It was pomp and colour at the University of Nairobi grounds on Saturday November 9, where Christians from all over Kenya gathered for a thanksgiving Mass to celebrate the canonization of St Joseph Allamano.
By Daniel Onyango Mkado*
“Today we celebrate with gratitude the canonization of St Joseph Allamano Founder of the Consolata missionaries’ Fathers, Brothers and Sisters. Without him the church in Kenya would not be where it is today” said His Excellency, Bert Van Mega, the apostolic nuncio to Kenya in his homily.
In a powerful sermon delivered to more than five thousand Christians from all the dioceses in Kenya where the Consolata missionaries, the nuncio recounted the life of young Giuseppe Allamano and how his family shaped his vocation.
“The attachment to his mother made him to be very close to the virgin Mary” he said. Adding that at the time of his baptism as they chose the name Joseph for the young Allamano, little did the father know that more than 150 years later the name Joseph Allamano would reverberate in Nairobi.
The celebration that brought together Christians from the 13 dioceses where the Consolata missionaries are working in Kenya was attended 120 priests and eight bishops. Present at the event were the General Superior Fr James Bhola Lengarin, Fr Michelangelo Piovano, the Vice General Superior and the other three councilors.
St Allamano, a missionary at heart
The nuncio in his sermon reminded the Christians that St Joseph Allamano never left Italy but he was a missionary at heart. He said that it is fascinating that Allamano never crossed the boarders but he became the founder of a missionary congregation which spread its wings all over the world and first and foremost in Kenya
“He himself sent others where he could not go. For him, being a missionary was not an option, a distinct vocation where to the contrary, Allamano would say, the vacation to the mission is a vocation of every holy priest. That discovery is probably the most important teaching of his life” the nuncio who also the main celebrant reiterated.
Called to be missionaries
Delivering his sermon from the same dais where Pope Francis celebrated Mass nine years ago, on November 27th,2015, the apostolic nuncio reminded those gathered of their calling to be missionaries.
“All of us in our different situations and responsibilities, are called to be missionaries through prayer and by educating our children through Christian way or by living the Christian life in the neighborhood, in the Small Christian Communities and in our places of work” he said. Adding that “the missionary spirt should also inspire our diocesan seminaries so that young men are courageous enough to cross the frontiers of their life and countries and go to the peripheries as pope Francis loves to say”.
The nuncio mentioned that the story of Allamano reminds us the story of St Teresa of Lisieux in France, who never crossed the high walls of her convent but at the same time she became the heart beat and the praying heart of the missionary church
Allamano, our protector in heaven
Quoting the famous motto of St Joseph Allamano: first saints and then missionaries. The Pope’s representative said that many times, in our modern church we seem to forget that. “Holiness of life, or sanctity are words we do not use easily we would rather prefer to speak of skills and competency” he said.
The nuncio concluded his 20 minutes homily by quoting a testament that Allamano himself wrote: “I have lived many years for your sake, I have given my possessions, my health, and my life for you, I hope that after my death, I will be your protector in heaven”
Thanking God for the gift of St Allamano
Sr Maria Felicidade de Ludes, the regional superior of the Consolata Sisters, in her message read by Sr Jane Nugi, said, “Today we want to thank God for the gift of St Joseph Allamano to the church, for his example of zeal for evangelization and for the salvation of all. We thank the church of Kenya that from the beginning has welcomed us and supported our missions”
She thanked everybody who came for the celebration and each one who contributed towards the event.
Giving his remarks at the end of the celebration, Fr Zachary Kariuki, the regional superior of the Consolata Fathers and Brothers, said that the occasion was a joyful moment not only for the Consolata missionaries but also for the beneficiaries of the charism and the missionary zeal of St Joseph Allamano through his sons and daughters here in Kenya.
Allamano, a saintly man
“Behind the success of Consolata there is a great and saintly man. Here we are today to celebrate the man who gave everything so that the missionary congregation could be successful in transforming people’s lives” said Fr Kariuki.
Fr James Lengarin, the Superior General in his remarks said that God gave St Allamano the inspiration to got to the mission and that is why we are here today.
“Today as we celebrate this greatness, this sainthood, we are the fruits of that dream, the fruits of that inspiration from God” said Father Lengarin, the 11th successor of St Allamano.
Fr Lengarin mentioned that today, we have 268 Kenyan Consolata missionaries, 170 of them are working outside Kenya.
In his remarks, he said that Kenya is a land of the blessed. “Through the work of St. Allamano we have had two of our missionaries who worked in this declared Blessed. Blessed Leonella Sgobarti and Blessed Irene Stafani and Carol,
Fr Lengarin reminded those gathered that the first miracle that led to the beatification of Allamano came from Kenya, through Sr Nyambura
Joseph Allamano, was canonized on October 20, 2024 at St Peter’s Square in Rome
* Father Daniel Mkado, Cordinator, Continental Communication Secretariat
Photo album: Francisco Martínez
St. Joseph Allamano: Canonization Thanksgiving Mass (CAPUCHIN TV)
