From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
Maryknoll missionary and communication Veteran, Fr. Joseph G. Healey receives Award for Promoting Small Christian Communities in Eastern Africa, AMECEA Blog News online reports.
According to the report, a Catholic non-profit organization based in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA has awarded the Fr. Joseph G. Healey, who is also the first AMECEA Communication Secretary, “The Msgr. Thomas A. Kleissler Award” for his visionary spirit of church renewal, commitment to justice as integral to faith, dedication to the formation of lay leadership, and devotion to spiritual renewal through the building of small Christian communities in Eastern Africa during its fourteenth annual fundraising gala held on June 6, 2013 at the Pleasantdale Chateau, West Orange, NJ.
Immediately after the post-election violence in Kenya, Fr Healey used his skills in SCCs methodologies to reconcile and bring healing to ethnic communities that were almost not relating. The first of and historical one was done in Kisumu Archdiocese, where the Luo (conceived to be Raila Odinga followers) and Kikuyu (conceived to be Mwai kibaki followers).
The second of such historic reconciliation and healing was done in Nakuru, Rift valley Province where provincial, district, divisional and location police officers attended. Rift Valley and Kisumu were among the areas that were badly hit by violence.
Msgr. Thomas A. Kleissler Award, is an award named in honor of RENEW’s president emeritus and co-founder given to person with remarkable qualities of Msgr. Kleissler.
The other two persons who received the Awards were Mr. Michael Catanzaro who received the President’s Award and Ms. Lisa Marie Meehan who received the Spirit of RENEW Award. These three are considered to have played a significant role in fostering RENEW International’s mission of spreading gospel values in daily life.
Besides members of his family and Maryknoll priests, Fr. Joe Healey was accompanied to the gala by Maryknoll Missionary sisters from East Africa: Sr. Theresia Ndesoma, MM from Moshi Diocese in Tanzania and Sr. Ann Mutinda, MM from Machakos Diocese in Kenya.
While receiving the award, Fr. Joe Healey said, “I am delighted to receive this Msgr. Thomas Kleissler Award on behalf of the 120,000 Small Christian Communities in the nine countries of Eastern Africa.”
Fr. Healey also conveyed greetings from members of his SCC in Nairobi to the congregation that was gathered at the gala, “The members of my own St. Kizito SCC in Nairobi, Kenya greet all of you; the children in my SCC greet your own children and grandchildren.”
Fr Healey is a missionary priest belonging to Maryknoll Congregation. Apart from working as Communication secretary at AMECEA Secretariat Fr Healey has been a promoter of Small Christian Communities (SCCs) as he gave himself a name Mwana Jumuia in Kiswahili to mean (A member of Small Christian Community). Fr Healey can only to you his age by saying ‘amekula chumvi mwingi’ (an African expression for the person who has eaten a lot of salt). He worked closely with myself (Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ) during reconciliation and healing exercises.
His pastoral ministry, academic career, and writings have not only made him a leading voice in the spread of SCCs throughout Africa and around the world, but also young and active. His confrere Fr Richard Dick Quinn refers to him as a man of computers. He is always busy with his computer.
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste wish to congratulate Fr Joseph Healy (Joe mdogo)-hongera padre!
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Twitter-@8000accomole
Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002
From: Ouko joachim omolo
Date: Sun, Sep 15, 2013 at 9:52 AM
Subject: News Dispatch
PASTORAL CHALLENGES NATIVE PRIESTS FACE TODAY
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2013
Following Fr Healey’s award, Carroll from USA writes: “Dear Joe, I am glad I read Fr Joachim Omolo’s article today on the Msgr Thomas A. Kleissler Award you received June 6. I remember something about an award you got recently, but didn’t realize the depth of what you did for healing and reconciliation after the clashes.
Hongera. “Erokomano”, as the Luos say (“you have done well”), meaning that you have done well with the God-given gifts you have. You have a bundle of such gifts and have used them well”. Peace, Carroll
Chrispin from Nairobi, Kenya writes: “Fr, I appreciate work done by Fr. Joseph for promoting SCC. But many people tend to leave SCC because their some of their pastors are using them as means of getting their own money.
Some xtians say that SCCs have changed to be a group for pastors to enrich themselves. And I think that’s why most men do not attend SCC’s. So what is your take on this matter?
Carroll and Chrispin have raised very important and challenging issues. Apart from major reconciliation and healing workshops in Nyanza and Rift Valley provinces, Fr Joseph Healey also had a reconciliation and healing mass for students at Yala Parish in Kisumu Archdiocese, and children workshop on the same for Kiambu County children.
He also did a wide range of reconciliation and healing workshops to several Christian Communities in Nairobi Archdiocese, Apostles of Jesus Seminary, St Thomas Aquinas National Seminary and Tangaza College of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) among others.
Chrispin this issue of priests demanding a lot from Small Christian Communities has been discussed and discussed to no solution. It became the main topic of discussion during the Blessed John II parish evangelizing team workshop at Ukarimu Centre in Molo last year.
My take here is that people do not leave SCCs because some priests use it as source of getting money, they leave or reluctant to come to church because many Christians have not understood clearly that they are the church and must develop it, both materially and spiritually. Some have left because the priest failed to respond to pleas for their personal help.
When white missionaries first came to Africa they came with mentality that African people are poor and cannot support the church. That is why when they came they built the church structures by themselves without involving the people.
Like in Magadi where I am working all the outstation structures were built by Mill Hill missionaries. To the community here everything they wanted, healthcare, school fees, food, clothes were being provided by the missionaries.
The same in Kisumu, Kisii, Homabay, Kakamega, Bungoma, Eldoret, name them, practically everything including church building structures, hospitals, schools were done by the missionaries.
They did not encourage the people to understand that church offertory is part of the resources that helped the priests, pay workers, fuel the car, repair it, and buy food. In fact they did not even need it that is why up to today when it comes to the offertory people still give Ksh 1 or 50cents.
Not that the one giving is poor, he is indeed able, but he or she is doing so because he/she sees no need to give valuable money during the offertory because the priest do not need it by the way. This has created assumption that priests are very rich and cannot be without money.
They have failed to understand that native priests are not so rich like the first missionaries who became everything for them; food, clothes, school fees, medical care and pocket money to join the church.
By demanding much, native priests want to pass a message to Christians that they must develop the church by themselves. They are the donors of their own churches. They must build church structures, hospitals, schools, assist the priests, buy and fuel their vehicles and maintain it as well. They must pay the workers.
Although you have not mentioned it, today a lot of corruption, tribalism and nepotism have also contributed to people leaving the churches, just like the time of the early Christian communities (Acts 6). The community could not attend to the needs of Hellenistic widows because they were foreigners.
Even when true Christians like Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism were appointed to attend to all, still opposition arose from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called). They produced false witnesses so that they could be dismissed from their responsibilities and be replaced by the people of the same tribe and clan.
For more detail about Fr Joseph Healey’s work you can visit Small Christian Communities Global Collaborative Website and “Facebook Page” http://www.smallchristiancommunities.org. Their “SCCs Facebook Page” is a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-Christian-Communities/279921983315.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole
Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002