Thursday, April 7, 2022 @ 6:26 p.m.
Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor John Mbinda CSSp. as Bishop of the Diocese of Lodwar in Kenya.
Bishop Mbinda, a former provincial superior of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Kenya and South Sudan, served as an assistant priest at Our Lady of Grace and St Edward in Chiswick, west London.
Previously he served at St Chad’s Church in South Norwood – a Spiritan parish in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
Listen
Bishop-elect Mbinda tells us about his sabbatical in England, his reaction to the news and tells us a bit about the Catholic Church in Kenya.
Biography
Monsignor John Mbinda, CSSp., was born on May 5, 1973 in Machakos, in the diocese of the same name. After attending the Pope Paul VI minor seminary in the diocese of Machakos (1989-1992), he entered the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, the Spiritans, taking his perpetual vows on October 12, 2001.
He studied philosophy (1993-1996) at the Spiritan Missionary Seminary in Tanzania and theology at Tangaza University College in Nairobi (1997-2002).
Ordained a priest on May 18, 2002, he then exercised the following functions:
Vicar of the parish of the Catholic mission of Tangulbei (2002-2004) and parish priest of the Catholic mission of Kositei in the diocese of Nakuru (2004-2008); Masters in Development Studies from the Kimmage Development Studies Centre, Ireland (2008-2010); parish priest of St. Austin Parish in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi and head of his congregational development office (2010-2015); Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Kenya and South Sudan (2015-2021).
Since August 2021, he has so far spent a sabbatical in the Archdiocese of Southwark, England, and served as parish assistant in the parish of St. Chad, South Norwood, entrusted to the Spirit Fathers.
Additionally, he was a professor at Tangaza University College (2014-2017); President of the Union of Circumscriptions of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in East Africa – UCEAF (2015-2016) and Consultor for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi (2016-2020).
Bishop Mbinda was an assistant priest at Our Lady of Grace and St Edward’s in Chiswick, west London, before the episcopal appointment.
