Meath priests visit work of missionary from Nobber

Two parish priests from the county travelled to Kenya recently to see the work of a missionary brother from Nobber, who has been based in western Kenya for over 30 years. Br Paul Brennan is administrator of the Patrician Brothers Primary School and Dispensary in Kabongo, near Eldoret, Western Kenya. Fr Seamus Houlihan, Nobber and Fr Oliver Devine, Ballivor and Kildalkey travelled to Kenya in August to meet Br Brennan and see at first hand the work being done and the ongoing development of the project. The two Meath priests and Br Paul visited Nairobi, which is 200 miles from Eldoret, where they visited the headquarters of GOAL. Br Brennan also brought the visitors to the tomb of Irish lay missionary Edel Quinn, who was born in Cork, and was Legion of Mary Envoy to Africa. She died there in 1944. They also visited the tomb of Bishop Joseph Shanahan of Nigeria who died in Nairobi in 1943. He was originally from Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary and is interred in St Austin’s Cemetery in Nairobi along with very many Irish sisters, priests and brothers. The National Shrine of Kenya in Nairobi was another location visited by the three men. It is known as the Resurrection Garden in Nairobi and is the burial ground of Cardinal Otunga, whose cause for beatification is ongoing. The two parish priests stayed for much of their visit in Eldoret in the Patrician Brothers House, where Br Paul and a number of Kenyan Patrician Brothers lives. Fr Houlihan states that “it is worth noting that the first Bishop of Eldoret was a Bishop Joe Houlihan from Kerry”. The priests were very impressed with the work being done in the school and medical centre in Kabongo, by the Patrician Brothers, with the aid of financial help from many communities in Ireland including Nobber and surrounding parishes. The school now has 450 pupils who are from very poor backgrounds. Teresa Kelly, Br Brennan’s first cousin, who lives in O’Carolan Park, Nobber, processes the donations towards the work of the Patrician Brothers in the school and health centre. In Eldoret they met an Irish Medical Missionary, Sr Teresa Hogan from Ballinacargy. Fr Houlihan and Fr Devine were struck by the desperate conditions of the roads to Kabongo from Eldoret. They were so bad, Fr Houlihan says, that depending on weather conditions, the roads could be impassable. The three men travelled to the town of Molo, where the headquarters of the Irish Franciscan Brothers is located and visited the Kenyan Minor Seminary, where 62 students are doing their first of eight years leading to ordination. This seminary caters for all dioceses of Kenya. Fr Houlihan says the beauty of the country was striking, particularly the Massai Mara National Park Game Reserve where the famous wildebeest migration takes place twice a year. The three men also visited Lake Bogoria in the Rift Valley, home to millions of flamingoes and gushing hot springs. Fr Houlihan was very impressed by the scenes there. He adds that “the Kenyan people are extremely happy and friendly, especially the children, whose cries of 'How are you,’ greeted us everywhere”. Before leaving Kenya, the two priests were brought by a Kenyan Patrician Brother, Br Placido into sub-Saharan Africa’s greatest slum, Kibera in Nairobi. Somewhere between half a million and two million people try to survive there. Fr Houlihan said the conditions are appalling. He adds though that the Patrician Brothers and Irish NGOs are working hard to improve the lives of the slum dwellers through education and medical help. For Fr Houlihan, to see the work being done by the Patrician Brothers and others was one of the highlights of the trip. He said that despite the hardship of their living conditions, the Kenyan people are very industrious. He observed that the Kenyan people have a very strong sense of industry and work ethic, allied with their natural friendliness and cheerfulness. The three men also visited the St Patrick’s High School, Iten, where Br Paul taught from 1978 when he first went out to Kenya, until 1993. St Patrick’s High School has produced many world class athletes including Wilson Kipketer and Matthew Birir, both of whom were among a group of students of the school, who visited Nobber with Br Brennan in June 1989. Br Brennan continues to develop the Patrician Brothers Primary School and Medical Health Centre in Kabongo which now includes a new maternity unit, put in place this year, the medical laboratory, the mobile clinic and a HIV counselling and therapy section of the Health Centre. The main recent development of the centre, which was set up in 2003 by Br Paul, includes the recent building of two dormitories to accommodate up to 100 children which opened last May. Br Brennan is now fully occupied with the building of 20 staff houses to accommodate teachers and nurses in the school and health centre and has supervised the building of four houses. He is very grateful to Gorta Ireland for assistance in this building development. Br Paul adds that “this year I also set up a drip irrigation scheme at the Patrician Primary School in Kabongo to provide vegetables for the children and the local community, and especially for those affected by HIV”. Sponsorship of €50 will help educate two very poor children and anyone wishing to sponsor a child should contact Mrs Teresa Kelly at 2 O’Carolan Park, Nobber or by phone (086) 1234 740 or by emailing Br Paul Brennan, patriciankabongo@gmail.com.