During his visit to Kenya in November 2015, the late Pope Francis made several stops in Nairobi.
One of the most memorable was his visit to St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi, where he spent two hours worshipping with the Catholic faithful and took time to personally interact with them.
Peter Mago, the CMA moderator at the church, vividly recalls the events of that day.
He explains that the Pope had not originally been scheduled to visit the church, but a last-minute change of plans made it possible.
“When it was announced that he was coming to Kenya, we sent an invitation letter through the Apostolic Nuncio. We submitted the letter and left it at that, but when his itinerary was released, our church wasn’t included,” Mago recalls.
He adds,“However, the roads to Mukuru, where he was supposed to visit, were impassable. The bishops, knowing we had extended an invitation, decided to inspect our venue—and they were satisfied with our facilities.”
Mago says the Pope’s passing deeply affected him, especially because he had the rare opportunity to meet him in person and even present him with a gift from the church.
Margaret Njoroge, who was a member of the church at the time, also remembers how challenging it was to get a ticket for the event. She was among the fortunate few who managed to secure one.
To her surprise, her daughter received a blessing from the Pope, despite not being on the official list.
“My daughter wasn’t among those scheduled to be blessed by the Pope, but I felt a strong urge to make it happen. I squeezed her through the crowd, even as security tried to stop me—and she was blessed,” Margaret recalls with emotion.
She believes that moment was life-changing.
“Since that day, my daughter has grown into a dedicated Christian who knows and walks with God,” she says.
Margaret was in church during a morning Mass when she received the heartbreaking news of Pope Francis’ passing.
