Did you know that St. Joseph has a Sister Parish?
St Bernadette’s Catholic Parish in Samoya, Kenya approximately 250km NW of Nairobi has been St Joseph's Sister Parish since the signing of our governing Covenant in August 2014. We have renewed the Covenant at three-year intervals, and it will be time to renew it again in 2024. The Covenant is available to read in the Narthex.
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The early part of our relationship focused on developing the infrastructure at St Bernadette’s. We managed to help them complete construction of their church, install a community water system and construct a rectory which was required by the bishop for him to appoint their own pastor and move them from sub parish status to full parish. There is an increasing Catholic population in the area, so St Bernadette now also has a number of sub parishes.
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Another and now the main aspect of our relationship is education. Our assistance makes it possible for approximately 70 children a year to receive schooling at Father Walstra Catholic Primary School in neighboring Bungoma. Now that construction is complete, our focus is to increase the number of children attending Fr. Walstra and be able to send some children to secondary school and even university. As the UN says: the only way children of Africa can escape poverty is through education, and that education has the potential to make children aware of their rights and guarantee the enjoyment of those rights.
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The Sister Parish relationship provides us the opportunity to share our God Given Bounty with and create opportunities for these fellow parishioners who are less fortunate than us. The parishioners of St Bernadette continually thank God for us, constantly pray for us and are extremely grateful for our willingness to share with them. The people themselves at St. Bernadette’s are a great gift to us. They are warm, friendly, and industrious. They care about their faith and live it constantly every day. To be with them is to experience an awareness and presence of God in everything they do, and it wakens a desire in yourself to become closer to God. The faith in their lives is something to experience and even emulate.
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If you would like to visit St Bernadette, please contact the Parish Office and they will
put you in touch with the Sister Parish Committee.
Bulletin Articles:
How to give:
Click the link below to be taken to our online giving platform. You be able to chose between a one time gift or a recurring gift. Under fund, it is important to select "St. Bernadette Samoya Sister Parish" if you wish to support this ministry. Thank you for your generosity!