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| Rt. Rev. Anthony Ireri Mukobo, Bishop of Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo |
Bishop Anthony Ireri Mukobo, of Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo is determined to make the yet to be the diocese of Isiolo self-reliant and self-sustainable. In an interview with AMECEA online News in Isiolo during the launch of the diocesan radio station, Radio Shahidi, Bishop Ireri said that the journey towards self-reliant and self-sustainability has already began.
“We are trying to propagate and to promote ourselves so that we don’t continue in this life of depending and always expecting some help from Europe and other parts of the world,” he said adding that this will not mean that the Vicariate will not need others’ support.
“We will always need one another, the support of each other from other countries is very important; but at least we wish to be in a position to manage ourselves when it comes to having our own ministers, especially in the area of the word of God, and probably to be able send missionaries to other places in the future,” he explained.
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| St. Eusebias Cathedral Parish Isiolo |
The bishop said that the Vicariate is in need of resources to be able to put up structure and facilities for training of priests, catechists and other lay agents of evangelization who will be able to continue propagating the word of God.
“My desire is to see the local church grow till it becomes a missionary Church. Being a missionary myself; it is my spirit, something that I cannot relinquish, therefore my mission is to help form the local Church to become mature until it becomes missionary,” Bishop Ireri said.
Traveling from one place to another within Vicariate of Isiolo is a major challenge to the agents of evangelization owing to fast nature of the country; “Vicariate of Isiolo covers 26,000 kilometers square and the roads are in terrible states,” the bishop said. However, this has not dampened their spirit of service to the semi nomadic community.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo supplements government’s effort to provide health facilities. “We supplies at least 40% of health services in the county. The diocese has 12 missions and in every one of them, there is at least a dispensary,” he explained.
In the Education sector, the Vicariate has maintained the legacy of the late former Bishop, Rt. Rev. Luigi Locati who was murdered on 14th July 2005. “My late predecessor invested a lot in the area of education, he built schools and started sponsorship program for poor children and the diocese continues to date with the same projects,” Bishop Ireri said adding that currently the diocese sponsors about 2000 children in both primary and secondary schools.
Source: Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Social Communication
