Bishop Sulumeti: Farewell to selfless man of prayer who led many to God, a patriot

Today, we lay to rest Bishop Philip Sulumeti, a great son of the Church and a great son of our nation. A shepherd, who truly cared for his flock for over 53 years of episcopal service.

We all pray for his soul, and especially today in the funeral mass. We do so also as a gesture of gratitude for his ministry to us. We present him in prayer and unite to thank God for the gift he has been to all of us!

Bishop Sulumeti was ordained as bishop at merely 34 years of age, becoming the sixth African Catholic Bishop in Kenya. Yet he steadily steered the diocese of Kakamega in difficult times as a dedicated shepherd with great zeal and vision.

We bid farewell to a man of prayer and a man who led many to God. A man who listened and comforted many. One who gave a great example in his own life, of suffering illnesses, with the many challenges he faced in life. On many occasions he has been seriously ill, but he always maintained great hope and faith in recovery. And with his recovery, he would be back again to his pastoral ministry. It was as if he still felt urged on to complete his mission. “The love of God urges me on” (2 Cor: 5, 14)

The Lord has rested him after a fruitful and intense service to the church of God, the people of God, and the great nation, which he loved as a patriot.

Born in Kotur, a small village in Teso, he received priestly ordination for the Diocese of Kisumu. He would be appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Kisumu in 1976, and later the founding bishop of the Diocese of Kakamega in 1978.

His studies in Rome gave him a broad vision of the Church and the deep love that he maintained throughout his life. He came back to Kenya in 1970 as one of the first experts in Canon law, having obtained a doctorate.

He was always a man of great order and elegance. He wished that whatever was organised in the diocese, in functions, or even in articulation of issues should be orderly and understandable. He was a stickler for detail and would not tolerate carelessness as it showed a lack of dedication to and love of God.

In spite of his poor health, he still found time to relax, even with his favourite sport of golf. He would even in difficult moments still find a bit of humuor to lighten the moment.

As a shepherd, he was constantly concerned about reaching the faithful in their needs. Many years after his retirement, he would still attend to functions, funerals and celebrations invited by the Christians. From time to time he would surprise us with a phone call just to say hello. He continued frequenting our major liturgical celebrations even though it meant a big sacrifice on his part, sickly and elderly, to express solidarity and unity. 

As a nation, we mourn a true patriot. Often when he spoke together with other Catholic Bishops, his concern was for justice, true compassion, upholding human dignity, and care especially for the less privileged. His contributions were always focused and propelled by the dream of a better Kenya. His service stood out especially in the process of negotiating and drafting the 2010 Constitution. In this, he showed his great gifts of diplomacy, dialogue, and consensus building especially in the Bomas draft. We thank him for calming down tempers in moments of the heated debates, through his calmness and spirit of service. In this he was also guided by his motto, “that all may be one”, in seeking unity for our country, across tribes, and even political differences. His name will remain hidden in the watermark of our Constitution.

His long service leaves behind a huge crowd of spiritual sons and daughters, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in spirit. Those he confirmed in the early years as bishop were coming back to visit him in his retirement as already mature men and women. Many he mentored have gone ahead to offer great service to our nation. The numbers of those he confirmed, baptised and wedded would go over 300,000!

When I, as a young bishop, met him in the Bishops conference, he struck me as a true shepherd who loved the liturgy, a true son of God who sought to do what is right, a loyal and faithful son of the church, a seasoned administrator and at the same time a loving father. He did not fail to correct when he needed, but also knew how to encourage and uplift.

We thank God for having such gallant pillars of shepherds, built on the foundation of Christ; great bishops, who have set the high standards of service to the people of God. He joins a great choir of Bishops our nation has produced who took the baton from the missionaries and set the pace for local leadership.

Thank you, Bishop Sulumeti. Thank you for your selfless service. Thank you for your example. Thank you for your patriotism.

Now we ask for your prayers from heaven, for us and for our nation.

God knows your works best, and so we pray that he may reward you with the happiness and love you looked forward to, in heaven our true homeland. Our condolences to Bishop Sulumeti family, the bishop, the priests and faithful of the Diocese of Kakamega, all our Catholic Bishops and to the nation.

Eternal rest grant to him oh Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.