“How beautiful upon the mountains are her feet, she who brings good news”. This year’s Feast of Our dear Sister Blessed Irene Stefani took place at Gikondi, in the Archdiocese of Nyeri, the place where Blessed Irene offered herself totally and completely to the point of dying for Love, as the local people describe her death ‘Love killed her.’
Thousands of Christians from near and from far devoted to Blessed Irene joined together in chanting her praises and heroic virtues through speeches, experiences, prayers and local songs composed for her.
The Archbishop Anthony Muheria invited us while doing the procession, to enter into the reality of the life of Irene, the same land that she walked on, let us walk on it with her because she is still walking on this land even today, conversing with her, asking for blessings and miracles from her.
The procession begun solemnly from Gikondi Parish church to the village grounds where the mass took place.The theme that ran throughout the celebration was that of Love above everything else. Love pushed Sr Irene to go up the hills and down the valleys, bend her self to the little of the little given a chance, her glorious boots would describe every detail of the passes she made in a day.
We were challenged as Christians to let Love be the motive of what we do. Sr Irene like Saint Paul will tell us what Love is: that Love is patient, Love is Kind, is not proud, does not dishonour others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrong (1Cor 13)
The emotional part of the celebration was the sharing of the testimonies of people who have received graces and miraculous healing from Blessed Irene. Two teenagers a boy and a girl who could not walk were granted the grace of walking. For this the relic of Blessed Irene was passed around so that each person looking at her, will have a chance to pray directly to her.
We pray and continue to hope that through the many graces people have received through the intercession of Blessed Irene she may be soon canonized and her virtues be emulated and lived by the universal Church.
Sr. Winniejoan, mc
