Biography of Servant of God Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga
Creating a Society Cardinal Otunga would have Loved
Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga is remembered in Kenyan history as a great apostle and a father of African Christianity.
Otunga is remembered most for his distinguished and humble leadership which fostered phenomenal church growth, making the Roman Catholic Church the largest and fast growing church in the country. The church grew not just in its evangelization efforts but also in the areas of education, health, and social welfare. He encouraged holistic development: this vision for people’s physical, spiritual, social, and economic development enabled the Roman Catholic Church to reach the community by establishing the best schools, hospitals, and colleges among many other community development projects. His leadership also brought a liturgical renewal, making the form and style of worship in the church more African, something that has attracted a large following.
Pilgrims continue to resonate the devotional message, “A Disciple of Jesus Christ, he served His people with deep faith and love for all, as a humble priest, a compassionate shepherd,” inscribed on the exterior wall of Cardinal Otunga’s Memorial Hall, which archives his personal belongings including religious vestments, pictures, furniture, and epithets.
It is Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga’s dedication to serving all God’s people that led the Catholic Church to commence the process of his canonisation. I want to join the Catholic faithful in celebrating the declaration of Otunga as the ‘Servant of God’, which is the first critical stage in the process of beatification. I am confident that the second stage, which involves looking at his life, including writings by and about him, will be successful too.