Student Note

I confiscated the following note from one of my students this morning. It is just a little bit different than a note that would be passed in a class in the United States.

Rose, yesterday you took my spoon just after the prefect’s meeting. I kindly request you to give it to me now before I eat githeri.

Mass Kenyan Style

The basic format of Mass is the same wherever you attend, but there are definite differences between the way Mass is celebrated in the United States and Kenya. When going to an African Mass, allow at least an hour and a half. Why? There is much more singing and dancing!

We prefer music at the services when traditional music instruments are used. These include drums, kuwimba (hollow reeds filled with stones and then tied together), sometimes rattles and tambourines. If the church has electricity often there is a keyboard. You have to keep in mind that most people here don’t use printed music. The keyboardist tries to follow along with the singing playing by ear. Most of the time, in my humble opinion, it is more of a distraction and irritation than support for the music.

As Mass starts a procession begins from the back of the church as the entrance song is sung. The procession is led by the liturgical dancers followed by the servers (altar boys) and priest. This is not a fast procession as the dancers are leading with small steps often taking ten small steps forward and one or two backwards.

Often incense is used not only once but several times during the Mass. My girls hated incense on the special days that it was used at home. I wonder how, now that they are adults, they would react. Would they still hold their noses? If incense is being used, the altar is incensed as the final part of the procession.

Once the celebrants are at their places on the altar, the service continues. Almost all of the parts of Mass are sung, not spoke including: Lord, have mercy, Gloria, Profession of Faith, Holy, Holy, Memorial Acclamation, Amen, and Lamb of God. This is every Sunday, not just during the holy seasons of Advent and Easter. As a part of many of these songs, members wave their hands whenever they sing the refrains of Alleluia or Hosanna.

Before the readings, the liturgical dancers lead another procession from the back of the church bringing forward the Bible. Of course, there is a special song sung during this time. The Bible is incensed before the readings begin.

There is the regular offertory taken. Instead of baskets being passed among the congregation, each person who has an offertory gift goes to the front of the church where servers are standing with locked wooden boxes to receive the donation. This is not done in an orderly manner as we would expect. Instead each person goes forward whenever they want. There is no organized traffic pattern. People are coming forward and returning down every aisle, three people abreast! It is very crowded and confusing.

Before the Eucharistic prayer begins, the bread and wine, altar, priest and congregation is incensed.

Often the Sign of Peace is not done, there is no shaking of hands and greeting of your neighbors.

The majority of Kenyans do not receive communion. The reason is that many of them are not married in the church. It is so expensive that many cannot afford to have a church wedding in addition to paying the dowry. Often it takes years for the husband to be able to pay the entire dowry. Then some priests and ministers won’t perform a wedding ceremony until the entire dowry is paid. The traffic pattern for communion is the same as the offertory. People get up whenever they want and join the line going in any direction that they want. Wine is never offered as part of communion, only bread.

There is an additional prayer said after communion, The Soul of Christ.

After the Eucharist a thanksgiving offering is taken. Not as many people contribute to this second offering. This time the priest stands in front of the altar to personally receive the gifts. Gifts can be money, or real items grown and raised on their shambas (farms). We’ve seen bags of maize (corn), charcoal, eggs, bananas, fruits, vegetables, even live animals such as chickens, sheep or goats brought forward during this time. The priest accepts the gifts, hands them to the altar boys and shakes the hand of each person this time. Finally they receive a special blessing.

Once again the liturgical dancers lead the procession out of the church. I must say that a Kenyan Mass is much more joyful that Masses we are used to. With all that sining and dancing, how can you not be happy when it is over?


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Funeral Visitation

Tribal affiliation is extremely important. It affects every part of a Kenyan’s life even in such things as the foods they eat, clothing they wear, names they give their children, music, how they vote in elections, and ceremonies such as birth, coming of age and death.

Last week one of the St. Anthony’s teachers lost her son. He was only 22 and had been sick but his death was unexpected. As always, we took up a collection to help pay funeral expenses. This woman’s nephew died the next day. According to Luo tribal custom the nephew must be buried first because he was older. This means our teacher’s son has been in the mortuary almost two weeks. Staff members have been going out to her farm almost every day to visit and console her.

Today (Thursday) it was announced that a group of us would be leaving in an hour to greet her. Others would go on Friday and still others to the funeral itself on Saturday.

Fourteen of us left in a van to go to the city mortuary. Once we arrived we waited. Soon the family came in cars followed by our school bus. The school had provided the bus to help transport the family and fellow teachers. We all consoled the teacher and her other children.

Then they brought the casket out and placed it on the ground in front of the mortuary. I believe it was a viewing casket because it had a glass plate window so people could view him from the shoulders up. After viewing, the minister said a prayer which was followed by a song. Next the body was loaded onto a small pickup to be taken to the family home. Then we proceeded just like a funeral procession back home to the family farm. The women sang songs the entire way to the farm.

In the Luo tribe the body is taken to the house a day or two before the funeral. The road to the house was too narrow for the bus so we had to walk about a mile. Located next to the house was a small tent. That is where the casket was set upon arrival. There were also three large tents that would seat about 50 people erected for people to be able to be in the shade. A sound system was set up so all could hear the short 45 minute service. Since there is no electricity on the farm, the system was powered by a generator. All this time people continued to arrive.

A song started the service followed by a prayer from a minister. There was another song and a sermon. Last was a closing song. After the service was a procession for all to view the body.

It is custom for the grieving family to feed the guests. The menu was cooked rice, pilau (spiced rice), boiled potatoes and cooked cabbage. Many people sat on the ground or stood up to eat since there weren’t enough chairs.

Tomorrow (Friday) more people will go to express their sympathy and another short service will be held. The actual funeral will be held on Saturday. Funerals are almost always held on Saturdays so people don’t have to miss work to attend. It will begin around 10:00 and last most of the day.

It is the Luo custom to bury people in front of the house on the family farm. This woman’s husband’s grave is located about 20 yards away from her house. The son was going to be buried next to the father.

It was a humbling and yet an honor to be included in this experience.