Comboni Province of Kenya: Four significant “firsts”

On 15^th January 2026, our confrère Wanyama Musungu Mark made his perpetual profession during a solemn celebration at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Consolata in Marsabit. For many of the faithful present, it was the first perpetual profession ever experienced in their community: a moment of deep emotion and profound spiritual edification.

Just two days after consecrating his life forever to the Comboni charism of serving the “poorest and most abandoned”, on 17^th January 2026 Mark was ordained a deacon through the laying on of hands by mons Peter Kihara, bishop of the Diocese of Marsabit.

The presence of Comboni missionaries in this region dates to the end of 1973. This celebration, therefore, was an eloquent sign of the fidelity and continuity of our witness on this northern frontier. It renewed in all a consciousness of the shared calling to be missionary servants on the peripheries and frontiers of history.

On 7^th February, our confrères Fathers Andrew Wanjohi and Percy Carbonero, who recently celebrated their silver sacerdotal jubilees, were formally presented with a certificate by Archbishop Philip Anyolo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Nairobi, during the celebration of the World Day of Consecrated Life, held at the Minor Basilica of the Holy Family in Nairobi. They were among many other honourees from different religious congregations. Elevating this event to a large communal celebration was a “first” which, beyond being a powerful testimony, strengthened the appreciation enjoyed by Comboni missionaries among consecrated people in the country.

On 14^th February, in the heart of the Catholic Diocese of Ngong, a new page of history was written: the Church of St John the Evangelist in Erankau hosted its first priestly ordination. Only a few years have passed since Comboni missionaries extended their presence to Erankau, a territory traditionally inhabited by the Maasai people. In a celebration imbued with deep faith and vibrant cultural richness, Comboni deacon Nicholas Mbithi Mwilu was ordained a priest, becoming a sign of hope for the local community of the faithful and for the entire Comboni family. The Church of St John the Evangelist in Erankau is part of the Holy Spirit Parish of Kandisi.

Presided over by mons. John Oballa Owaa, bishop of the diocese of Ngong, the ordination marked a symbolic transformation: Erankau, once a mere local outpost, has become a genuine missionary launching platform. The Bishop expressed words of appreciation for the Comboni missionaries, recalling how the seed of faith they planted many years ago in the parish of St Mary in Ongata Rongai has borne fruit, generating numerous other parishes in the diocese. Having made his perpetual vows before this very altar, Father Nicholas now prepares to carry the spirit of Ngong beyond national borders, with his first assignment in the Comboni Province of Mexico.

We raised our prayer that this historic event may mark the beginning of a new chapter for the faithful in the Erankau area and become a credible and prophetic sign that every periphery can be transformed into a fruitful centre of vocational growth and a tangible expression of the universal dimension of our missionary vocation.

Father Wanjohi Thumbi Andrew, mccj