In November 2021, The Seed team visited the Catholic Diocese of Garissa.  We were amazed at the vastness of the diocese and the fact that the Church, though small continued to thrive amidst the harshness of the climate and a background of religious intolerance.

We met Bishop Joseph Alessandro, a soft-spoken Capuchin Missionary from Malta who at the time, had shepherded the diocese for five years. At 77 years, Bishop Alessandro had handed in his resignation as required by the Church and prepared for his exit. He had put everything in place with his Vicar General, who he hoped would succeed him, if not, he expected the man who had worked side by side with him to support and assist whoever would be appointed bishop to settle in.

His Vicar General who also doubled up as the diocesan financial administrator turned out to be an equally soft-spoken Capuchin, a Kenyan, with a clear understanding and grasp of the diocese and its needs. The two were like two cogs in a wheel; the younger learning from and supporting