Fr. Dominic Ministries Outreach to the Poor in Kenya, Africa

Many years ago, there was a parishioner at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kalamazoo who decided to sponsor a seminarian in Kenya, Africa. That seminarian was Dominic Kimengich, who was ordained a priest in 1986.  In 1996, Fr. Dominic traveled to Kalamazoo to meet his sponsor, Mary Agnes McGrail. Their friendship grew into an enduring mother-son relationship. It was during this visit that he met Msgr. Mike Hazard and they became fast friends. Since then, he has visited Kalamazoo several times and has become a cherished friend to many parishioners at St. Joseph Church and others in the Kalamazoo Diocese.


When Fr. Dominic first came to us, he was the rector at St. Joseph Junior Seminary, a Catholic secondary school for boys in Molo, Kenya.  The mission of the school is to educate young men and form them with Christian values and virtues.  In 2001 he was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Nakuru, located in the Rift Valley province of Kenya.  Since 2006 he has been serving Christ as the Rector of St. Matthias Mulumba Major Seminary in Kapsabet, Kenya, overseeing the formation of 150-170 seminarians. 


About one-third of the 30 million people in Kenya are Catholic. The Catholic Church there is growing at a phenomenal rate and enjoys a good reputation for her stand against injustice, human rights abuses and corruption. Church-run schools, hospitals and health centers have served the people of Kenya well since the government has not managed state-run institutions very well. Amid the acute poverty, ignorance and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Church in Kenya has taken as her obligation the eradication of poverty, the establishment of schools to fight illiteracy, and the establishment of a healthcare system to eradicate diseases and combat life-threatening maladies.


The worst challenges Kenyans are facing now are tribal clashes and conflicts over water shortage or grazing land.  The Church in Kenya lacks the resources to achieve her mission and vision of evangelization and eradication of human suffering. For this reason, they continually appeal to all friends of good will to assist them in any way they can. With prayers and donations, both large and small, we are answering Christ’s invitation to help. One of the best ways of bringing hope to Kenya is to educate the country’s youth and provide them with a good moral foundation.  In sponsoring Fr. Dominic so many years ago, Mary Agnes McGrail cast the first pebble creating continuous RIPPLES OF HOPE reaching across the globe to help Christ’s sisters and brothers who are suffering.  Inspired by her example, several parishioners at St. Joseph Church and elsewhere now sponsor the secondary education of some of Kenya’s neediest students.

How You Can Help

There are ways you can help with the education of Kenya’s youth and the formation of seminarians preparing to be priests. Please click on the links below for further information. If you decide to help in these efforts, please print a copy of the Appeal Response Form and mail it to St. Joseph Church with your check.


If you decide to sponsor a secondary school student or seminarian, you will become a member of Imani Katika Matendo (Kiswahili for “Faith in Action”) and receive periodic “RIPPLES OF HOPE” newsletters with information about students and seminarians in the program. Members occasionally meet to share their experience as sponsors. 


All proceeds are wired to Fr. Dominic on a quarterly basis. 100% goes to program expenses. St. Joseph Church absorbs all fundraising and administrative costs.  reaching across the globe to help Christ’s sisters and brothers who are suffering.

Assist or Sponsor the Education of Needy Students

The government offers free primary schooling (Grades K-8), but students must pay to attend secondary school (high school). Many parents cannot afford to pay school fees and still take care of their family’s basic needs. You can help by contributing to the education of needy students or by sponsoring a boy or girl in a Diocesan school. Full sponsorship at $500 per year will assure students of their tuition fees, boarding fees, food, uniform, stationary, etc., for the whole year.  Sponsorship at any level is welcome. If you wish to correspond with your student, Fr. Dominic will select someone especially for you. This has been very rewarding for both students and sponsors. When you become a sponsor, you will become a member of Imani Katika Matendo (Kiswahili for “Faith in Action”) and receive periodic “RIPPLES OF HOPE” newsletters with information about students in the program. Members occasionally meet to share their experience as sponsors. If you are interested in sponsorship and would like copies of the newsletters or to view a video featuring some of the sponsored students, they available upon request from the St. Joseph Church Rectory.

You can also assist with the purchase of a musical CD, “Trust in God” or “Only in God”. Proceeds from CD sales support St. Joseph Junior Seminary for Boys in Molo, Kenya. Click here for further information.

Assist or Sponsor the Education of Major Seminarians

These seminarians have answered the call to the priesthood and are undergoing formation at St. Matthias Mulumba Major Seminary. The whole period of formation takes eight years.  It costs $1,000 per year to educate and support a seminarian.  The Vatican currently gives the seminary a subsidy of $600 per year per student.  Fr. Dominic, as Rector, is expected to find money to make up the difference in the cost to educate, feed and clothe them, and take care of their medical needs. This has not been easy. You can help by contributing to the seminary or by sponsoring a seminarian.  Full sponsorship is $400 per year, but sponsorship and contributions at any level are appreciated. If you wish to correspond with a seminarian, Fr. Dominic will select one especially for you

Appeal Response Form [for printing)