By Arnold Neliba
NAIROBI, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 (CISA)-The Catholic Diocese of Maralal has officially inaugurated an eight-storey commercial building in Nairobi, christened The Maralal Oasis, in a bid toward self-sustenance on September 24.
Following in the footprints of the Catholic Diocese of Marsabit, which also has the Marsabit Plaza situated along Ngong Road, Nairobi, The Maralal Oasis is located at the Junction of Rose Avenue and Argwings Kodhek Road in Hurlingham and will help raise funds for evangelization in the vast diocese and counter the reducing donor funds according to Bishop Virgilio Pante of Maralal.
“So today we say thank you to God through Mass and then bless this building. It will be blessed so as to give returns which will help in the works of evangelization. The church is not a business; it is a ‘nation of God’ but it also requires sustenance. Therefore, we said we as the diocese of Maralal will be strong just like that of Marsabit,” said Bishop Pante in his homily during the Holy Mass at the launch.
Bishop Pante, who has retired as the bishop of Maralal, revealed that having the building commissioned before the consecration and installation of his successor on October 22 was a feat that he persistently prayed for.
“I am old, I will retire. There shall be a new bishop. Bishop-elect Hieronymus Joya said ‘yes’ to God and we thank him for that,” said the Italian Consolata Missionary prelate. He likened the building to an oasis in the desert where “you will see trees growing, people going there to collect water, and animals.”
“This is a place where our diocese will get water,” he assured.
According to Bishop Peter Kihara of Marsabit, the construction of the Maralal Oasis is an actualization of the dream of the founding bishops of the Catholic Diocese of Marsabit, from which Maralal was curved.
“Even as you retire you will be at peace,” assuaged Bishop Kihara to Bishop Pante, commending him for the confidence in taking up the project in June 2015.
Also present during the event was Bishop-elect Joya, and in his address, he reminded the faithful that the Catholic Church is not an individual and that everyone has to contribute to the pooling of resources, which will be passed from one generation to the next.
“For we to enjoy the fruits of these investments, we ought to work on how to repay the loans hurriedly,” he said.
The event was also attended by religious men and women, and faithful from Maralal and Marsabit dioceses; Consolata Missionaries working in Kenya, and a delegation of Samburu County leaders led by Governor Lati Lelelit.
