Dialog reporter
At least 1,500 people from several states are expected to be in Bear this Saturday for a Mass in Swahili celebrated by visiting Cardinal John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya. The Mass, which will be at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, is being sponsored by the Kenya Catholic Community in America in conjunction with the Diocese of Wilmington.
Planning for the Mass has been ongoing since last fall, said Joseph Kiarie, chairman of the Kenya Catholic Community in Delaware, which has approximately 100 members. It will begin at 11:30 a.m.; to accommodate the congregation, which could reach 2,000 people, Mass will be held outside the church under a large tent.
The Kenya Catholic Community in America has hosted a Mass in Swahili on the East Coast for the past three years, in Highland Park, N.J., Philadelphia and Baltimore. Local organizers expect visitors from several neighboring states, as well as from as far away as Texas.
This will be the first time Cardinal Njue has presided.
“We thought that we could approach the cardinal. He has a very tight schedule, but we decided to see if he could accommodate us,” Kiarie said.
Mass will be followed by a reception, including food and entertainment, he added.
Francis Karani, also of the Kenya Catholic Community in Delaware, said the national organization was founded five years ago. The local group approached Father Roger DiBuo, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, about hosting this year’s Mass since that is where the group meets monthly. Cardinal Njue was invited through Bishop Malooly’s office. Spirits are high, Karani said.
“The mood has been very enthusiastic, positive and highly energized,” Karani said. “This will be the first time that a sitting Kenyan cardinal has presided over a Swahili Mass in the U.S.”
The theme of this year is “Embracing Diversity for Christ Across Borders” and is aligned with the KCCA’s mission “to cherish, preserve and uphold the Catholic faith and embody its social and moral teachings through the promotion and support of small Christian communities,” Karani said.
Cardinal Njue will arrive in Wilmington on Thursday. He will have dinner with national KCCA officials on Friday, and on Sunday, he will preside at the 11 a.m. English Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. He will meet with Bishop Malooly on Tuesday. His visit also includes a few activities outside the diocese.
The cardinal, 70, is the archbishop of Nairobi, a post he has held since 2007. Ordained in 1973 in Vatican City by Pope Paul VI, he was named the bishop of Embu in 1986, when he was just 41 years old. He was appointed coadjutor bishop of Nyeri in 2002. Cardinal Njue serves as vice president of the International Catholic Migration Commission and is a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
“His eminence’s message will focus on bringing hope and strengthening the faith of all Christians to bring and live the message of Christ wherever they live,” Karani said.
The event also will serve as a message about the Kenya Catholic Community in Delaware, Kiarie said. “We want people to know that we have a Kenyan community here and we’re an active part of the church.”
