Maurice Cardinal Otunga’s journey to sainthood

By Nancy Karanja

His Eminence John Cardinal Njue, today flagged off the 3rd Annual Otunga Walk at Holy Family Basilica, marking the eleventh anniversary  of the passing on of the “Servant of God” Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga. 

This year’s annual Otunga walk will be fundraising towards the third stage of Cardinal Otunga’s Beatification, also known as the Roman Phase.  This step also, known as the Roman phase, follows the successful completion of the Archdiocesan investigation and it entails a further examination into the life of the Cardinal by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. 

The pre-investigative or the Diocesan Phase of Cardinal Otunga’s beatification formally began on 11 November 2011. Last year, all evidence for the Cause was sent to the Vatican to begin the third phase of the Canonization process, hopefully leading to Beatification and then Canonization of the Cardinal.

Speaking during the ceremony, Cardinal Njue noted, “On 9 May 2014, the Vatican released an official decree upholding the validity of the Diocesan Process held by the Archdiocese of Nairobi from 2011 to 2013.  This will be followed by the writing of the official biography of Cardinal Otunga, to be later examined by theologians and bishops of the Holy See." 

Contrary to what many may have thought, it is the Archdiocese of Nairobi – not the Vatican – that has the responsibility for financing the Beatification Cause in the Roman Phase. According to the laws of the Church, the Archdiocese can only depend on contributions and donations from people of goodwill to sustain the cause while it is being processed in the Vatican.

Because of this, the members of the Office for Cardinal Otunga’s Beatification and Canonization Cause continue to mobilize resources from members of the faithful who believe in the importance of the message of Cardinal Otunga’s life to the Church. We hope that through projects such as this Walk we could continue to promote information about the life of this great son of Kenya and assure his prompt beatification in the very immediate future.