Since the foundation of the Kenya mission, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Kenya have been trying their best to respond to our missionary motto: “Evangelizare Pauperes misit me”. This encourages us in Kenya to receive young vocations in order to preach the Gospel message and Christian values to the poor and the most abandoned.
From the Meru postulancy to the Nairobi Oblate pre-novitiate, our Oblate formation provides candidates with time and opportunities for apostolic work so that the young brothers may understand the Oblate call to be in touch with the reality of the poor they minister to.
At our Oblate formation house in Nairobi there is also time for the apostolic work both within the community and outside the community… and this in addition to the time they spend at Tangaza Institute, studying philosophy. In the community, the pre-novices participate in the maintenance, manual work, liturgy, hospitality and community building activities. The pre-novices are active and hard working. They work in the garden, poultry and take care of the rabbits. We always get vegetables, maize, chicken and rabbit meat from our small farm. The 12 pre-novices also prepare the daily breakfasts and the Sunday meals.
Outside the pre-novitiate, our young men visit an orphanage on Sundays – the Nyumbani Children Home. They assist in teaching catechism, and they pray together with them. They are always accompanied by Oblates, Fr. Stephen MURIUNGI or Fr. Christopher. Fr Fidele MUNKIELE is ministering at the Langata women prison and the pre-novices are beginning to visit with him. When the academic year closes in May, the pre-novices spend two months in our parishes. Some go to Kionyo, where they get involved in small Christian communities, youth ministries, schools apostolate and Sunday services in the prayer houses. Others go to our new parish in Kisaju, just south of Nairobi. There they participate in various pastoral activities.
Our formation program is trying to connect the pre-novices to the pastoral realities, thus they can learn about Oblate way of ministering to the poor and to the community. (Fidele Munkiele in www.omilacombe.ca )
