Kenya: church ordains 49 new priests and deacons

By Christmas, Kenya will have 49 new priests and deacons. On December 20, Bishop Peter Kihara of Muranga Diocese is scheduled to ordain three priests and 11 deacons, while his Meru counterpart, Bishop Silas Njiru, will ordain 12 priests the same day. These new ministers join six other priests ordained in Nakuru Diocese on November 29 by Bishop Peter Kairu. On November 28 in Kakamega, western Kenya, Bishop Philip Sulumeti ordained 10 priests and 7 deacons. Fr John Peter Kinyua, Director of Vocations for Meru Diocese told the catholic Information Service Africa: "Priests should be united since their mother is the Church, and Christ the Head of the Church. They should love one another as Christ loves us." Nairobi Archdiocese has six deacons whose priestly ordination is yet to be announced. Kenya has more than 750 diocesan priests, and 835 others from the religious institutes. Most dioceses in Kenya hold ordinations ordain clerics at least once a year. Source: CISA