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KENYAN DIARY June 1 – June 15, 2001
by Sister Kathleen McDonagh, IWBS
Friday, June 1, 2001 I arrive in Nairobi by plane at 8:00 a.m., having been in transit for three nights – a night on the plane from Dallas to London, a night in London, and again a night on the plane from London to Nairobi. My first visit to the African continent! I am aware of the awesomeness of the occasion.
I get through the red tape – immigration, luggage retrieval, customs -- with minimal difficulty and emerge to find myself besieged by African taxi drivers, all wanting to take me where I want to go. It is all rather bewildering, but eventually I locate Sister Fidela, CVI, regional Superior of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word for Africa, and Sister Lorely, the only Incarnate Word Sister from Uruguay, and receive a warm welcome from both They bring the car around, and we are on our way.
Driving from the airport, I am struck by the number of people walking, walking, walking. Cars, even bicycles, are luxuries here, and Kenyans walk all the time. One result: there are very few obese Kenyans! The roads have many potholes, and in general, the country does not look prosperous. Much corruption in government keeps foreign aid from accomplishing what it is intended to do. But the people are kind and gentle and friendly.
As we drive, a cell phone message tells Sister Fidela that Sister Rosa Marta, CVI, 81 years old, from Mexico City, has had a fall, trying to crown a statue of Our Lady in the novitiate patio. She has a very deep cut on her leg and has injured her knee. A mood of anxiety fills our car. We arrive at the area of Nairobi known as Langata – an area where 50+ religious communities have regional and/or formation houses – and find there a gate with a simple sign, “Incarnate Word.”
Incarnate Word consists of a compound with three houses – the regional house, the novitiate, and the postulancy. Each operates as a separate community although they come together frequently for community events. I am greeted warmly with “Karibu, Welcome” by a bewildering number of young Sisters, Mexican and African. At this early stage, I have not a hope of remembering who is who. Also present is a young German girl, Tanya, 20 years old, who is doing some months of volunteer work in Kenya. Tanya is a simple and very sweet girl who seems to be truly enjoying her time here. Sisters Fidela and Lorely go to see how Sister Rosa Marta is, and other Sisters serve me lunch -- food that is very strange to me. After that, my hostesses are merciful and let me take a nap. Five hours later, I emerge from the nap feeling much better!
At 7:00 p.m., it is already dark since daylight lasts basically from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and we join the postulant community for Evening Prayer. There are six postulants and four aspirants, all African, and in beautiful song, they sing almost the entire Office. Then supper – more strange food – and so to bed and a full night’s sleep in spite of the long afternoon nap. Sister Rosa Marta has been checked out by a doctor. She has a very deep cut – almost to the bone -- and her knee is strained so she has to have bed rest for some days
Saturday, June 2, 2001An early start because this is Final Professsion Day for Sister Mary Wanja Mbaci. The ceremony will take place in St. Michael’s Parish Church, Nairobi. Morning Prayer at 6:30 a.m., breakfast at 7:00 a.m., then hustle and bustle as we prepared to depart for St. Michael’s. Sister Lilia Cervantes takes me to St. Michael’s, and we arrive there by 9:00 a.m. for the 10:00 a.m. ceremony. We visit the local convent where our Sisters live. The local Superior is Sister Faith Elizabeth, the first Kenyan to persevere in the Congregation. The entire Incarnate Word community in St. Michael’s is Kenyan.
Outside people are gathering, and a group of children from the parish in native dress are lining up in preparation for liturgical dance. We enter the Church (which is also the parish hall) and sit quietly. Sisters from another community join us, and I chat briefly with one of them, a Spaniard who speaks excellent English. I ask her where she learned English, and she tells me, “In Ireland, in Dublin – I stayed with the Sisters of the Holy Faith in the Coombe.” I ask her if she knew Sister Benignus, and she says, “Oh, yes! She was my special friend.” I say, “And she is my sister!” We are both amazed, and she says, “Tell her Conchita sends her regards.” The world is very small indeed.
The ceremony finally gets started at 10:30 a.m. We Sisters are called out to participate in the Entrance Procession – a slow process led by Kenyan liturgical dancers. The auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi is the chief celebrant with six concelebrants, all African except for one priest. There are strong elements of African culture: African style liturgical dance, at the entrance procession, bringing up the lectionary, the procession with the gifts, Thanksgiving after the profession ceremony - drums and loud cries of joy. People are wearing their native dress, and three languages are used: Kiswahili, English, and the native language of Sister Mary’s tribe. This last is used by a novice who explains the proceedings to tribal members present. The Sisters and the parish choir sing in beautiful harmony with minimal use of the organ. In general, accompaniment is by African drums and other rhythm instruments. There is no hurry – every stanza of every hymn is sung, and so the Mass lasts for three hours. After the Mass, the traditional wedding ceremony of Sister Mary’s tribe is adapted for the nuptials of this bride of Christ.
Saint Michael’s is an all-purpose building so, after the wedding ceremony, a screen is drawn to shut off the sanctuary, and the church becomes the parish hall. Food and entertainment take over. Lots of noise, lots of joy. Between this time and 5:00 p.m. everyone gets fed, and entertainment is provided. There is no hurry, no time-watching. After a while, we go over to the convent again where things are quieter. We get home about 6:00 p.m. where we recite Evening Prayer and have supper. I visit with Sister Rosa Marta who is confined to bed (Diane has stayed with her all day). Rosa Marta is in pain but is as indomitable as ever. Finally, I come to my room at the end of a very full day.
Sunday, June 3, 2001 – Feast of PentecostMorning Prayer in the novitiate chapel at 7:00 a.m. followed by the Mass for Pentecost – both glorious celebrations. The African Sisters sing joyously, happily. The Kyrie this morning is a masterpiece of beauty and harmony. We come out from prayer on a high.
After breakfast, Sisters Lilia, Noemi, Diane, and I go to the National Park in Nairobi, hoping to see animals in their natural habitat. A group of approximately 30 baboons surprise us almost immediately. They block the driveway and seem serenely aware that this is their territory and that we are the intruders. In their own good time, they eventually move, and we are on our way again. We drive a long time without seeing any animals, but eventually sight a solitary giraffe silhouetted against the sky. Then we spot rhinos, deer, elk of several varieties, ostriches (I didn’t know they were so huge!), smaller birds, and tiny gerbil-like creatures, totally unafraid. We are home just in time for a festive Pentecost dinner, served outdoors. Everyone is in high glee, the food is excellent (and recognizable!), and we have a good time.
About 4:00 p.m., we take off again for a nearby Giraffe Center. Here the giraffes are very tame and very close at hand, and food to feed them can be purchased in the Center building. Lilia purchases some, and we go up to a veranda on the second floor which is just the right height to be on a level with their heads. When I see their black, coarse tongues, I decline the honor of feeding them, but the others in the group do so. There are five giraffes in all, all waiting to be fed, much to the delight of the many children there. A baby giraffe and a “junior” stay further away while a number of warthogs (piglike creatures) hang around, scooping up any fragrments of food dropped by the giraffes.
We leave the giraffes and drive around the area. We make a stop at the home of Karen Blitzen – author of the book Out of Africa which was made into a movie. This is an unexpected treat. I buy Karen’s Collected Letters and look forward to reading it. We then visit the enormous new building of the Salesian Fathers and Brothers where we get a guided tour by one of the priests and also the Marist Brothers’ residence. I see a sign to the Mary Ward center. Mary Ward was an English contemporary of Jeanne de Matel and founded a Congregation that would be comparable to the active life of the Jesuits – the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this she suffered much.
All in all, it was a very good day.
Monday, June 4, 2001I have a short meeting with Sister Fidela, Sister Faith Elizabeth, and Sister Victoria to plan our approach to the presentations. Then we take off for Machakos, the diocese in which Father Eddie Tiernan, Holy Ghost Father (Spiritan) and my brother-in-law’s cousin, labored for approximately 45 years. Father Eddie is now retired in Dublin, but I could not be in Kenya and not see his diocese. Our group consists of Sister Lilia and Noemi, junior Sister Lucia who is a native of the Diocese of Machacos, Diane, and myself.
Machakos is a small town, about an hour’s drive from Nairobi. Sister Lucia directs us to Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, built by Father Eddie – very well built and in good shape. The first person we meet is a permanent deacon, Deacon Peter Mvenia, and he greets us warmly with the now familiar “Karibu! Welcome!” Yes, he remembers Father Eddie from his childhood. We then meet Father Raphael Nmile, a young priest assigned to Machakos Cathedral who also knows Father Eddie. He assures us that everyone in Machakos knows Father Eddie. Father Raphael invites us into the Rectory to chat and to have a cup of tea. He mentions that the only Spiritan left in the Diocese of Machakos is Father Mick Connellan at the Pastoral Center so, with Sister Lucia’s help, we go to find him. Father Mick is very proud of the improvements in the Pastoral Center, many of them credited to Father Eddie. Father Mick takes us around, and we visit with him for a while. He tells us that at one time, there were 10 African priests in the Diocese of Machakos and 75 Spiritans. Now there are 100 African priests and 1 Spiritan. It sounds as though the Spiritans have done what missionaries should do – work themselves out of a job and leave the local church in the hands of the local people. We find a place to eat – a good meal – and return to Nairobi. The day is now very hot so the ride home in a non air-conditioned car is very hot too. There is quite a difference between the daytime temperature and the coolness of the mornings and evenings. At home, I drink water and rest a while before going to Evening Prayer.
The Regional Assembly – Evening of June 4 to Morning of June 12, 2001The Regional Assembly – the reason I am here – opens with Evening Prayer, very creatively prepared by the postulants and the aspirants. Then we go to a grassy area where we sit in groups around outdoor fires and share about the challenges in our lives. It is much cooler now – at times I am quite chilly. The sharing is good although I have some difficulty understanding the Kenyan pronunication of English words. No one is in any hurry in this land so the sharing takes quite a long time. We have supper around the fires about 8:15 p.m. and so to bed.
Tuesday, we have Morning Prayer at 6:30 a.m. followed by a Holy Hour with the Blessed Sacrament exposed from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., then breakfast. During the assembly, we will have Mass in the evenings. We have a variety of celebrants, all very enthusiastic and the singing and creative actions during the Masses are all of a very high quality.
Tuesday, June 5 – Saturday, June 9The five days of talks and discussion go wonderfully well. I had sent Sister Fidela a list of topics which I had already developed, and she chose some of them for the Assembly. They are as follows:
Tuesday: Review of the life and spirituality of Jeanne de Matel. Wednesday and Thursday: the Beatitudes Friday: The Rule of Saint Augustine Saturday: Extending the Incarnation.
Each day, a Sister leads a “dynamic” before each presentation – a song, poem, exercise, all very creative. Then I give an hour’s presentation in the morning and an hour in the evening, followed on each occasion by an hour of discussion. The discussions are wonderfully vibrant, and even with an hour for discussion, the Sisters never have enough time to finish. I find the day quite demanding, but the Sisters are so grateful for my input that it is all very worthwhile.
There are 50 –60 Sisters present each day, including Sister Rosa Marta who, in spite of her injuries, attends every session. She is brought by car from the novitiate building where she lives and is carried into the hall on a chair by a group of willing junior Sisters and novices. Her announcement as she is carried in each day is, “Here comes the Pope!” The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word from Villa de Matel in Houston are also attending. Sister Rose Scanlon, director of novices, and her African novices and postulants come to every session while two other CCVI’s attend morning sessions only. On Thursday, the CCVI’s invite me to have lunch with them, so we see their novitiate – a large house which is now being extended - and enjoy their company
Saturday Afternoon, June 9, 2001On Tuesday morning, I tell the Sisters that Saturday afternoon will be theirs to respond to what I say, and they can respond in any way they chose: through drama, poetry, music, art, whatever they like. When Saturday afternoon comes, they are indeed prepared. Most choose drama in some form, and between all of them, they touch on every major idea (and some minor!) that I have presented, all of this in very creative and original forms. Their responses include: The dramatization of a vocation struggle between a father and daughter – a Kenyan culture version of Jeanne de Matel’s struggle with her own father. An artistic poster depicting the essence of the Rule of Saint Augustine: “Be of one mind, one heart, intent upon God.” Dramatic readings on the Rule of Saint Augustine and on Saint Monica with original musical response, using Augustine’s text, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Dramatic reading on the Beatitudes. Various presentations on extending the Incarnation.
The CCVI novices announce that their presentation will be to impart a blessing to me. They place me in a prominent chair and sing a blessing song in Kiswahili while showering me with rose petals – a new experience for me. Then they present me with gifts. The whole event of the responses takes from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and is really touching.
Saturday, at noon, Father Francis Ahearne, O.S.A., an Irish Augustinian, a friend of my brother, Frank, comes to take me to dinner. I have a tour of the Augustinian formation house in Nairobi – six town houses made into one. Then we pick up Father Tom Sexton, arrived that morning from Ireland, and they take me to a restaurant called “El Carnivore.” Father Ahearne orders a large meat platter, and when it comes, tells the waitress to identify the meats for me. Most are beef and chicken, but there is also some crocodile and some zebra! I try a tiny piece of crocodile and find it very tough so I opt for beef. It is good to eat food that I recognize.
When Father Ahearne takes me back, the young African Sisters are outside doing the dish washing in a very primitive setting. Tables had been set outside on the grass with large pans of water, and there are five or six of the Sisters washing away. Each of the houses has a fully equipped kitchen, but the kitchen attached to the hall area where we are meeting is too small for the size of the group so the dish washing has to be moved outside. The Sisters seem merry and happy and are working away to the accompaniment of chatter and laughter.
Saturday is my last day of presentations. They have been well received, thanks be to God.
Sunday, June 10, 2001 – Trinity Sunday
Sunday is a day of togetherness, but I wake up feeling tired and drained and continue to feel so all day. Liturgy is at noon, beautifully prepared for Trinity Sunday. Dinner is delayed because of some mishap in the kitchen so the Spiritan Provincial, Father Sean McGovern, Father Eddie’s Holy Ghost friend, arrives while we are still eating. He has eaten already but we chat while I eat, talking about Father Eddie, the Mackens, and so on, until Father has to leave.
It is the Second Sunday of the month, and for the Sisters in formation, it is visiting Sunday. Shades of the past! Such was Second Sunday in our formation also, although that is long since changed in Texas. Such small events, as well as the pervading spirit of the community makes me so aware of the Incarnate Word spirit here in Kenya that I sometimes forget I am in Africa for the first time. Charism and spirit are more important than nationality and race.
After dinner, I drive downtown with Sisters Lilia and Diane to drop some Sisters off at the bus station. There is poverty everywhere, litter, dangerous driving. From the bus station, we go to the Cathedral. It is locked, but the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is open, and a number of people are praying there. Outside, different groups are gathered in various alcoves of the building holding study groups, discussions etc. It is impressive. On the way home, we visit a Salesian church – very beautiful.
At home, I watch some of the young Sisters enjoying board games. Then we have a Marian devotion (there has been one each day), and this is followed by Evening Prayer. I talk to Sister Fidela at some length, then to bed. I am ready for bed at this point.
Monday, June 11, 2001As usual, a highly creative Morning Prayer, then the Eucharist, then breakfast. After breakfast, there is a brief ceremony, and I am presented with a large carving of a giraffe as a memento of my time in Kenya. Then the Assembly is officially declared closed. It has been a time of grace for me. Deo gratias!
After the closing of the Assembly,. there is a meeting of the Superiors from each of the seven communities in the African Region, and Fidela has asked me to address some words of encouragement to them. The seven are: Sister Fidela (Regional House); Carmelita (Novices), Victoria (Postulants), Lorely (Barpello), Luz de Lourdes (Tanzania), Faith Elizabeth (St. Michael’s), and Lilia (Nakuru). I say that it seems to me that the charism of the Order is in good hands. I note the unity and diversity of the group, the youthfulness of the Sisters, their numerical growth. The Sisters are joyous, serious to talk to, polite, very willing to be leaders. They hold excellent discussions and are doing a fine job of inculturation in the liturgy and in other things also. I emphasize the fact that, in this day and age, they need to be treated as adults and to accept responsibility.
The meeting continues after I finish so I go to visit Sister Rosa Marta who is feeling better. She is beginning to be able to walk and to exercise her leg a little. We have a long talk about the situation in Kenya. She sees the corruption in government as a huge problem. As a result, the country needs better water supplies, sewage, electricity, better roads, care for the poor, the sick, and the dead. Mortuaries, she says, are places of horror. Many, many Kenyans are dying of AIDS and are infecting others. Sister Rosa Marta thinks young Kenyans need careful vocational discernment. Nevertheless, she thinks that if we never make a start with native vocations, we will never have any. I visit with her until lunch time and am impressed as always with her dedication.
Nakuru, June 11 – June 14, 2001We have lunch, and then, at 3:30 p.m., Lilia, Noemi, Diane, and I leave for Nakuru, where our Sisters from Corpus Christi served for seven years. Along the way, there are lots of scenes of poverty as well as scenes of spectacular beauty. As we drive into Nakuru, Sister Lilia points out the hospital where Sister Lucy had her surgery some years ago, and then finally, we come to the convent where our Sisters lived. I am sleeping in Lucy’s old room. The community here consists of Lilia, Noemi, and two African Sisters – Sister Mary Magdalen and Sister Mary Wanja Mbaci who just made her Final Profession and who is here for the first time.
There are computers in this house so, after supper, Diane opens up Hotmail for me, and I am able to get into my e-mail for the first time in two weeks. There is lots of junk mail to be deleted but also a message from my sister, Myra, and one from Sister Irma. I send Irma and the community a message, and another to my brothers and sisters. It is good to be here.
Tuesday, June 12, 2001Mass is in the Cathedral of Christ the King at 6:45 a.m. so we have an early start. We walk the short distance to the Cathedral along the dirt road. There has been rain during the night so there is no dust, and it is nice to walk in the early morning. Crowds of school children from a nearby boarding school are at Mass which is offered in Kiswahili. I do not understand the words, but the Mass is. The drums sound and the singing begins. It is good to be at Mass with Kenyan people.
After breakfast, we go to St. Francis Xavier School where I meet many staff members who remember Lucy, Elizabeth, Maria Elizabeth, and Martha. Especially eager to greet them is Ruth, the school secretary. They are indeed much loved and remembered. Lilia takes me on a tour of the school, and I see a new building with four new classrooms which were paid for by donations from the Incarnate Word Congregations in the United States. There is also a wall around the compound, paid for in the same way.
From St. Francis Xavier, we go on a sight-seeing tour to a National Park where Lake Bongoria looks as though it contains solid pink “islands.” The “islands” turn out to be flocks of flamingos in the water - beautiful. There is a volcanic area on the shore of the lake with steam rising from the ground. We eat lunch in a restaurant where ostriches stand tall on the lawn and a few monkeys play around as we eat. Then we drive to Lake Baringo where we see storks up quite close and hippos also, but so far away, they could be anything. We come home to a lively conversation with the two African Sisters, Sister Mary Magdalen and Sister Mary, who have been in school all day. I check the e-mail and read about Martha and Dorothy recovering from surgery. They are in my prayers. And so to bed.
Wednesday, June 13The Mass in Christ the King Cathedral is in English today with singing to drum accompaniment. After Mass, I am greeted by two Irish missionary Sisters who have been ministering here for many years. We go to St. Francis Xavier School where the day opens with an outdoor assembly, and I am invited to greet the students. I tell them how our Sisters’ presence in Kenya has enriched all of us in Texas and has made us more aware of the universal Church. Then there is an awards ceremony where various awards are distributed to some students.
Afterwards we go to the Game Preserve and Lake Nakuru. Again the Lake is full of pink flamingos and also white pelicans. Later we encounter giraffes, gazelles, rhinos,. zebras, monkeys and warthogs.
We drop Sister Noemi at the school and take off for Molo to visit to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. This trip takes less than an hour, much of it climbing as the altitude is very high. The CCVI Retreat House and mobile clinic is a little distance from the town of Molo in very green countryside. At the Retreat House, I am warmly welcomed by my classmate of high school years in Dublin, Sister Siena (Bernadette O’Brien), and also by Sister Mary (former novice director in Villa de Matel in Houston whom I knew well). I meet Sister Lilia, CCVI, for the first time. The three CCVI postulants (who attended the Regional Assembly in Nairobi) are here for mission experience so nine of us sit down to an excellent meal and excellent conversation – some of it hilarious as the Sisters recall some mission experiences.
We return to Nakuru by a quieter road – fewer trucks – along which crowds of little children wave to the car. We are back at the convent at 4:15 p.m. It is nice to have a quiet evening. At supper, we are joined by Sister Lorely who is returning to Barpello, and also by a former Sister, Mary, who left the Congregation a short time previously. We have lively conversation, some of it scary when it turns to break-ins in convents and monasteries!
Thursday, June 14My last Mass at Christ the King Cathedral – in Kiswahili, but the celebrant who is the Vicar General, mixes English and Kiswahili in his homily. After Mass, breakfast, and then it is time for good-byes to Sisters Noemi and Mary Magdalen who are going to school. Sister Mary is returning to Nairobi with Lilia, Diane, and me, to wrap up some business there. We stop by the school for Sister Lilia to attend to some business, and I am beseiged by people handing me letters etc. for our Sisters Lucy, Elizabeth, Maria Elizabeth, and Martha. The Sisters are indeed remembered with love. Sister Lilia takes me to the Chancery next door to greet the Bishop of Nakuru, Bishop Peter Kairo, African, as are most of the Chancery staff. The Church seems to be putting down deep roots in Africa. Here also many people remember our Sisters and ask about them.
Back at the convent, we say good-byes to Sister Lorely and to Sophie, the cook, who loves our Sisters dearly. Finally we are on our way to Nairobi. We have lunch at a restaurant, then take a back road up the mountain to Nairobi. The scenery is lovely, but the road is a truck route, and between the trucks and the curves in the road, it is not easy driving. We finally arrive at the Regional House at 4:15 p.m. where I receive lots of love and kisses from all at the Regional House and the same from the novices, postulants, and aspirants who have not seen me for all of three days! We visit Rosa Marta. She is now recovering well and is able to walk a little. We go back to the Regional House where we have a cup of coffee with Fidela who has a bad cold. Then it is time to say good-bye to Lilia and Mary as they return to Nakuru tonight. Diane is staying in Nairobi to do some secretarial work. I repack – for the umpteenth time - until the situation is under control and will be easy to complete tomorrow.
Since I have been to morning Mass in Nakuru, I walk around a little while the Nairobi community is at evening Mass, and notice that the property is much bigger than it appears at first sight. At supper, I discover that the community in the Regional House is greatly reduced in number from what it had been during the Assembly. We sit a long time around the table after eating, just chatting, and that is a precious time. The conversation turns to age, and the young Sisters are shocked to learn that I am 70 – soon to be 71. One African Junior Sister almost goes into hysterics at this bit of information. Tanya, the young German volunteer who is all of 20, cannot even imagine such an advanced age. Tanya has been here for a 6-month stay – she will leave on July 15. She is a wonderful young person, gentle, obliging, and hard-working. She fits right in with the African Sisters and is almost dreading her departure. She hopes to begin university studies in the fall.
Friday, June 15My last day in Kenya! After breakfast, Sister Fidela takes Diane and me to visit the Montessori pre-school at St. Michael’s parish. Our Sisters work there, and there Tanya is helping out. The little ones are very welcoming as are the teachers. All the materials are home made. We are served refreshments , then the 4-6 year olds put on their party pieces for us. These include a recitation of a list of things that Jeanne de Matel did when she was a little girl: “minded her parents…obeyed God… was a good girl… etc. etc. and then they sing a refrain in between, asking Jeanne to help us extend the Incarnation in our ordinary lives. I’m sure Jeanne never envisioned Kenyan 4-6 year olds singing about her and about extending the Incarnation, but that is what we experienced this morning.
After a cup of coffee in the convent with Sister Faith Elizabeth, we drive to the Consolata Fathers’ house. There, in a cluttered room, are some very nice African crafts on sale at a very reasonable price. I buy a few to take home. Then we return to the Regional House for lunch with Sisters Luz de Lourdes and Sister Laura. They are waiting for their car to be repaired so that they can take off for Tanzania. It is nice to have time to chat with them.
After lunch I rest briefly, finish packing, then go to the novitiate building to chat with Rosa Marta. She is much improved. She gives me a detailed description of the Order in Argentina and tells me about a humble Argentinian Sister of the Incarnate Word whose Cause for Beatification is being worked on. On the way back to the Regional House, I say good-bye to novices and postulants. Mass is in the novitiate chapel at 6:00 p.m. and afterwards I have a final chat and good-bye with Sister Rosa Marta. Then it is time for the last supper in the Regional House.
As supper ends, we can hear footsteps outside, and Diane says, “They are gathering out there.” Sure enough, when I come out with my suitcases, all the Sisters, novices, postulants, and aspirants are there. Willing hands load my suitcases into the car, and then the Sisters seat me on a chair which is centrally located. A postulant comes up to me and says softly, “We are going to sing in Kiswahili. It is a blessing song for you, your family, and for a safe journey.” It is dark. There is subdued lighting around, and it is very moving to sit there and be blessed by all these wonderful young Sisters. By the end, I am moved to tears, and then there is another round of good-byes, kisses, and hugs. As the car begins to move, they are singing again, a song with a repeated refrain, “Come back to Kenya. Come back to Kenya.” Sister Fidela and Diane drive me to the airport and so I leave Kenya for Ireland. It has indeed been the experience of a lifetime in which I am far more the beneficiary than I am the giver.
Praised be the Incarnate Word! |