Saturday, October 21, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Oloitokitok Legacy
Oloitokitok Legacy
Well, the fall is here and with it brings the 'promises' of winter, as biting as it may be we know it is the reality of life as we brace ourselves to go out there and face it with bare knuckles and am sure come April 2007 when the joy of spring will be in the air we will sit down and rejoice and look back with nostalgic memories at the near misses of winter and look into the warm future with hope at the beauty of summer.
Well, the fall is here and with it brings the 'promises' of winter, as biting as it may be we know it is the reality of life as we brace ourselves to go out there and face it with bare knuckles and am sure come April 2007 when the joy of spring will be in the air we will sit down and rejoice and look back with nostalgic memories at the near misses of winter and look into the warm future with hope at the beauty of summer.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Oloitokitok Legacy
REPORT ON THE 15th WORLD YOUTH DAY AND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS,
ROME, ITALY, 10th - 24th August, 2000:
Presented by: NGUGI SIMON PETER.
To: The Diocesan Youth Secretariat,
Catholic Diocese of Ngong,
P.O. BOX 24801, Karen.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
I have every reason to extend profuse thanks to all
members of the St. Luke’s Catholic Youth Association,
Loitokitok, for their grassroot support and confidence
in me and my work that has propelled me to great
heights. Special credit goes to the Chairman, Mr.
Vincent Ndekezi, for his unwavering backing and
inspiration at all times. Also to the General
Committee of John Kariuki, Ann Lasoi, Salome Warigia,
Julius Musyoki, Mary Waithira, Simprose Akinyi, James
Kiuna and Chris Ekhale for steering the Association to
memorable achievements.
I must pay glowing tribute to my Parish Priest, Rev.
Fr. Francis Kariuki Thumbi and my Parish Chaplain,
Rev. Fr. John Mwangi Nderitu, for their encouragement
and kindness, their love and advice that have urged me
on and on. Special mention also goes to the Diocesan
Youth Secretariat, then led by Mr. Joakim Kinyanjui
and Ms. Esther Waweru for their availability and
response in making this pilgrimage a success.
I cannot forget to mention the National Youth
Chaplain, Rev. Fr. David Alfred Lemkuhl and his team
at the National office who worked round the clock to
make the dream a reality.
Special tribute to my family, my mother, Mrs. Teresia
Ngugi, my brothers and sisters; Julius, Paul, James,
Joel, Peter, Monicah and Lucy and the entire Christian
community at Loitokitok as well as my friends who
ensured I had smooth days in Rome. I specifically
mention Sylvia Wairimu who generously responded to my
‘SOS’. I single out for special mention, Ms. Sarah
Wairimu, whose great desire to participate in this
event was never deterred by the many obstacles she
faced on her way. Her fighting spirit till all hopes
went down was a great challenge and inspiration to me.
Special gratitude to the many friends I met in Rome
from all over the world. I single out Sarah and Amanda
Dorff, Emil Robinson and Jenny, all from Loveland,
Ohio in the United States, Ania, Asia and Marta from
Poland who made my days at the WYD, 2000. To all
these; May the good Lord richly bless you!
‘The Light Pours Forth:’
The long journey of the World Youth days began in Rome
after the Great success of the Youth Jubilee that
closed the Holy Year of Redemption in 1984. The
appointment of the Holy Father to the young people on
Palm Sunday of 1985 gave birth to the World Youth Day,
celebrated alternately at the International and
Diocesan levels.
The 15th session of the World Youth Day that was
closed in Rome, Italy on the 20th August, 2000 by the
Holy Father was a great sign of faith to the world.
After having wonderful moments in the Dioceses of
Italy from 10th - 14th August, the young people from
all over the world arrived in the Holy city of Rome in
readiness for the solemn event: ‘The 15th World Youth
Day and the Great Youth Jubilee celebrations, 2000.
As one of the participants at the WYD, Rome, 2000, I
must admit that I was positively struck by the
generousity and welcoming spirit of the Italian
faithful. As a member of the Kenyan delegation
representing the Catholic Diocese of Ngong, I had
wonderful and spirit nourishing moments in the
Archdiocese of Capua, some 300 KM from Rome from 10th
- 14th August in preparation for the great event. I
must say that our stay in the Diocese of Capua was a
blessing to the generous faithful who were more than
eager to learn the many differences between the
African and Italian way of worship.
Our return to Rome on the morning of 14th, August was
greatly inspired by the WYD, 2000 theme: ‘ And the
World was made flesh and dwelt among us’ ( Jn.
1:14 ). We took with us to Rome the creativity and
sensibility of the Kenyan Youth who go about their
daily spiritual and social projects with great
enthusiasm and vitality. It is in this spirit that the
young Kenyan pilgrims took with them the many
liturgical songs and dances that had won accolades
within the Archdiocese of Capua to the city of Rome.
15th AUGUST, 2000: WYD INAUGURATION AND FLAG OFF:
It was late afternoon of the 15th August, after the
celebration of the feast of Assumption in host
parishes, that close to 1 million thronged the gates
to St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. The crowd was
indeed too large for the routine checks and as it
continued to swell, the pressure was too much and the
pilgrims forced their way in.
At the square, we anxiously waited for the Holy Father
to arrive from St. John Lateran,s square where he was
welcoming a similar crowd. This was a wonderful moment
we used for the promotion of social integration. I was
particularly impressed that a big number of pilgrims
came from countries that are traditional enemies, but
it was clearly evident that the community of believers
has no enemies. As per the words of Jesus that those
who followed Him were his friends. He indeed made
friendship the paradigm of the Church and spiritual
infancy the expression of holiness.
The holy father was accorded a tumultuous welcome on
his arrival. He reciprocated the generousity of the
young people and moved round the square acknowledging
greetings from the massive crowd of young believers.
On this day the Holy Father extended his warm welcome
to the young pilgrims from all countries present. A
the welcoming of the pilgrims from our country, Kenya,
we responded with joy and readiness to invitation to
open the doors of our hearts to Christ without being
afraid to be the saints of the new Millennium.
In his address to the young people, the holy father
invited all present to renew their commitment to their
faith. He inaugurated the week of meetings,
catechesis, reconciliation, celebration and mission
that characterized the six days of the young Church in
Rome.
The virtue of compassion and patience had a tough test
this night as we lost our way back. We finally
overcame and arrived in the wee hours of the morning.
Yes we were down but not out!
16th - 18th August, 2000:
AN INTENSE SPIRITUAL AND
PASTORAL JOURNEY:
These 3 days were characterized with immense spiritual
nourishment and the awakening of the heritage of our
Christian faith, a heritage we received from our
families, our parish communities and particular
churches.
On the 16th August, 6.30 AM, we made the jubilee
pilgrimage which wound its way from Pizza Cavour to
the tomb of St. Peter inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
This was a guided itinerary where we listened to the
word, asked for forgiveness and renewed our baptismal
promises in cyclic sequences with songs and prayers.
At St. Peter’s Basilica, we indeed revisited the
heritage of our Christian faith through contact with
the living memories of the Apostles and martyrs who
gave their lives for Christ. We then had:
The Eucharist celebration at Circus Maximus
The penintetial celebration at Circus Maximus
The fasting and sharing of goods in project solidarity
19th August, 2000; The 15TH World Youth Day;
FROM PARIS ‘97 TO ROME 2000: A 3 - YEAR LONG JOURNEY:
From the 12th World Youth Day celebrated at the
International level in Paris in 1997, the young people
had patiently and anxiously waited for 3 years to see
this day. On the early morning of this day, individual
groups set out on the gruelling more than 20KM long
journey to the Campus area of Tor Vergata for the
great Vigil with the Holy father. This was indeed a 3
year long day as the journey got tough and got the
best of many.
We arrived at the Campus weary but inspired. There
were alterations of songs, testimonies and the final
’incontragiovanni’, ( cultural festival) to prepare
for the Holy Father’s arrival which was once again
greeted with jubilation from the record 3 million plus
young people. The Holy father called on the young
people to return to the father through the sacrament
of reconciliation and urged us to respond with
reference of the vocations we are living. The vigil
ended with the young people’s expression of gratitude
to the Holy father as we braced for the great Youth
Jubilee celebrations.
20th August, 2000: THE GREAT YOUTH JUBILEE
CELEBRATIONS :
A DAY FOR THE FIVE CONTINENTS:
After a night spend in the open awaiting the light of
day, the protagonists of the 15th WYD, participated in
the celebration of the Holy Mass celebrated by the
Holy Father. In his homily, the Holy father called on
the young people to always prepare and recieve the
sacrament of the Eucharist. He sent with the young
people blessings and greetings to all countries of the
world.
At the close of the Youth Jubilee Mass, the Holy
father invited us to return home, taking with us the
creed professed and celebrated in Rome, and with this
the return journey commenced.
21st - 23rd August, 2000:
EXPLORING THE UNIQUE AND
RICH LAND OF FAITH:
Having visited the tombs of St. Peter and Paul as
well as the church of St. Paul, we had an opportunity
to travel out of the city of Rome after the close of
the WYD, 2000. We visited the town of Siena and had
the opportunity to pay homage to the remains of St.
Catherine of Siena lying in the church of St. Dominic.
We later traveled to the beautiful city of Florence
where we were hosted by a group of Kenyans living in
Italy. They prepared Kenyan food and we felt at home
away from home. We visited the Basilica of St. Cross
which houses the tomb of famous Galileo Galilee among
other significant places.
Our return journey to Rome was solemn and
contemplative as we reflected on the significant
places visited and I must admit home sickness was now
getting the better of us. We arrived in Rome to find
the city ‘lonely and deserted’ compared to the
populations that jammed the place the previous week.
24th August, 2000: COUNTDOWN TORONTO 2002:
OUR RETURN JOURNEY TO OUR ROOTS:
On the afternoon of this day we took our return flight
from Rome’s Leornado da Vinci’s International Airport
to our own Jomo Kenyatta international Airport. It was
another long journey via Cairo and Sannah
International airports and when our IY 618 flight
touched down in Nairobi at 5AM, it was a cheerful end
to a wonderful experience. We had a tearful parting to
our respective dioceses hoping to meet again at the
international level in the city of Toronto, Canada in
the year 2002.
ROME, ITALY, 10th - 24th August, 2000:
Presented by: NGUGI SIMON PETER.
To: The Diocesan Youth Secretariat,
Catholic Diocese of Ngong,
P.O. BOX 24801, Karen.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
I have every reason to extend profuse thanks to all
members of the St. Luke’s Catholic Youth Association,
Loitokitok, for their grassroot support and confidence
in me and my work that has propelled me to great
heights. Special credit goes to the Chairman, Mr.
Vincent Ndekezi, for his unwavering backing and
inspiration at all times. Also to the General
Committee of John Kariuki, Ann Lasoi, Salome Warigia,
Julius Musyoki, Mary Waithira, Simprose Akinyi, James
Kiuna and Chris Ekhale for steering the Association to
memorable achievements.
I must pay glowing tribute to my Parish Priest, Rev.
Fr. Francis Kariuki Thumbi and my Parish Chaplain,
Rev. Fr. John Mwangi Nderitu, for their encouragement
and kindness, their love and advice that have urged me
on and on. Special mention also goes to the Diocesan
Youth Secretariat, then led by Mr. Joakim Kinyanjui
and Ms. Esther Waweru for their availability and
response in making this pilgrimage a success.
I cannot forget to mention the National Youth
Chaplain, Rev. Fr. David Alfred Lemkuhl and his team
at the National office who worked round the clock to
make the dream a reality.
Special tribute to my family, my mother, Mrs. Teresia
Ngugi, my brothers and sisters; Julius, Paul, James,
Joel, Peter, Monicah and Lucy and the entire Christian
community at Loitokitok as well as my friends who
ensured I had smooth days in Rome. I specifically
mention Sylvia Wairimu who generously responded to my
‘SOS’. I single out for special mention, Ms. Sarah
Wairimu, whose great desire to participate in this
event was never deterred by the many obstacles she
faced on her way. Her fighting spirit till all hopes
went down was a great challenge and inspiration to me.
Special gratitude to the many friends I met in Rome
from all over the world. I single out Sarah and Amanda
Dorff, Emil Robinson and Jenny, all from Loveland,
Ohio in the United States, Ania, Asia and Marta from
Poland who made my days at the WYD, 2000. To all
these; May the good Lord richly bless you!
‘The Light Pours Forth:’
The long journey of the World Youth days began in Rome
after the Great success of the Youth Jubilee that
closed the Holy Year of Redemption in 1984. The
appointment of the Holy Father to the young people on
Palm Sunday of 1985 gave birth to the World Youth Day,
celebrated alternately at the International and
Diocesan levels.
The 15th session of the World Youth Day that was
closed in Rome, Italy on the 20th August, 2000 by the
Holy Father was a great sign of faith to the world.
After having wonderful moments in the Dioceses of
Italy from 10th - 14th August, the young people from
all over the world arrived in the Holy city of Rome in
readiness for the solemn event: ‘The 15th World Youth
Day and the Great Youth Jubilee celebrations, 2000.
As one of the participants at the WYD, Rome, 2000, I
must admit that I was positively struck by the
generousity and welcoming spirit of the Italian
faithful. As a member of the Kenyan delegation
representing the Catholic Diocese of Ngong, I had
wonderful and spirit nourishing moments in the
Archdiocese of Capua, some 300 KM from Rome from 10th
- 14th August in preparation for the great event. I
must say that our stay in the Diocese of Capua was a
blessing to the generous faithful who were more than
eager to learn the many differences between the
African and Italian way of worship.
Our return to Rome on the morning of 14th, August was
greatly inspired by the WYD, 2000 theme: ‘ And the
World was made flesh and dwelt among us’ ( Jn.
1:14 ). We took with us to Rome the creativity and
sensibility of the Kenyan Youth who go about their
daily spiritual and social projects with great
enthusiasm and vitality. It is in this spirit that the
young Kenyan pilgrims took with them the many
liturgical songs and dances that had won accolades
within the Archdiocese of Capua to the city of Rome.
15th AUGUST, 2000: WYD INAUGURATION AND FLAG OFF:
It was late afternoon of the 15th August, after the
celebration of the feast of Assumption in host
parishes, that close to 1 million thronged the gates
to St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. The crowd was
indeed too large for the routine checks and as it
continued to swell, the pressure was too much and the
pilgrims forced their way in.
At the square, we anxiously waited for the Holy Father
to arrive from St. John Lateran,s square where he was
welcoming a similar crowd. This was a wonderful moment
we used for the promotion of social integration. I was
particularly impressed that a big number of pilgrims
came from countries that are traditional enemies, but
it was clearly evident that the community of believers
has no enemies. As per the words of Jesus that those
who followed Him were his friends. He indeed made
friendship the paradigm of the Church and spiritual
infancy the expression of holiness.
The holy father was accorded a tumultuous welcome on
his arrival. He reciprocated the generousity of the
young people and moved round the square acknowledging
greetings from the massive crowd of young believers.
On this day the Holy Father extended his warm welcome
to the young pilgrims from all countries present. A
the welcoming of the pilgrims from our country, Kenya,
we responded with joy and readiness to invitation to
open the doors of our hearts to Christ without being
afraid to be the saints of the new Millennium.
In his address to the young people, the holy father
invited all present to renew their commitment to their
faith. He inaugurated the week of meetings,
catechesis, reconciliation, celebration and mission
that characterized the six days of the young Church in
Rome.
The virtue of compassion and patience had a tough test
this night as we lost our way back. We finally
overcame and arrived in the wee hours of the morning.
Yes we were down but not out!
16th - 18th August, 2000:
AN INTENSE SPIRITUAL AND
PASTORAL JOURNEY:
These 3 days were characterized with immense spiritual
nourishment and the awakening of the heritage of our
Christian faith, a heritage we received from our
families, our parish communities and particular
churches.
On the 16th August, 6.30 AM, we made the jubilee
pilgrimage which wound its way from Pizza Cavour to
the tomb of St. Peter inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
This was a guided itinerary where we listened to the
word, asked for forgiveness and renewed our baptismal
promises in cyclic sequences with songs and prayers.
At St. Peter’s Basilica, we indeed revisited the
heritage of our Christian faith through contact with
the living memories of the Apostles and martyrs who
gave their lives for Christ. We then had:
The Eucharist celebration at Circus Maximus
The penintetial celebration at Circus Maximus
The fasting and sharing of goods in project solidarity
19th August, 2000; The 15TH World Youth Day;
FROM PARIS ‘97 TO ROME 2000: A 3 - YEAR LONG JOURNEY:
From the 12th World Youth Day celebrated at the
International level in Paris in 1997, the young people
had patiently and anxiously waited for 3 years to see
this day. On the early morning of this day, individual
groups set out on the gruelling more than 20KM long
journey to the Campus area of Tor Vergata for the
great Vigil with the Holy father. This was indeed a 3
year long day as the journey got tough and got the
best of many.
We arrived at the Campus weary but inspired. There
were alterations of songs, testimonies and the final
’incontragiovanni’, ( cultural festival) to prepare
for the Holy Father’s arrival which was once again
greeted with jubilation from the record 3 million plus
young people. The Holy father called on the young
people to return to the father through the sacrament
of reconciliation and urged us to respond with
reference of the vocations we are living. The vigil
ended with the young people’s expression of gratitude
to the Holy father as we braced for the great Youth
Jubilee celebrations.
20th August, 2000: THE GREAT YOUTH JUBILEE
CELEBRATIONS :
A DAY FOR THE FIVE CONTINENTS:
After a night spend in the open awaiting the light of
day, the protagonists of the 15th WYD, participated in
the celebration of the Holy Mass celebrated by the
Holy Father. In his homily, the Holy father called on
the young people to always prepare and recieve the
sacrament of the Eucharist. He sent with the young
people blessings and greetings to all countries of the
world.
At the close of the Youth Jubilee Mass, the Holy
father invited us to return home, taking with us the
creed professed and celebrated in Rome, and with this
the return journey commenced.
21st - 23rd August, 2000:
EXPLORING THE UNIQUE AND
RICH LAND OF FAITH:
Having visited the tombs of St. Peter and Paul as
well as the church of St. Paul, we had an opportunity
to travel out of the city of Rome after the close of
the WYD, 2000. We visited the town of Siena and had
the opportunity to pay homage to the remains of St.
Catherine of Siena lying in the church of St. Dominic.
We later traveled to the beautiful city of Florence
where we were hosted by a group of Kenyans living in
Italy. They prepared Kenyan food and we felt at home
away from home. We visited the Basilica of St. Cross
which houses the tomb of famous Galileo Galilee among
other significant places.
Our return journey to Rome was solemn and
contemplative as we reflected on the significant
places visited and I must admit home sickness was now
getting the better of us. We arrived in Rome to find
the city ‘lonely and deserted’ compared to the
populations that jammed the place the previous week.
24th August, 2000: COUNTDOWN TORONTO 2002:
OUR RETURN JOURNEY TO OUR ROOTS:
On the afternoon of this day we took our return flight
from Rome’s Leornado da Vinci’s International Airport
to our own Jomo Kenyatta international Airport. It was
another long journey via Cairo and Sannah
International airports and when our IY 618 flight
touched down in Nairobi at 5AM, it was a cheerful end
to a wonderful experience. We had a tearful parting to
our respective dioceses hoping to meet again at the
international level in the city of Toronto, Canada in
the year 2002.
The death penalty as a form of punishment is perhaps the single most debatable issue in the legal system today. While most U.S. citizens remain in the darkness regarding the country’s Criminal Justice System; most of European critics have voiced concerns over the issue of capital punishment. It is worth noting that the United States remains as the only Western developed nation that upholds capital punishment in its criminal justice system. In this paper I seek to challenge the morality of this form of punishment from a moral, legal and logical point of view. Though the death penalty has been there from time immemorial with nearly four centuries having passed since the first documented lawful execution on American soil in 1608, it is clear that at this time and era, it has overstayed its usefulness both as a form of justice and a deterrent of crime.