CWA

St. Monicah was born in the year 331 AD at Tagaste, an ancient town of the Roman Empire, situated 225 Km from Carthage in North Africa. Her parents were devout Christians. At the age of 22 years, she was given in marriage to Patricius a pagan official of Tagaste. Augustine was born in 354 AD, followed by Navigius and Perpetua. St. Monicah went to mass daily. She gave generously to the poor, notwithstanding her husband’s criticism. She took great care to raise here three children in the love of God. Finally, after nearly 18 years of marriage, Patricius, overwhelmed by her tremendous patience and good example, asked for baptism. A year later, he passed away.

St. Monicah loved her mother-in-law and this made her win her heart through her patience and humility. Augustine (her son) wandered from God, working on the streets of Babylon, groveling in its moral filth, lying, cheating, stealing and immoral living became habitual to him. St. Monicah prayed about it all through. Finally, Augustine accepted the doctrines of Catholic faith and was baptized in 387 by St. Ambrose. Augustine, his mother and other devoted friends now decided to return to their native shores of North Africa. They rested at Ostia, on the mouth of River Tiber and waited for a boat. St. Monicah fell ill at Ostia. She told Augustine to bury her there when she died. After nine days of her illness, she died in the year 387 AD. St. Monicah went to her creator. Her feast day is celebrated on 27th August every year.

The Catholic Women Association is a Catholic lay movement whose main goal is to enhance the spiritual growth of Catholic women and enable them participate more effectively in the evangelization and sanctification of humanity. Pope John II in his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christ Fideles Laici, on the vocation and the mission
of the lay faithful in the church and in the world, explains “who are the lay faithful” and their mission in the church. The document explains the unique character of the vocation of the laity, which is in a special way to “seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to the plan of God.” The document also explains the lay faithful’s participation in the life of the church, in the Diocese in which the church of Christ, Holy Catholic and Apostolic, is truly present and at work.” It is in this document that the group’s forms of participation in the mission of the church are explained as associations, groups, communities and movements.

While speaking on women, the document exhorts women to participate more widely in the various fields of the church’s apostolate. To respond to this call from the church, in 1980, under the guidance of the late Servant of God Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga, who was the Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Nairobi, the Catholic Women
Association was started. This was during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Kenya. A priest in the lay Apostolate office Rev. Fr. David Kamau who is currently the Auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi, was appointed by the Ordinary of the Diocese to guide the women after the visit. This marked the beginning 2 of the CWA in the Archdiocese of Nairobi. Catholic Women Association is affiliated to the National Council of Catholic Women. CWA in the Archdiocese of Nairobi aims at enhancing the spiritual growth of members, building unity among women in the Archdiocese and actively participate in the development of the church.

This can be achieved through prayers and other acts of evangelization. It encourages all women to move together with one vision in order to achieve its goals. Members ought to practically actualize the visions and goals of the Association by answering their calling in their hearts and in their everyday lives. True love of God must come from the heart. Relationship with God and what one does in private alone must be in harmony with what the member does in public.