Fresh row as 75-year-old is ordained deacon
Photo | TOM OTIENO | NATION Bishop Godfrey Shiundu ordains Mr Edward Nyawir Ongoi as a deacon in Kisumu on May 27, 2012.
By BRIAN YONGA byonga@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Sunday, May 27 2012 at 22:01
Posted Sunday, May 27 2012 at 22:01
Three years after stirring controversy by ordaining a married man as a priest, a rebel Catholic Church in Kisumu has now installed another man, aged 75, as a deacon.
The Kisumu Reformed Catholic Church led by Fr Francis Nyawir, who was ordained as a priest in 2009, on Sunday made Mr Edward Nyawir Ongoi, his father, a deacon at a colourful ceremony on Sunday.
This is contrary to Catholic Church teachings which insist that archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, brothers and sisters must all uphold celibacy.
The ceremony was conducted by Bishop Godfrey Shiundu, leader of the Reformed Catholic Church, who caused controversy in the Catholic Church when he formed his church and got married in 2005.
Bishop Shiundu, who ordained Fr Nyawir in 2009, insisted that his church was as much Catholic as the original Roman Catholic Church.
“We were born in the church, we have gone to Rome and follow biblical principles,” he said during Sunday's ceremony.
He dismissed the celibacy rule as outdated and misplaced, saying it was causing more harm than good. “This rule is locking out many people of God who want to serve him,” he added.
Bishop Shiundu said that his church will continue to ordain those deemed fit to serve God regardless of their marital status.
Mr Nyawir Ongoi’s interest in the church began at an early age. He started serving as an altar boy at his local church, the Kibuye Catholic Church, when he was 10 years old from 1948 to 1958.
He joined Asumbi Teachers Training College in 1958 where he obtained a T3 certificate. He then moved back to Kisumu where he taught at the Kibuye Intermediate School.
Mr Nyawir Ongoi married his first wife at Aluor Catholic Church, Siaya, on August 31, 1961. He marred a second wife in 1975. He fathered 10 children but two have since died.
He later joined the Administration Department as a tax collector at the district commissioner’s office in Kisumu in 1969 and retired in 1988 at the age of 50 after falling sick
“The illness forced me to leave my work. I was troubled and saddened by this but I had no option,” he said.
This, however, gave him time to dedicate himself to church work. He narrated to the Nation how an incident in 1957 changed his life and made him devote his life to the church.
Mr Nyawir Ongoi said on a cold night on September 20, 1957, while asleep in his hut, he heard noise outside and went to find out the cause.
“I could not believe what I saw,” he said. He claims to have seen Mary carrying baby Jesus as a bright light shone where they stood near a tree.
“I was so astonished that I thought I was dreaming. I rubbed my eyes and for sure it was real,” he said. He reported the incident to his priest but was dismissed as a false prophet.
“I was shocked by his reaction. At first, I thought he would help me understand the events,” said Mr Nyawir Ongoi. He said in 1979 he had a dream in which a light turned into a river that flowed into a nearby stream.
“These events puzzled me and I drew them so as not to forget them,” he said. God was talking to me through these encounters and wanted me to work for His cause, he added.
Different capacities
Mr Nyawir Ongoi served in different capacities at his local church, Kibuye Catholic Church, since he was 10 years old. He said he was committed to the teachings of the church and was a strict observer of the rules.
“I followed the rules to the letter and also instilled the church values to my family. The church was my life,” he said.
Five of his sons, including Fr Francis Nyawir, all went through seminary, a clear indication of how seriously he valued the way of the church.
However, a turning point came in 2009, when his son was ordained as the priest of the Kisumu Reformed Catholic Church, having been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church years earlier.
“I supported my son’s decision because he was following his path and doing God’s work,” said Mr Nyawir Ongoi. This got him into trouble with his mother church, and he was told to talk to his son but he stood his ground.
Two months later, his fate was sealed. He wanted to become a deacon but his church dismissed him since he had not been practising celibacy.
“I was informed that to hold such a position, I needed to be celibate, which I clearly was not”, he added.
He challenged the leaders to show him where in the scriptures such a rule was written but they would hear none of it.
He then decided to quit the church. He found solace in his son’s church which welcomed him and incorporated him as a member, together with his two wives.
The leaders of the Catholic Church in Kibuye summoned him and his wives, demanding to know why he had quit, and he told them that he did not agree with their teachings.
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