of the details. In November, we join our prayers for and with our beloved departed. The work of the Church continues even in the midst of sacrifice and sorrow. Please enjoy two glimpses into the lives of the Dominican Friars in their own country, even if some were not born there. Blessings, Fr. Martin |
SILENCEBy Fr. Kieran Healy, O.P. NAIROBI, KENYA. During these days as we prepare to build St. Catherine of Siena Parish and Campus Ministry here in Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya, we have been holding listening sessions among the people of our area. A natural way to visit with the people is to join their monthly meetings of small Christian communities. These groups are composed of ten to twelve people. The meetings usually consist of some form of prayer and hymn singing, with a reading of the Scriptures for the following Sunday. Then everyone is given the chance to comment on what they found most striking in the Scripture reading. We have been able to attend one or two of these each week, and at some we have offered to provide a home Mass, which the people always welcome. The level of friendship among the people is most impressive. Most of my time in Kenya has been spent visiting homes in the villages. The houses are often mud walls, or at best, cement blocks, with thatch or a tin roof. The people in this area are professionals, and these houses reflect their higher standard of living. I have especially noticed the carpets. It is also the custom here to remove one's shoes, partly due to the ubiquitous red mud, but also because people feel more comfortable and at home. The people always have large family portraits, showing them grouped together with their children, and many of the pictures have been taken at graduation time. At our most recent jumuia (family gathering), the people asked us if Dominicans are missionaries. We said that... |
