Six Camillian religious started the Camillian Mission in Kenya fifty years ago at Tabaka, in the Diocese of Kisii, approximately 350 kilometers from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. The six pioneer religious are Fr. Francesco Spagnolo, Fr. Fabio Zeni and Fr. Albano Balzarin, representing the Ministers of the Sick, and Sr. Maria Grazia Lucchesi, Sr. Veronica Tondini and Sr. Emilia Balbinot, representing the Sisters of the Ministers of the Sick of St. Camillus. Due to their advanced age or their last encounter with the Lord, some of these pioneers were unable to participate in the golden jubilee celebration. However, Sister Veronica personally traveled from Italy to join her sisters in celebrating their anniversary.
The Superior General, the Most Reverend Fr. Pedro Tramontin, and the Vicar and Secretary General, Rev. Fr. Gianfranco Lunardon, who made a pastoral visit to the Delegation of Kenya, had the opportunity to join in the celebration of the 50 years of the Camillians’ presence in Kenya.
A Pastoral Visit to Five Communities
After arriving in Kenya on September 12, Fr. Pedro spent about three weeks there, ending on September 30. During his pastoral visit, he visited all five communities, including residences. He had one-on-one conversations with the religious and took a personal interest in the various ministry activities that are currently taking place, including full-service activities in two mission hospitals, chaplaincies, the nursing school, the pastoral center, dispensaries, parishes and formation houses. He traveled extensively by vehicle and airplane, visiting the four dioceses – Kisii, Homa Bay, Nairobi and Mombasa – where the Camillians do their ministry, in order to personally witness all these activities and projects.
General Assembly at St. Camillus Seminary
An important moment of Fr. Pedro’s pastoral visit took place on Monday, September 28, when all the members of the Delegation gathered at St. Camillus Seminary in Nairobi, around their Shepherd, for a General Assembly. During his address, the Superior General referred to St. Augustine, specifically the following exhortation: “Let us live well, and all time will be good! We are time” (Sermons, 80, 8).
Fr. Pedro explained the Augustinian exhortation, inviting each member to reflect deeply on his behavior toward the world in which we live. The quote helps us remember that there are no good or bad times in themselves, but that it is we, through our behavior and attitudes, who shape the times, whether positive or negative. Thus, the Superior General invited all the religious of Kenya to adopt a system of personal responsibility rather than follow an easy inclination to criticize others.
The Golden Jubilee Celebration
The visit culminated on Tuesday, September 29, the day of the official celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Camillians’ Presence in Kenya, also known as the Golden Jubilee celebration, or Golden Wedding, if one wishes to associate it with the lay language of the people of God. On this occasion, Fr. Umberto Andreetto and Fr. Pier Paolo Valli, both Provincial Councilors, represented the Mother Province, the Northern Italian Province. Fr. Anthoni Kunnel, the Provincial Superior of the Indian Province, whose Mother Province is the Northern Italian Province, was also present. The Delegate Superior of the Camillian Delegation of Tanzania, Fr. Gemini Laizer, and Fr. Babychan Pazhanilath, the Superior of the Uganda mission, were present. Fr. Giuseppe Proserpio, who belongs to the second generation of Kenyan foundation pioneers, was one of the important Italian guests.
Other guests included the Sisters Ministers of the Sick of St. Camillus, the Daughters of St. Camillus, and the Lay Camillian Family of Kenya, who sent representatives from their three “regions”: Nairobi, Tabaka and Karungu. Representatives of the five parishes administered by the Camillians were present: St. Peter Parish – Kwihota (Archdiocese of Nairobi), Mary Help of Christians Parish – Ndundu (Archdiocese of Nairobi), St. Camillus Parish – Rodi Kopany (Diocese of Homa Bay), St. Camillus Parish – Nyamarambe (Diocese of Kisii), and Holy Angels Parish – Junda (Archdiocese of Mombasa).
It is needless to describe, at this point, how moving and lively the Eucharistic Celebration was, characterized by songs, dances, and gifts both at the offertory and at the end of Mass, with specific themed gifts presented to the guests of honor. As part of these gifts, each guest received a freshly printed booklet written for the occasion, entitled The Camillian Delegation of Kenya Celebrates the 50th Anniversary: 1976–2026.
Gratitude
With this great Fiftieth Anniversary celebration, the Kenyan Delegation wished to express its gratitude, first and foremost, to God and St. Camillus for being the true founders of the Kenyan Mission, and also to all those who, over the years, have contributed to the growth and development of the little plant planted in Kenyan soil fifty years ago. Among them are the forty members who currently constitute the Camillian Delegation of Kenya, primarily the Provincial Delegate Superior, Fr. Dominic Mwanzia, and his Council, who have dedicated themselves so much to the realization and success of this “Golden Jubilee.”
