18 October 2015: Mission Sunday

Dear Friends,

Children's prayer at the Grotto after Catechism

As the Mission Sunday 18^th October 2015 is coming soon, the missionary Priests, Brother and Sisters of Kenya are happy to address you this letter in order to ask for your prayers and donations for the mission, the convent and the school in Kenya.

Holy Cross Priory was founded in 2003 in Nairobi and has today 2 priests, 1 brother and about 200 faithful who come to Mass every Sunday. The priory is located beside the slum of Kawangware, which offers to many children from poor background the opportunity to come and pray at the church. Our Saturday activities are fully consecrated to them: they come to attend Mass in the morning, then they are offered a lunch, and in the afternoon the priests, sisters and catechists teach them catechism and help them with their school homework and with various activities of Christian life. 

This year 2015, we have achieved some work to beautify, re-paint and enlighten the chapel that is now so nice for the Glory of God Who lives in it and for the peace of the souls who come to pray there. All this has been made possible thanks to your many donations and to the devotion of a certain German faithful who spent six months in Kenya to realise this work. A great thank you to all those who have contributed.

Help us to finish this school building!

The Noviciate of the Missionary Sisters of Jesus and Mary was founded in 2010 by Bishop Fellay. Today they are around twenty profess, novice and postulant Sisters, who prepare themselves for their future missionary apostolate of teaching and medical work. They are impatient to complete their formation and to start these various charitable works. Unfortunately, to obtain the necessary qualification demands time and money… which we do not have yet!

The kindergarten and primary school Holy Cross Academy was founded in 2012 and has now around 50 pupils. This number should increase when we’ll start the new school year in January 2016. We only have 3 classrooms for 8 education levels. The school is too small. In May 2014, we have started the construction of a larger building. But the lack of funds forced us to interrupt the work at the end of the year 2014.

Our project is therefore to review the size of the building and to adjust it with a lower budget. An architect and an engineer are already working on it. With this new project, we shall have 4 or 5 additional classrooms, and also a fully equipped flat where the Sisters can stay and devote themselves on site for the children’s education. The cost of this new project is roughly 200 000 $.

This is how, on the same plot, we shall have the Catholic priory, chapel and school, with the permanent presence of the priests, brother and sisters. This project is an extraordinary chance for the Nairobian children. They are taught the Catholic catechism. They can attend the Traditional Mass every day. They receive an adequate preparation for sacraments. And all this teaching will be provided by religious Nuns and Catholic teachers.

All this will be possible through your generosity. Thank you very much in advance for your donations and prayers on this Mission Sunday. Every day, the community of the Priests, Brother and Sisters prays the Holy Rosary for all your intentions; and every Wednesday, the children of the school attend the Holy Mass celebrated for their benefactors!

May Our Lady of Africa bless you abundantly!

Fr. Nicolas Bély