Kenya Partnership

The Kenya Partnership Committee extends our heartfelt thanks to the St. Stephen Parish community for their generous support of our annual fundraiser event.  Through your kindness, $1,678 was raised to assist St. Steven, Kenya.  Special gratitude for all the donations for our sister parish.  This year the committee will send our annual stipend to St. Steven, Kenya for the sick, elderly and homeless along with a donation towards the carbo tile paving of the church compound to protect it from flooding.

Is is a pleasure to announce the winner of the event raffle, Stephen N.!  May the Kenyan soapstone Angel Sculpture and hand-knitted angel crochet blanket, made and donated by Eva Budzynski, be a special blessing!

We are especially indebted to Pat Budzynski, Committee Fundraiser Coordinator, and all the talented Committee members and parishioners who made handmade items for the sale.  For all the volunteers and all those throughout the parish who contributed their time and talents to put together this event for our sister parish, you are greatly appreciated.

Your generosity and support overwhelm us.  Please consider joining our vitrant partnership committee.  For more information, please call Mary Bauer at 410-812-9791.

WEBSITE

The St. Steven Kenya Partnership Committee was officially formed on the feast of the Assumption of Mary, August 15, 1999 between St. Stephen Church in Bradshaw and St. Steven’s Church in Mombasa, Kenya. This relationship developed through the power of the rosary, when in the year 1998 mission rosaries were sent to St. Steven’s Kenya. Religious Ed teacher taught the eighth grade students how to make rosaries as a service project, then sent them to the missions.  This eighth grade class selected to send their rosaries to St. Steven’s, Kenya in honor of our patron, Saint Stephen.  

Fr. Joseph Okech, A.J. parish priest at St. Steven’s accepted the mission rosaries on behalf of the entire parish community and immediately saw an opportunity to develop a relationship between our parishes. Fr. Larry Kolson embraced this proposal and the catechist teacher, Mary Bauer, with the assistance of the Parish Council, proceeded to pursue volunteers to form the Kenya Partnership Committee.          
                                                                        
 
The Kenya Partnership has flourished taking on many projects, sponsoring an annual wood carving fund raiser event in November, establishing culture exchanges through pen-pal letter writing among the youth, and joining our parishes together in spirit on our “Kenya Day” celebration in the Spring. The concern to assist with some of the material needs of the faith community in Kenya brought forth much generosity from our parish, school and benefactors.

Over the years the committee initiated many projects to build our relationship with St. Steven’s Bomu in Kenya. Contributions have been sent to our sister parish to complete their new church, dedicated on December 26, 2001. To better serve the needs of the Bomu community, a water well was installed, a four story bell tower built with the installation of digital carillon bells while monthly stipends continue to provide for the sick and the first family bibles were distributed.

 
St. Steven Catholic Church
and Bell Tower  2020








Please consider sharing your time and talents with this vibrant committee to unite our parish and sister parish in Christ.   Going out of the house for meetings is not always required. Communications virtually or through email is effective.  Some members of the current committee are getting ready to retire and we are eager to greet new members.  New ideas to keep our parishes connected are waiting to be implemented.  As the committee grows, the parish connection will grow. Your time is valuable, but the rewards are great for those who share their gifts with others.  This partnership has touched the lives of so many people around the world in such a positive way.  Do you hear the call to join the committee and to be the one to make a difference?

We need only to hear, listen and follow the road that brings our faith communities together here in Kingsville and Bomu, Kenya.  Come and join the Kenya Committee. Do not be afraid to share your gifts and talents. “Perfect love casts out all fear.”  We do all we do on this committee out of love for God, love for Our dearest Mother Mary and love of our neighbor, love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Kenya Partnership Committee

For additional information on how you can join the committee, please contact:
Mary Bauer –Committee Chairperson at 410-812-9791 or marybob73@aol.com.



Kenya Partnership
20^th Anniversary 2019


St. Steven Church, Mombasa, Kenya & St. Stephen Church, Bradshaw


Kenya Water Well