I felt a calling to be a Maryknoll missionary priest in Africa. This was fulfilled when I was ordained and assigned to Tanganyika in 1954. For forty-seven years I have been serving the Church in Africa. Seventeen years in Tanzania and thirty in Kenya. I saw this great continent change before my eye from a colonial empire to self-reliance and independent countries. However, Africa is in great need of assistance. It needs a new brand of younger leaders who are dedicated, honest, patriotic and willing to serve their people. They have to get rid of their Chief-mentality. Otherwise corruption and greed will destroy all good initiatives.

It took me seventeen years in Tanzania looking for the answer how you continually evangelize Catholic people. I searched and searched for this answer but to no avail. It seemed at that time that no one else knew. We baptized thousands but after a short time many fell by the wayside. It was very disappointing. There had to be a better way of motivating our people than just teaching catechetics.

For me this was discovered 1974 when I opened the first Diocesan Pastoral Center in Kisii, Kenya called Viongozi Senta or Leadership Center. Here I found a window of hope and light. I designed more than twenty short pastoral courses and the response of our Catholic Laity was amazing. They were thirsty for more spiritual and biblical knowledge at an adult level. I was simply putting the Vatican 11 documents in practice especially the role of the lay people in the church. I discovered New Evangelization with a new fervor, new techniques and new methods sometime before the pronouncements of Our Holy Father, John Paul 11 on it. I saw immediate results and a new dynamism in our trained people. At long last I knew how to evangelize as well as catechetize and sacramentalize. I learned how to form the agents of evangelization and thus multiply myself a hundred fold. I could follow in the footsteps of Jesus as he did. However, there was much opposition looming and mounting on all corners. The Bishop and most of his priest never read anything about Vatican 11. My approach seemed non-catholic and too dangerous for them. They would ask how could a lay people preach when they never had theology. Others complained that they were taking the role of the priest. When I went home on leave, I was not welcomed back to the Diocese of Kisii. The die had been cast.

I was looking for audio-visual aids that could move people. Pope Paul VI said that we now live in the World of Images. What could these be? A letter in 1977 from Fr. Morgan Vittengle, the Editor of the Maryknoll Magazine, asking me where was I in the world of video changed my life forever. At Viongozi Senta I had found the way, and now I had found the tool of instant pictures through video recording. After a year and one half of studies I begin on May 18th, 1981 the new ministry of Ukweli Video Productions. Through it I had a new pulpit and could preach from the housetops. Without boasting I feel the evangelistic ministry of Ukweli Video is touching the heart and souls of thousands in Africa. It is the most creative ministry I have ever been in. It has been prophetic, timely and relevant to this digital age.

This is one time that the Church was awake and in the forefront in the age of electronic communication. Ukweli Video Productions has put the Catholic Church on the electronic map and given a lot of credibility to peoples of all faith. Many Church people have praised us for our prophetic role and still some in the early days thought that I was just running around having a good time.

On May 18th, 2001 we celebrate our twentieth anniversary. We have produced over two hundred broadcast quality productions and have a library of four thousand titles. Every year we duplicate some eight thousand videotapes. We have video recorded in eight countries of Africa. Fr. Martin Kivuva, 50 years old priest has been tirelessly working at Ukweli Video since 1992. He is on loan from Mombasa Diocese and has added great strength to the Ministry of evangelizing through images. Never have I had such a splendid cooperation and union of minds as with Fr. Martin. We discuss every decision together and respect each other's opinion. The relationship has born great fruit for the Church and Christian faiths in general. We have a dedicated Kenyan staff of ten and welcome every year six to eight people looking for attachment. Two are refugees from Burundi and Eritrea.

Some people ask me when will I retire? I always answer first that I am happy in what I am doing. We have approached four congregations about joining forces with us. It never materialized. However, once that talented man or woman appears on the scene I am ready to step down.

I have another powerful ministry of forming the agents of evangelization. Since 1992 we have formed about two hundred evangelizers in many parts of Kenya against great opposition. The great lay evangelizer from Malta, Mario Capello said, "Evangelization is often desired but rarely done." The Vatican 11 documents and the Africa Synod and Our Holy Father wrote a lot about Evangelization, but it hasn't sunk in. In short many do not understand the verbal and public proclamation of the Word of God. We have given up the highways and the byways to the Evangelicals. For the most part they are the preachers and healers of today. We are still looking for a solution.

In conclusion I say: The Catholic Church was strong and vivant up to the eighties. Since then it has been slow to respond to the Evangelical onslaught and thrust of Islam. We have lost millions because of our lack of proper response to the present situation of not publicly proclaiming the Word of God. Fourteen thousand copies of a small booklet I wrote called "Who are stealing our sheep?" have been sold alerting our people to this sad situation. I have received hundred of sad letters telling me about stories of defection of their own families. We can only rectify this situation if we re-structure our pastoral priorities of involving the lay people into the life and responsibilities of being dynamic faith filled people who proclaim the Good News with out any intimidation from within. They have to be formed, recognized and equipped for the task of being fishers of men and women. Only in this way will the Apostolic Church once again claim its rightful position as the preacher and teacher of all that Christ taught us through his Mystical Body, the Church. 

May Jesus Christ be praised.

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Maryknollers in Nairobi, Kenya