{"id":1660,"date":"2026-01-04T01:43:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/1660\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T01:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:43:08","slug":"coadjutor-bishop-of-meru-takes-the-helm-of-the-kenyan-catholic-diocese-as-bishop-mugambi-retires-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/1660\/","title":{"rendered":"Coadjutor Bishop of Meru Takes the Helm of the Kenyan Catholic Diocese as Bishop Mugambi Retires at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou do not have to put any new foundations because your foundation is in Christ. He has put the foundations already and the contours of the church are already drawn,\u201d the Apostolic Nuncio said, calling on the Bishop to be attentive to the Word of God and to the mission of reconciliation at the heart of the Church.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Diocese of Meru Youth Office<\/p>\n

In his homily, Archbishop van Megen cautioned against distractions that could undermine pastoral service. \u201cIndeed, the church you are called to serve and lead as a Bishop exists only for one reason, and \u2026 the forgiveness of sins is the first and foremost vocation of the church,\u201d he said, warning against the temptations of \u201cfinancial gain, prestige, or increase of power.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his maiden address following his Episcopal Consecration, Bishop Murugara turned his attention to the universal Church, praying publicly for Pope Francis, who was then undergoing treatment for double pneumonia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Diocese of Meru Youth Office<\/p>\n

(Story continues below)<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a special way I wish His Holiness Pope Francis a quick recovery and complete healing. May God\u2019s grace and strength continue to sustain you as you shepherd the universal church with such love and dedication,\u201d he said about the late Pontiff, who passed on in April 2025<\/a> from multiple complications<\/a>, including a stroke, coma, and irreversible cardiovascular collapse.<\/p>\n

Bishop Murugara also expressed gratitude to the Holy Father for the trust placed in him. He said, \u201cThank you Your Holiness for placing such profound trust in me to carry the heavy cross of shepherding this Diocese. Like St. Paul, I take comfort in the words, \u2018my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Diocese of Meru Youth Office<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Bishop Murugara pledged to foster collaboration and unity within the Diocese. \u201cI promise to solemnly work with you, pray together, and grow spiritually. United with His Lordship Salesius Mugambi, the clergy, the religious, and the other pastoral agents, we shall steadfastly steer our diocese forward,\u201d he said, highlighting continuity with his predecessor\u2019s pastoral vision.<\/p>\n

As Bishop Mugambi steps aside after nearly 24 years of service since his Episcopal Consecration in March 2002, Bishop Murugara now assumes full pastoral responsibility for a Diocese that spans 9,546 square kilometers and serves over one million Catholics \u2013 about 31 percent of the total population \u2013 across Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Diocese of Meru Youth Office<\/p>\n

Entrusting his ministry to prayer in his maiden speech as Bishop on 19 March 2025, Bishop Murugara said, \u201cI entrust all to the silent, yet powerful care of St. Joseph, the patron saint of our Diocese, and the maternal intercession of our Mother Mary Consolata.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Catholic Diocese of Meru Youth Office<\/p>\n

With Bishop Murugara\u2019s words, the Catholic Diocese of Meru has, since January 1, entered a new era under its new shepherd \u2013 an era to be marked by continuity, deep faith, and hope for the future.<\/p>\n


\n \"ACI
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ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cYou do not have to put any new foundations because your foundation is in Christ. He has put…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[645,647,80,646],"class_list":{"0":"post-1660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-article","9":"tag-cna","10":"tag-kenya","11":"tag-keyword"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}