Entrato nell’Istituto durante la Seconda guerra mondiale, nel 1940, P. Mino Francesco Vaccari è nato a Baiso, provincia di Reggio-Emilia in Italia, nel 1930.

Ha fatto la prima professione alla Certosa di Pesio nel 1953 e dopo l’ordinazione, nel 1959, fu destinato al Kenya dove è arrivato alla fine dell’anno seguente. Dal 1994 si trova alla comunità di Rumuruti.

Di seguito ci racconta la sua storia...

1. Un po’ di storia personale

2. Evangelizzazione e educazione

3. Il territorio e alcuni numeri...

Loyangallani, in the coast of Lake Turkana, is place for a Catholic Church mission run by the Consolata Missionaries starting from 1967. A division of Marsabit County, is the traditional home for the Turkana, than El Molo and Samburu, but in the last decades turned almost in an intercultural village that lives from fishing and tourism because of its unique environment.

The mission, starting very simply, nowadays features a church and another almost built, a school and a health centre.

Fr. Martin, born in the Southwest of Kenya and a Consolata Missionary from 2005, is based there and shares with us his experience as missionary.

1. The missionary context…

2. Giving people hope: Small Communities and education…

3. Evangelization and human promotion: many challenges…

4. A place of a very special beauty…

Partito per la prima volta nel 1968, a parte una diecina di anni in Italia, P. Eugenio Ferrari ha passato una vita nelle missioni del Kenya.

Nato a Calvisano nella provincia di Brescia in Italia nel 1940 ha emesso la professione religiosa alla Certosa di Pesio nel 1961 e cinque anni dopo fu ordinato sacerdote per la missione “ad gentes”. Nel 1968 arriva in Kenya.

Nei video seguenti lui ci racconta il suo percorso vocazionale e missionario.

1. Verso la missione

2. Grandi gioie: l’inculturazione della Liturgia, i giovani, direttore delle POM, i carcerati

3. Un grazie ai laici e collaboratori

4. The seed

Msg. Ambrogio Ravasi, Consolata Missionary and retired Bishop of Marsabit, shares with us about his missionary vocation and experience.

Born in Bellusco, village in northen Italy province of Milan, in 1929, Msg. Ravasi entered the Consolata Missionaries with the first profession in 1951. He completed his studies and was ordained in 1957 in Washington, United States, where he worked as a missionary until 1971. That year he left for Kenya where he continued till now his missionary apostolate. In 1981 was elected bishop of Marsabit, successor to Msg. Carlo Cavallera, also a Consolata Missionary, as pastor amongst pastors and the nomadic people in the north most territory of Kenya.

1. “Give me a direct missionary experience”

2. “Evangelization will not be fruitful, unless we involve the local Christians”.

3. “Be very thankful to the Almighty God.”

The Consolata Missionary, Most Rev. Peter Kihara Kariuki, Bishop of the Diocese of Marsabit since January 2007, was first appointed Bishop of Murang’a on 19 June 1999. He was born in 1954 at Thunguri Village, Othaya, Nyeri and joined the Consolata Missionaries in 1976. Once ordained a priest on 17th December 1983, in the following Year Fr. Kihara was sent as a missionary to Colombia where he worked for some time.

After having done a Formation Course in Roma, Fr. Kihara was called back to Kenya and worked as Formator at the Allamano House, Theological Seminary IMC in Nairobi. Then he was appointed to the Consolata Novitiate in Sagana, first as the assistant and later as novice master until August 1998.

In this interview, Bishop Kihara speaks about Marsabit Diocese, its environment, pastoral activities, development and promotion projects and its main challenges. The territory of the Diocese corresponds to the Marsabit County, which is the largest County of Kenya with 78.078 km² in the North Central part of Kenya and 530 km far from Nairobi, with a population of approximately 350.000 of 14 different ethnic groups. Bishop Kihara’s predecessor in the Diocese's government was the Bishop Ambrose Ravasi, now emeritus living in the “Maria Mfariji Shrine” on a hill next to Marsabit town.

The first bishop of Marsabit for 17 years was the Rev. Charles Cavallera since 1955, a great Consolata Missionary from Centallo-Cuneo in Italy who also had previously been Bishop of Nyeri for 17 years.

Today Marsabit Diocese has 15 Parishes, 15 local priests, and one Religious Sister originally from the Diocese, but there are also 11 Fidei Donum missionaries and 12 religious priests: Comboni, Salesian and Consolata missionaries working in the evangelization as well as 42 Religious Sisters from 8 different Congregation and 10 lay missionaries.

In 2001 Maralal Diocese was created and it took away 20.000 km² from Marsabit Diocese territory. In the Diocese, evangelization and human promotion go hand in hand. In a region with prolonged periods of drought, animals and water are sources of life and therefore the main concern of the population.

At the end of the interview, Bishop Kihara makes an observation and an appeal. Kenya is a Country blessed with many good vocations, many Priests and Religious Sisters, but despite the invitations, few of them are willing to work in places like the Diocese of Marsabit. “I appeal to those who hear me to think it over and see whether they can join us for at list 3 or 5 years and contribute with their witness. God will bless not only them but also all of us… And may the gospel go ahead and fructify”.