Other Works



Brother Jim Donlevy, C.M. is the director of a creative skills program for local Kenyans called, “DePaul Woodworking". Bro. Jim teaches men and women the craft of woodworking in his studio located on the DePaul campus. After two years of theory and practical application, the students sit for government examinations. Upon certification, they can begin to look for employment in construction or carpentry. Additionally, a production studio housed in the same facility employs 6 "graduates" who build furniture for individuals and businesses. See a Gallery for a virtual tour.


A number of Vincentians on staff at DePaul minister as chaplains in the Nairobi area. Every week one C.M. goes to the Industrial Area Prison and celebrates Eucharist for the prisoners. Another is involved with the National Society of St. Vincent De Paul. Chaplaincy is a way to match individual passion with the mission.

While not exactly a "work", our collaboration with the Daughters of Charity plays an essential role in our mission at DePaul. We work side by side with them at our parish in Thigio ministering to AIDS patients and staffing a Day Care. Future initiatives of service and evangelization are an exciting part of our future. Their main residence and seminary in Nairobi are on the DePaul campus.

The nursery school programme is sponsored by the Society of St. Vincent DePaul and involves a collaborative effort with the Congregation of the Mission, the Daughters of Charity and DePaul University in Chicago. The nursery school provides food and education for 90 children whose families are forced to live in some of the worst conditions in the world. Gallery has more images.

The Vincentian presence in East Africa is growing.

While the majority of men teach and are involved in formation at DePaul Centre (our seminary), Vincentian priests are also involved in parish life and diocesan seminary work (which brought us to Kenya in the first place).

The criteria for which parish we choose is simple: it must serve the very poor. Currently we have two parishes with Kenyan priests who serve as Fathers in Charge.

Holy Cross is located in Thigio, an impoverished, remote village about an hour's drive from Nairobi. Our Kenyan Vincentians serve the main Church and six, small outstations in remote villages in and around the Rift Valley. In addition to evangelization and sacramental outreach, we also collaborate with the Daughters of Charity in their service work among the poor.

St. Vincent is the second parish where we serve in the diocese of Nairobi. Staffed by Vincentians ordained from DePaul Centre, the work of evangelization is complemented by a very active Society of St. Vincent De Paul. On the weekends, a group of our seminarians from DePaul help with the celebration of the mass and with a number of outreach efforts.

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As Vincentians, we continue with a ministry that brought us to Kenya in the first place – teaching at diocesan seminaries and preparing young Kenyan men for the priesthood. Fr. John Richardson, C.M. and Fr. Bob Wood, C.M. (pictured) are on faculty at Christ the King Major Seminary in Nyeri. Besides teaching, they are involved in the spiritual lives of the students through Spiritual Direction and mentorship.

The Emmaus programme was founded by the Vincentians in 2003 to serve the diocesan clergy in central and western Kenya. Each year, 30 diocesan priests come together for one week in February, May and December to pray, discuss, learn and socialize. Vincentians and other local religious provide input to the priests in the areas of priestly spirituality, human development, liturgy, systematic theology and pastoral organization as a means of ongoing formation.