On Dec. 6 in Nairobi, Fr. Edwin Mugwe, C.M., and Fr. Patrick McDevitt, C.M., signed a contract that establishes a legal framework for the working relationship between the Vice-Province of Kenya and the Western Province of the U.S. into the future.
The Western Province of the U.S. established a mission to Kenya in 1981. Later, that mission was classified as a “Region,” and in 2020 Fr. Mugwe was installed as the first Kenyan Provincial there. Last year, a Vice-Province was established in the former Region of Kenya in recognition of its growth and its successful seminary program. While still linked to the Western Province, this affords the Kenya Vice-Province more autonomy.
Fr. McDevitt explained that the Western Province and Vice-Province have been operating under a covenant, which he equated to wedding vows. The contract is a legal document more akin to a marriage license.