Fr. Spiro

Fr. Spiro

He introduces himself as father Spiro Galea but meeting him in person, he tells me, “we are first and foremost brothers, then priests”. It is obvious that you cannot go introducing yourself as such “I am first and foremost brother so and so, then father so and so”. I have been with father Spiro for quite a while now. One thing about him is that he can phlegmatically withstand the lies told by those around him. There is this guy who came with a very nice story to Fr. Spiro. He said that he was a resident of Garissa having travelled to Mombasa in order to seek treatment for his wife. His wife had undergone a surgery and things hadn't gone well with her; her urine kept running profusely. It was a very long story yet father Spiro listened to him anyway. He then gave him some money and the guy walked away. While we were having lunch I told him that I didn’t see any truth in the man’s story. He looked at me and said, “I know, I know him, he resides at the manyattas behind our compound, I knew he was lying but he only does it once in a very long time.”  That con must have felt great to con father so easily, but the fact is, he never conned him. Fr. Spiro has this great understanding of what surrounds him and he is aware that those around him often go without food because they are poor. This is why he didn’t see any reason to tell the man off. The man was hungry! Feeding the hungry is what I have seen him do more than anything else. “Brother Kula” he always says to me.

After the first nine

Every journey begins somewhere, this particular one began at Umoja in Mpeketoni. When I got to know these Brothers, at Umoja, they were seven. Today, August 3, 2013, I witness just four of them make solemn vows. It is such a great thing being in this family!!!

Hongera Nd. Moses, Patrick, Charles and Linus.

We now know where your treasure is!

Bsp Francis

The great Francis

Bishop Francis Baldacchina had his own greatness as a

brother (some say that he was a great sister too because he was once the headmistress of Lamu girls!). I met Bishop Francis a couple of times, but the most vivid one is the time when I was in Hola parish in 2009. Apparently, he was stuck somewhere along Malindi -Garissa highway, so we went to pull him out. That afternoon, he sat with us at table and little did I know that he was not only going to endure the sandy roads ordeal but also the awkward feeling of watching us as we cleared the delicacies served, yet for him, due to his health condition, could touch none. Fr. Joe used to say that Francis was remote controlled because his heart was being monitored from Malta. The bishop was explicitly serene with his condition. All along, the Bishop remained calm and jovial even as he munched his dry slice of bread!!!!

“Why complain always?” those must have been the words in his head. Even if he never said them, at least that is what his behaviour seemed to say to me.

May his soul rest in peace

Capuchins in Kenya

THIS
This is about a family,
This is about a religious group,
This is about men who have and still do make sacrifices,
This is about a vocation,
This is about the Capuchins in Kenya

   It is a story that begins in the early 70s with a group of six Maltese Capuchins Frairs - Malta, yeah, that very place where Paul the apostle is said to have neutralised all the venom in the snakes. These brothers were Brs. Leo White, Francis Baldacchino, Joe Malia, Theodosius Meli, Joe Gauci and Vincent Buhagiar. Many other brothers were sent from Malter in order to strengthen the group that was already here. Later, Kenyan brothers joined, and since then this family has grown to a one big family, religious group, men who have made sacrifices in order to respond to God's call!
  http://www.db.ofmcap.org/pls/ofmcap/v3_s2ew_consultazione.mostra_pagina?id_pagina=1236&rifi=guest&rifp=guest

  Meet these men who have done small things in a great way thus making people realize that actually they are not such small things as they seem. Who could have thought it is necessary to educate a girl in Lamu back in the 80s? Bishop Francis Baldacchino did.