A saint’s hand is coming to Nairobi

When Christians sing tumeuona mkono wa Bwana (we’ve seen the hand of God), it is a testimony of blessings from the Creator. And now another hand is drawing crowds among Roman Catholic faithful across the globe.

To many Kenyans, Don Bosco simply brings to mind the Catholic church on Hospital Hill in Nairobi or the many others in different parts of the country.

But for millions more, the name speaks volumes about their faith, about their spirituality and about their destiny. Most importantly, it speaks about sainthood.

The founder of the Catholic order known as the Salesians of Don Bosco may have died some two centuries ago — but not in the hearts and minds of the Catholic church and the millions who follow and teach his way of life.

So closely is his memory guarded that parts of his body have been turned into relics and preserved in a specially built and costly glass urn to enable his followers to “reunite” with him.

Pay homage

After tens of thousands of kilometres and millions of dollars, the right hand of Saint John Bosco will finally land in Nairobi. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of faithful will turn out to pay homage to the relic during its seven-day stay in Nairobi from December 4, conjuring up images of the travelling world cup trophy in the run up to the games.

Just like the trophy, the relic is transported in a private jet, has round-the-clock security and travels in a specially modified casket with a wax replica body lying in state.

The casket in which the saint’s replica travels weighs 820kg and is made of a steel base with a glass viewing window. The glass box that actually contains the hand is 253 cm long, 108 cm wide and 132 cm tall. The full urn is transported by two specially designed trucks.

For the faithful, a glimpse of the saint’s hand is enough to bring them as close as they could ever get to the founder of the order. And wherever it has gone, the relic has given rise to tales of the supernatural and left miracles in its wake. It has been alleged that mere contact with the casket has led to supernatural happenings.

During its tour of Thailand, a Buddhist mother whose baby was in coma for several days in the hospital claimed that she prayed fervently touching the casket while holding her handkerchief. Later on, she placed the handkerchief under her child’s pillow after which the girl regained consciousness.

Such is the belief in the power of the saintly right hand. And when it finally arrives, it will be received with nothing short of awe. These claims of miracles are, however, yet to be certified as bona fide miracles by the Vatican.

“This is a joyful moment. It is the visit of our father. It will be a big celebration for us,” said Father Gianni Rolandi, the Provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco in East Africa of the arrival of the right hand in Nairobi.

The Salesians of Don Bosco is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco in an attempt, through works of charity, to care for the young and poor children of the industrial revolution.

Don is an honorific title in Italian.

The Salesian charter describes the society’s mission as “the Christian perfection of its associates obtained by the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of charity towards the young, especially the poor, and the education of boys to the priesthood”.

Since 1859 when the order was founded, the Salesians have spread to more than 120 countries worldwide. Followers believe in looking out for the youth of the society because Don Bosco believed these to be the most vulnerable members of the society. He also founded, together with Saint Maria Mazzarello, an order for nuns called Sisters of Mary Help of Christians to mostly serve needy girls.

“Our mission is to work with young people at risk. We open our doors to young people coming from different backgrounds. Like all other Christians, we reflect on Christ, but we look at him through the eyes of Don Bosco,” said Fr Gianni.

“We understand that relics may seem weird to some, and others might think we should just let the saint rest in peace. Others may be put off by this concept. But it is a solid foundation on which our faith is built.”

According to Fr Gianni, to understand the significance of relics, a history lesson is unavoidable. In the early Christian church, a distinction was made between what is due to God and what our relationships with the saints should be like. To God, adoration is due and to the saints we give veneration. Veneration entails respecting the saints and imitating their way of life because we have seen them walk a true path closest to Christ’s teachings.

Because of this veneration and abiding to Christ’s teachings, some of the early believers were persecuted and killed for their faith. These believers became martyrs for the sheer fact that they sacrificed their lives for their faith.

The martyrs were then buried in catacombs (underground cemeteries). These persecutions went on for centuries; around the 4th century it was decided it would be a good idea to celebrate Mass over the actual tomb in which a martyr was buried.

As this became standard practice a problem emerged. The catacombs are almost exclusively in Rome. Mass was to be celebrated in other parts of the Christian world as well, so a balance had to be found.

“So there was a parcelling out of the martyrs’ remains, which were put in such a way that they could be moved elsewhere away from the catacombs, closer to the faithful,” Fr Gianni said.

These body parts were then inserted in altars of worship, and the idea of touring relics was born.

“It is beautiful and meaningful to have a part of, or something that belonged to the saints or martyrs at the altar during Mass,” he adds.

Father Simon Asira Lipupu sees a similarity between this veneration of saints and use of relics with African traditional beliefs.

“Traditionally, one or two years after the death of a person, there is often a ceremony to honour the memory of the departed. This doesn’t mean that the person is being worshipped, but it is a way for those he left behind to keep his memory alive,” Fr Asira explained.

During such times, Fr Asira says, we look at the departed ancestors with veneration and make a feast out of it.

“For us Don Bosco is our main ancestor. We look at him with great faith knowing that he is interceding for us in whatever we do,” he adds. “Christianity greatly values anything earthly and anything connected to human life. The most valuable relics are those from the bones. It is neither creepy nor connected to the dark arts.”

Biblical evidence

Fr Asira, the vice-provincial of the Salesians in East Africa, says there is, in fact, biblical evidence of the place of relics in religion.

“The earliest reference on relics is found in 2 Kings 13: 20-21. It says Elisha died and was buried. Now Maobite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once, while the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders and they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. Then the body touched Elisha’s bones and the man came into life and stood up on his feet,” he said.

But of what significance is the relic to the faithful in Kenya?

“Relics are meant to remind individuals of the holiness of a saint and the fulfillment of God’s work through the saint. They help inspire individuals to pray so that saints intercede for them, and to pray to God to give them the grace to live a holy and faith filled life,” Fr Gianni said.

In its seven-day tour of the country, the relic will be displayed in Nairobi, Machakos, Makuyu and Embu. From here the relic goes to Tanzania.