A new church rises

One advantage of visiting this community for several years in a row is the opportunity to see changes on a meaningful time scale. Dandora is growing. Nairobi is growing. People continue to come to Nairobi to work for a better life. New construction of all types is visible and the streets and pathways are filling with more kiosks and little shops and more people working hard to try to create something for themselves and their families.

Churchill, Joy, Bruce, Fr Andrew, Monsignor, and Philip on the future altar.

Most striking though is the progress on the new church. Holy Cross parish is a community that covers a large area. They offer Sunday Mass in two locations: a large main church on the campus that also includes the school and other facilities and a second, small plot where people spill out into the alley and street straining to hear and participate. The new church is to replace that small plot and create a proper space for worship, for meeting, and for continuing to develop the life of the parish.

The future altar from above.

The effort to build is an incredible labor of love that stretches over years of hard work, sacrifice, and generosity from parishioners that are already stretched very thin. But, they have begun. In an economy with high inflation, one is always chasing the costs and they have found a way to get started.

The church tower rises.

Two years ago, the site was an open lot. Last year, the foundation was outlined in twine and the digging had begun. Now, we can see the structure of the church rising--creating another oasis here. This is what hard work and commitment look like.

--Christopher Bell