First-Ever Blind Catholic Priest in Kenya is Ordained

In an interview with Kenya Television Network News, Father Mithamo King’ori traced his priestly vocation to the grace of God and expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Muheria for giving him the hope he needed to remain focused on his dream vocation.

The ordination of the first-ever blind Catholic priest in Kenya will help show people that “disability is not inability,” the archbishop of Nyeri has said.

In a message shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Archbishop Anthony Muheria of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri reflected on the Jan. 14 ordination to the priesthood of Father Michael Mithamo King’ori, who lost his sight while serving as a deacon.

“This new priest, Father Michael, will help us to appreciate, in a very new way, the capacity, the ‘enabledness,’ of people who may have a deficiency of ability because of [their] situations,” Archbishop Muheria said in the Jan. 15 message a day after presiding over the priestly ordination of the Kenyan priest.

The archbishop added that the priestly ordination of Father Mithamo King’ori “is a reason for great joy because in spite of his limitation, in spite of the hurdles he has had to go through, he has come out to give evidence and testimony that disability is not a hindrance to answer[ing] God’s call, that disability is not inability.”

The Kenyan Catholic archbishop said the priestly ordination of the first-ever blind Catholic priest in Kenya “is a great wake-up call” for everybody to give opportunities to people living with disabilities.

“Many people who may not have the abilities, the normal abilities that we value, are very gifted in so many other ways that make them still very effective in the ministry, in evangelization, and in fulfilling the call that they have received. Of course, it is ours to ensure that they are well prepared,” he said.

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