The meeting of the representatives of the Episcopal  Conferences from all over the world  with Pope Francis in Rome,  on the issue of sexual abuse of children and the vulnerable that has painted the Church in bad light, has just concluded. This unprecedented move by the Pontiff has been both bold and timely. It is not the first time that the Church has come up to acknowledge the wrongdoing by some of its high officials.  In 1633, Galileo Galilei was put under the dreaded inquisition and condemned for promoting the idea of heliocentricism.  in 1992, 359 years later the Church … Continue reading The Celibacy Debate

THE SON OF MAN At pains to accept the plan, Is really possible he can. To bear the pain God grants, He agonizes in the garden. Feeling the pain of scourging, more of the pain encroaching. With the superiors coaching, soldiers perform without couching, Son of Man comforted by a pillar. Son of Man of all the crown, fitted instead of golden crown. This time with thorns brown, feeling the pain deep down, Jesus crowned with the thorns. sins of man heavy on shoulder, no one can carry such a boulder. Simon offers his shoulder, mom looking heart colder, feeling … Continue reading The Sorrowful Mysteries by Koech Evans

The Parishoners of Sts. Joachim and Ann Parish, Soweto, Nairobi were in a celebratory atmosphere as they welcomed Fr. Paulus Budi Kleden SVD, the Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word when he visited the parish community on Sunday, 17th February 2019. Fr. Kleden presided over a very lively celebration of the Holy Eucharist which was con-celebrated by a number confreres from SVD Nairobi District and other guest priests. Led by the choir, the whole liturgy was full of song and dance and both the priests and the congregation could not resist raising to their feet to dance … Continue reading Sunday Mass in Soweto with Fr. General

With Fr. Samy on arrival at JKIA Nairobi On 12 February 2019, the Superior General of the Divine Word Missionaries SVD) Rev. Fr. Paulus Budi Kleden landed in Nairobi from Uganda, where he had gone to visit our confreres working with the refugees from South Sudan. The confreres left the mission in Yei Diocese after the fighters displaced the residents and occupied our mission house. After visiting some of our houses in Nairobi, he crossed the border to Tanzania on the following morning 13 February 2019, where he visited the confreres working in the Archdiocese of Arusha. In his brief … Continue reading A Visit by the SVD Superior General in Kenya-Tanzania Province

Brother Karl with John Cardinal Njue, Archbishop of Nairobi Beginning of starting a New Mission. It was in 1984 when the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) Generalate decided to open a new mission in Kenya a country in East Africa. Three confreres namely Fr. Tony Rebello from India, who was born in Kenya and was working in Zambia, Fr Mike Egan from Ireland and myself from Germany, were assigned to the new mission.When we arrived we were invited by the then Archbishop of Nairobi His Eminence Maurice Cardinal Otunga, to start a parish in Kayole situated in the Eastern outskirts of … Continue reading The Beginnings of the SVD Mission in Kenya, By Brother Karl Schaarschmidt

When I Joined the Society of the Divine I was fascinated by the Bible chart I found on the wall Of the then Soweto parish house, that later became formation house for the aspirants.  This was the version made in Ghana and I can say I learnt quite a number of things from it. This chart has been displayed in our parishes in Nairobi but since it is in English,  our missions in Tanzania could not benefit from it, since the language used is Kiswahili. Since I began my mission here in Arusha, Tanzania, I have been noticing a big … Continue reading Presenting the Bible Chart in Kiswahili.

Reading I: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19; Responsorial Psalm: 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17; Reading II: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 or 13:4-13; Gospel: Luke 4:21-30 My dear friends in Christ, the first reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah, talks about the fear Jeremiah had to take up the prophet mission. This is because he had experience the hard hardheartedness of the people. He feared that they might not listen to him. God tells him that he had prepared him for that mission since he was in his mother’s womb. God would fight for him so that he may carry out his mission. The … Continue reading 4th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C