Once again, there was some rain last evening and into the night, but this
new day dawned with beautiful blue skies. We began the day, of course,
with Mass in the Diocesan Pastoral Center Chapel. It was my privilege to
be the principal celebrant with Bishop Dominic, Msgr. Mike, and Father John
Peter as concelebrants, and a small congregation of the three Sisters and some lay
people who work at the Center. After Mass we had breakfast, and then
drove into the city of Elderet to visit the Cathedral Church and the Diocesan
Offices. Eldoret is a bustling city more than half a million people.
The Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was very beautiful;
we
visited and spent time in prayer at their Adoration Chapel which had the
practice of prayers/worshippers removing their shoes before entering into the
Presence of the Blessed Sacrament. What a beautiful sign of respect for
the Real Presence of Christ----something that we might want to consider for our
Adoration Chapels. The Diocesan Offices were also quite impressive.
They were all busily getting ready for a major celebration to be
held tomorrow, and the arrival of their Apostolic Nuncio who was coming to
bless and launch their new Catholic Radio Station. After returning to the
Diocesan Pastoral Center, we packed our bags and headed for the Eldoret
International Airport----about half the size of the Kalamazoo Airport. The 4:00 p.m. scheduled flight was somewhat delayed, but by 4:30 p.m. we
were boarding the small plane to fly us to Lodwar.
All along the journey through Kenya, from Nairobi through the beautiful
wild life preserves all the way to Eldoret, Bishop Dominic kept saying:
this is not what you will be seeing in Lodwar (meaning the lush and
beautiful flowering exotic trees, bushes, and farmlands. And he was so
right. The difference was extreme. It became obvious as we
approached Lodwar and looked at the arid, desert-like barren plains below, we
were entering into a new and dramatically different experience of the world in
this northern-most part of Kenya. Barren mountains dotted the horizon
surrounding the city of Lodwar. The plane landed at the airport which had
no terminal of any sort. It simply landed on the airstrip, the bags were
unloaded onto the dusty ground, and every passenger picked up his/her own bags
and that was it. Bishop Dominic's driver was there to meet us and load up
the car to take us to the St. Teresa Diocesan Pastoral Center. We drove
through crowded, dusty streets, amidst much poverty. What we have come
to recognize as normal "marketplaces" throughout Kenya in the small towns
and cities were very evident in Lodwar as well. When we arrived at the
Diocesan Pastoral Center, it was very much like an oasis in the midst of the
desert. The Center was lush with trees and bushes. Similar to the
Diocesan Pastoral Center in Eldoret, this was much more like a
retreat/conference center, with guest rooms for many guests available.
The rooms where Msgr. Mike, Fr. John Peter and I are staying are very nice,
and, may I add with a prayer of thanksgiving to God, equipped with individual
air-conditioning units. Needless to say, mine has been running 24/7.
It really is the only thing air-conditioned that I have found so far in
Africa. Even Bishop Dominic's vehicle does not have a/c, nor any of the
other facilities we have visited. So, I am doubly grateful for the a/c in
our guest rooms. The temperature is quite warm; even Bishop Dominic
commented how hot it was. He tells us that the months of January,
February and March are the hottest months here in Lodwar---the very months that
are the coldest for us in Michigan and the Northeast. We were able to
settle in and freshen up before our dinner at 7:30 p.m.
(stock photo)
The dinner turned out to be another "birthday surprise" by
Bishop Dominic. Even though it was a Saturday evening, he had invited the
entire Diocesan Pastoral Staff for this "welcome dinner" and to
celebrate my Birthday, one day after the fact! Once again, we sang the
traditional Birthday Song (African style---once again with the verse "How
old are you now?"---and still I would not tell :) ), and they gave us
"Welcome to Lodwar" gifts. The Diocesan Pastoral Staff differs
from our Kalamazoo Diocesan Pastoral Staff in that there are far more priests,
sisters, and religious brothers serving in staff positions, with only a few lay
people. We also took the occasion at this dinner to make the presentation
to Bishop Dominic of the financial gift that was from a number of our parishes
and individuals in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, totaling nearly $8,000, for which
Bishop Dominic and his staff were most appreciative. Again, after a very
long day, it was good to get to bed, this time in air-conditioned comfort.
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