Closing Mass on Sunday, September 28, 2025
The Plenary Council officially closed on Sunday, September 28, 2025, with a Eucharist celebration presided over by the Superior General, Fr. Stanley Lubungo, at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in Nairobi, Kenya.
The celebration began with great joy, with the entire Church singing and dancing, including children, youth, and adults. Using the jubilee year slogan, “Pilgrims of Hope — Together in Prayer,” Father Binu Jose, Pastor of the parish, welcomed the Superior General, the Plenary Council participants, confreres, candidates, religious men and women, and the entire assembly. He expressed the parish’s gratitude that the Society of Missionaries of Africa had chosen their parish for the closing Mass of the Plenary Council. The parish offered gifts to all the members of the General Council to show their gratitude to the Society of the Missionaries of Africa. They also offered lunch to all the guests after Mass.
Father Stanley Lubungo began his homily by saying it was an honor for the Plenary Council participants to be welcomed at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish. He added: “In reality, we could not go anywhere else because here we feel at home.” This is the only parish where the Missionaries of Africa serve in Nairobi. He then related the day’s readings to the world we live in, bringing them to the reality of Nairobi. He said, “In Nairobi, in some places, only a short walk separates glittering skyscrapers, nicely arranged by modern-day developers; high-end restaurants; and gated estates from crowded slums. The separation between these nice buildings and the slums, where families struggle to find food, clean water, and school fees, is really striking.”
To hear the Superior General’s homily and see images of the closing Mass and other key moments of the Plenary Council in Nairobi, follow the link to our Society’s official YouTube channel below.
By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.