Dear Friends,
The year of 2015 has been as normal as any other year in my ministry doing all the things that I normally do. Those things that especially keep me active year by year are: Weekend and weekday liturgies mostly in our two churches and with help of other priests we have ten Sundays during summer in one of our mission churches I had a year with many meetings because of our Parish Jubilee.
One of the most beautiful events this year in our parish is entering our Jubilee year whose inauguration was graced by our Bishop in September with a Holy Mass. The Jubilee year goes through September 2016. We are celebrating fifty years since our Church St. Mary’s of the Lake one of the three Churches of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish relocated to our present site. The Jubilee year is full of activities and so far our four months events for Jubilee have been very successful.
FATHER NTAIYIA JUBILEE SCHOOL KENYA
Many friends and well-wishers of my school will remember that Friends of Father Symon Jubilee School 501 (c) (3) Charity has been in the process of being dissolved by friends who helped to register it some years back. It has been clear over the years that I had aimed at setting the School to be self-sustaining; however, I must say that gifts and donations from well-wishers have been helping the school to meet some expenditures such as purchase of text books, learning material and some repairs. This makes it possible to keep school fees affordable for parents and without increasing it to cater for such expenses. For the last four years we have been charging about $100 per trimester (3 months or 90 days) per student, this is about $1.11 a day per student in my school. Most of the schools in our neighborhood charge almost twice our fees. So far we have been able to manage despite challenging increases of prices of food and learning materials.
Because of the great assistance realized by donations through 501 (c) (3) Charity for education of children in this school, I discussed the need for 501 (c) (3) status for the school with our parishioners who know and have donated to the school in the past and we formed a cooperation known as Friends of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School. Inc. that was registered and by June 2015 we were given Public Charity Status – 501 (c) (3) that allows donors to deduct contributions they make to us. The document also indicated we are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers and others as stated in the IRS letter to us. It is my hope that through this charity status we shall realize donations that will keep our school fees affordable for the poor families who bring their children to Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School.
MY VISIT TO KENYA THIS YEAR: Another highlight was my trip to Kenya this year. You will recall I did not go to Kenya as I had planned after my sabbatical in Rome at the end of 2014 because the Bishop called me back for fear of Ebola that was in West Africa. My trip this year was well calculated for me to be in my school before the children ended the school year and to be with the examination candidates as they had their examinations and ending their six years stay in my school. Generally the students, teachers and other staff are well and in good spirits which is very encouraging. Students are happy, the compound is clean, and activities are well organized. Student leaders have a good sense of responsibility. I had three meetings with the teachers and a general meeting with all staff. We twice had a visit from officers from the county office of education and I can report that things are going along well at the school.
As I was occasionally meeting members of my family and being with the students in the school, I went about doing a few things I had intended to do during this visit. I ordered 100 students’ chairs to be made in a local Parish workshop. Fifty chairs will go to the computer lab and fifty to the Library. All the chairs were ready and delivered to the school in the second week of November.
STONE PERIMETER WALL FOR SCHOOL: When I acquired the lot for constructing my school in 2004 the location had very few people or families living there. In a very short time the land owners started subdividing land and selling to people who were being attracted by cheap prices. Gradually many people bought land around the school, some later sold it to others and others built whatever structure they could afford and settled there. Some locals bring cows, goats and sheep to graze around. Within the first few days of my visit I noticed that there are many animals that are coming to the school compound through broken places of our barb wire fence. Donkeys and stray dogs come in trying to scavenge around. One day during this visit as I was talking with one of the teachers outside the school office, a cow came running in wildly in the compound while our third graders were playing outside. The little ones went running in all directions as the teacher and I went to drive the cow out. Without much explanation of the potential danger I decided to start constructing a stone perimeter fence that will protect the five acre lot of the school where the buildings are and where children live most of the time. I had hoped to cover about a third of the perimeter before returning to the US but this was not possible financially; however the project will gradually continue.
OUR 2015 CLASS: The second week of November we had final examination for our graduating class. We had 39 candidates for this public examination which was our largest number since the school began taking this examination four years ago. We already had a prayer day for the candidates a week before and their parents had come for that prayer day that turned out to be like a visiting day. Students had a rehearsal on Monday, Nov. 9, followed by three days of examination. The last day of exams ended by lunch time and as they came out of the examination room the other students were there to congratulate them. We had lunch prepared for them which they shared with the staff. Then we gave them time to return to the school all the items such as text books they had been given and then packing their personal belongings ready for their last journey home from our school. It was emotional as they sang and told us they were leaving and it was clear that they will never be together as they have been as a class.
There were emotional intervals with the other students especially when parents came the following day to take those who were leaving our school for good. Most of them had been with us for six years and there was reason to feel that members of our school community were leaving us. The rest of the students had a week to go with end of year examination and after they left for their long break until early January, I also had a week before returning to the US. Each day in the school is a joy of its own; children are coming to school these days at a younger age, looking smaller each year. The little ones, third graders kept reminding me that they were waiting to see me to visit for one year. They had known that when Father Ntaiyia comes he welcomes the new comers and both students and all members of staff get a treat of a special meal together. This happened on Friday afternoon October 30. With indigenous African applaud, our celebration went on and was a happy afternoon for all of us.
Once again the joyous day is here in which we join our sisters and brothers all over the world in celebrating the Nativity of our Lord Jesus. As you gather with your family and friends, may Jesus grant you Joy and Peace
Fr. Symon