REFLECTIONS OF A KENYAN PRIEST

By Fr. Casmir Odundo New Abbot: Rt. Rev. Fr. John Baptist History was made in Kenya today when Rt. Rev. Fr. John Baptist Oese Imai was finally blessed as an abbot. He becomes the first Benedictine Abbot in Kenya. History has it that some years past, we had an abbot in Kipkelion Monastery in Kericho who belonged to the Cistercian order.  His elevation is a consequence of the fact that the Conventual Priory of Prince of Peace, Tigoni Kenya of the Benedictine Missionaries of St. Ottillien was in the month of September elevated to an abbey-the full form of a Benedictine monastery.   The   Benedictine Missionaries were invited to Kenya in 1972 by three Bishops, Servant of God Maurice Micheal Cardinal Otunga then, Archbishop of Nairobi, the Late Bishops Emilio Njeru and John Njenga of Eldoret.  In Nairobi they are basically in Tigoni and Ruaraka, in Nyeri they are in Nanyuki where they run the Bible on the Ground animation and retreat centre and finally in Eldoret they served in many parishe

By Fr. Casmir Odundo   " The one who has not used the tool, does not know its depth." Remarked Archbishop Emeritus Peter Joseph Kairo as he thanked God for granting him 50 solid years of priestly ministry. The Archbishop Emeritus said this while delivering his homily on the occasion of the ordination of  4 priests and 7 deacons for the Archdiocese of Nyeri and also to celebrate his Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. " There is no life without challenges, even priesthood has its own fair share of challenges ,"continued the Archbishop. He encouraged the 11 men who were to be ordained as deacons and priests  to always follow the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. He cautioned the young men not to aspire for the priesthood because of  money or riches. " The Priesthood , " he said, " is a vocation and a life of sacrifice." He thus encouraged the young men, soon to be ordai