Catholic faithful in Eldoret Diocese will start using new liturgical books that have been translated into Swahili.
The books, Misale ya Kila Siku (Daily Missal) and the Misale ya Kiroma (Roman Missal) have already been approved for use, and priests from the Diocese sensitized on their use.
According to the Eldoret Catholic Diocese Bishop Dominic Kimengich, usage of the new books introduces several changes in the way Sunday and weekly mass will be conducted.
One of the key changes, Bishop Kimengich notes, is the way congregants will be responding to the priests at the mass when he says ‘The Lord be with you’ and ‘The peace of the Lord be with you always’.
“Kuna tofauti, kwa sasa waumini watakua wanasema ‘awe pia rohoni mwako’ padre anaposema ‘Bwana awe nanyi’,” said the Bishop loosely translated to “There are some changes, for now, congregants will be responding ‘And with your spirit’ when the priest says ‘The Lord be with you’ and ‘The peace of the Lord be with you always’.
The Misale ya Kila Siku (Daily Missal) and the Misale ya Kiroma (Roman Missal) were translated jointly by bishops from Kenya and Tanzania, as Catholic faithful in the two countries will now be using the new editions.
To ensure the new changes are easily embraced by church members, the Catholic Church on Monday held a sensitization exercise for the priests across the Eldoret Diocese.
“It will take time before the new changes are fully adopted in church and we urge members to buy the new books that will make it easier for them to adjust,” noted Bishop Kimengich.
Father Josiah Muthee, the National Executive secretary of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) says the new books came as a result of a need to have proper translations of the Roman Missal that adhere to the Latin edition, the daily readings, and the calendar of African saints – aspects that had been omitted in previous Liturgical books in the Swahili language.
The national launching of the use of the two new liturgical books was done on November 11, 2021, and all catholic churches are expected to be using them going forward.
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