The Catholic Bishop Emeritus of Ngong Diocese, His Lordship Colin C. Davies, is planning to launch his Book on Tuesday 15, April 2014 in Ngong, Nairobi, Kenya. The book is entitled, “From Pilot to Pastoral Bishop” and is published by the Paulines Publications Africa.
Bishop Colin, who is a Mill Hill Missionary, narrates his missionary journey from the military where he worked as a Pilot. He was born in Spain in 1924, joined Royal Air Force (RAF), in England in 1942 and qualified as a Royal Air Force Pilot on the 27th of March, 1945. He recalls serving the British army in the World War II as a pilot without having to drop a single bomb.
The war experience impacted on the young RAF officer. Interactions with his fellow officers led him to discern their lack of knowledge of the Christian faith, and he accepted the likelihood of becoming a lay catechist. However, the influence of an uncle, a priest in the Archdiocese of Westminster, ultimately led Colin to commit his life to God as a priest of the Mill Hill Missionaries.
Bishop Colin was ordained a Priest in 1952. He spent seven years at the Mill Hill College in Liverpool. In 1959 he was appointed to the then Prefecture Apostolic of Ngong, Kenya and spent the remainder of his priestly life there. He became Prefect Apostolic of Ngong in 1964, and was consecrated Bishop in 1977. In 2003 he resigned as Ordinary of Ngong Diocese, and in 2013 ill-health forced him to retire to England.
As Bishop of Ngong, Rt. Rev. Colin Davies held ultimate responsibility for Pastoral care over 15,000 sq. miles of Maasailand. This involved launching new parishes, building churches and community centres, opening primary and secondary schools. He help in developing health care institutions, training of catechists, formation of seminarians and priests. In social development, Colin worked in promoting 'Justice and Peace' activities, initiating rural development projects - and local and international fundraising.
The starting point of his book is the call of Pope Benedict IV for a "New Evangelization". The need for a New Evangelization in the circumstances of Kenya is the overall background. In that framework, Bishop Colin presents an overview of pastoral initiatives under the sponsorship of the Catholic Church in Kenya, and reflects on how he implemented them in his own priestly and episcopal ministry.
This book has a collection of various articles. It uses a combination of styles: spiritual direction, pastoral theology, history, a personal record of events, and a social and political commentary. The individual chapters contain a variety of formats: formal diary, essay, homily and journal. The chapters constitute the wisdom of a pioneer of the development of the Church in Kenya, particularly in Maasailand.
SOURCE: AMECEA Social Communications Office