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INTERNATIONAL HEKIMA LENTEN CAMPAIGN 2008
Make Me An Instrument of Peace in Kenya In response to the post-election crisis, which convulsed the country of Kenya, people from all walks of life huddled together to pray fervently for divine intervention to stop the chaos that shook their foundation. Together they prayed the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. This Lent, Hekima College will embark on a Campaign of Prayer known simply as “Make Me an Instrument of Peace in Kenya.” The initiative is as simple as the prayer itself: Pray the prayer Mean what you pray And pray what you mean!
It’s our way of saying, “Let there be peace and let it begin with me!” Who knows, maybe one or two hearts might be converted – one act of violence averted, and peace and reconciliation can begin to spread across our land. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, Let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is darkness light. Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much Seek to be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand. To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! During Lent the members of St. Thomas More were asked to participate in the Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign-2008 by praying the Prayer of St. Francis Assisi each day as a collective world prayer for peace in Kenya. You will find on the STMLV website under the International Social Ministry site a copy of the updates sent by Father Bator providing detailed information about the situation in Kenya and activities related to the Prayer Campaign. These updates provide a good picture of the turmoil faced by Kenyans and the powerful results of Prayer. As the Easter Celebrations rang out around the country, peace came to the land. While peace has returned, many issues have not been resolved. As a result, the prayer campaign will continue throughout 2008. Father Bator and his faithful group will continue to distribute prayer post cards as long as they can. He wanted each of you to know just how much your faithfulness was appreciated and that your prayers have not been in vain. Thank you to all who supported the Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign. Peace be with you! And Peace be upon Kenya!
Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign – Update 2 The entire country waits with bated breath for the outcome of the Annan-led National Dialogue and Reconciliation talks. But we are not idle: Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign continues to spread the message of peace to different parts of the country. Since the launch of the initiative students of Hekima College have distributed over 50,000 postcards of St. Francis of Assisi’s Prayer for Peace. We have distributed them in public places, several parishes and Small Christian Communities, and more parishes are asking for postcards. Catholic Radio Waumini FM 88.3 now broadcasts the prayer four times a day in English (7:45AM & 5:15PM) and Swahili (11:58AM & 2:15PM). Major outlets of Uchumi Supermarkets are distributing the prayer postcards. This week we got permission to distribute postcards at four outlets of Nakumatt Supermarket, which is the largest chain of departmental stores in Kenya. During the coming week we plan to distribute postcards in campuses of some private and public universities. We are also working on sending postcards to all the Catholic Dioceses in Kenya. Through the generosity of peace-loving Kenyans and friends abroad, we are able to print more cards and spread the message of peace far and wide. We envisage a long road ahead for all the people of Kenya. Long after a political settlement has been reached, lives will still need to be healed, broken relationships mended and justice restored. All this will succeed only in an atmosphere of peace and stability. Our commitment to peace is for the long haul. God is a God of peace. We are grateful for your generosity, solidarity and commitment to peace in Kenya. Asanteni Sana!!!
Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign – Update 3 “Happy New Year!” This greeting might seem a little odd in March! Well, here in Kenya, it’s only now that it’s beginning to feel like a new year for us. Since the last update, we’ve witnessed a dramatic breakthrough in the crisis that threatened to tear the country apart. Kofi Annan succeeded in brokering a deal, which all the parties seem determined to uphold. We are grateful to God. This has been a very encouraging development for Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign. We believe that God has answered our prayer for peace. Last week, before the “deal” was announced, we delivered 16 prayer postcards to Serena Hotel, the venue of the talks, in an envelope addressed to Kofi Annan and his team of mediators. We have no way of telling whether they saw the postcards and actually prayed the Prayer for Peace. In the accompanying letter to Kofi Annan we requested that they use the prayer to open their daily sessions. We hope they did! Another significant development: we were able to send postcards to all 26 dioceses and archdioceses of Kenya, through the Justice and Peace Commission office. Besides distributing postcards to public and private universities and colleges, we have not had to go out much. Different people have called in to request copies. Our storeroom has been a beehive of activities; actually, it looks like a clearing house for postcards. Priests have requested prayer cards for their parishes and small communities; NGOs and civil society organizations have asked for cards for their clients (I have reproduced one such request below); nuns have requested cards for beneficiaries of their apostolates, and people of various backgrounds have volunteered to distribute the postcards. We find it heartening that people actually see the value of praying for peace and accept their personal responsibility for a lasting, peaceful solution to the crisis facing the country. Soon we shall wind down the Lenten Peace Campaign, but not the effort to promote peace, healing and reconciliation. That’s our commitment to Kenya. We remain ever grateful for your faithfulness in supporting and encouraging Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign. Asanteni Sana!!!
Hekima Lenten Peace Campaign – Update 4 Easter Greetings! Unlike the New Year celebrations which were put on hold, we celebrated Easter in Kenya with a joyful sense of gratitude for the return of peace to our country. Yet the situation remains disturbing, because the politicians have devoted all their time and energy to dividing the spoils of power. The implementation of the power-sharing deal seems to have hit a snag: the two parties can't agree on who gets what ministerial portfolio and how many ministers should make up the cabinet. There's a palpable sense of frustration and disillusionment among the people, because the need of ordinary Kenyans for justice, resettlement, healing, reconciliation, and humanitarian assistance has been pushed aside in favour of the politicians' schemes to reward themselves with plum positions in government. One wonders: what did 1,500 Kenyans die for? What did 350,000 Kenyans get in return for being IDPs? Two weeks ago, we got a call from the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Kenneth Marende, requesting us to deliver postcards of the prayer for peace to the parliament. The call was in response to our prior request to distribute them to the Members of Parliament, in anticipation of parliamentary sessions to ratify the peace accord. We delivered 250 postcards and they were distributed to the MPs by the Personal Assistant to the Speaker. President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minster Designate Raila Odinga, and all the key players in the post-election debacle are elected MPs. So, we believe that the message of peace - the focus of our Lenten Campaign - has reached the corridors of power. The message has also been preached and heard in often unexpected places. We have seen the peace prayer displayed in a barber's shop, commuters pray the peace prayer in matatus (mass transit buses), various Christian groups use it for their gathering in churches, small Christian communities, and university campuses. At Kenyatta University, one of the main public tertiary institutions, the Maryknoll chaplain used the prayer after every Mass and invited students/parishioners to take the postcards home at the end of Lent. The peace prayer has also being translated into two Kenyan languages, Akamba and Pokot, for use in some areas where Swahili is not spoken. We found out that one cashier at Uchumi Supermarkets was reluctant to distribute the postcards, because, as she admitted, the prayer did not address the issue of justice. One of the Organizing Committee members was approached by an Imam who wanted 1,000 postcards for his and two neighbouring mosques. Said the Imam: "I don't know if you Catholics are praying it, but we'll receive it from you and we'll pray it!" Chaplains have used the postcards in retreat houses, convents, and students' dorms. We continue to receive more requests for postcards from various peace groups and initiatives who find it a simple and effective means of spreading the message of peace. This is one campaign that won't be ending soon. At the end of Lent, we decided to continue printing postcards - as long as we have the resources to do so. At present one of us is conducting workshops for peace activists, who have collected postcards for distribution in Nakuru, Eldoret, Naivasha, Mombasa, Kuresoi (Molo), Kericho, Kiambu - areas affected by the post-election violence. We continue to pray for and thank you all for supporting this Peace Campaign. Your effort was not in vain. At the resurrection, Jesus offered his followers the gift of peace. To all who have supported Hekima Lenten Campaign 2008 in so many different ways we say: PEACE BE WITH YOU! And PEACE BE UPON KENYA!
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