Mourning Archbishop Raphael Ndingi
April 4, 2020
NCCK’s Message of Condolence
To Archbishop Philip Anyolo, Chairman, Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, the relatives and all the members of the Catholic Church following the passing on of Archbishop Raphael Stephen Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) received the information about the promotion to glory of our father Archbishop Raphael Stephen Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki with profound shock. We join you in mourning as we remember our brother with warmth, love and respect. Kindly receive our heartfelt condolences.
Dear brothers and sisters,
When death comes it takes from us the love and presence of a person we have grown to treasure and depend on it. Death breaks the joy and beauty of relationships, and leave us wounded and empty. Knowing that we cannot experience the relationship we shared with a loved one again in this world is one of the most painful experiences. This is even more so when the loved one has been spiritual father and icon.
Despite this pain brought by death, God gives us a promise and hope for the future that is intended to make us overcome the pain and sorrow of the death of a loved one. This is the hope that we shall meet again with our loved ones at the end of this life, and spend eternity with them with no fear of separation.
But even as we mourn, let us all be comforted by word of God recorded in Isaiah 57: 1 – 2:
“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We in the National Council of Churches of Kenya remember Archbishop Ndingi with fondness as a committed minister of the gospel who wholeheartedly worked for the growth of the Kingdom of God. His singleminded focus on the wellbeing of the citizens of Kenya for the last fifty years remains a beacon for many of our people, both young and old. His wisdom and capacity to grasp and analyze issues and develop solutions will continue to inspire generations of Kenyans for decades to come.
His outstanding intelligence and commitment stands in the fact that he was the first person from the Kamba community ordained into priesthood, was the first Bishop of Machakos and Nakuru Dioceses.
We will indeed always remember fondly the partnership we had with Archbishop Ndingi during the Ufungamano Initiative process leading to the constitutional and electoral reforms of the 1990s.
There is no doubt in our hearts that the departure of the Archbishop Ndingi has left a gap that cannot be filled by any other person, even as we are confident that God has given the Archbishop rest from the labours of this life.
May the peace of God, which is beyond comprehension, be with you always till the end of time.
Thank you.
Signed on this 2nd day of April 2020
Reverend Canon Chris Kinyanjui
General Secretary
