Towards the end of the 20th century, The Holy Ghost Fathers – a missionary society greatly involved in evangelisation set out to spread God’s word and introduce Catholicism in the African hinterland. They identified Kilema in the Moshi area as their destination, and journeyed in from the Mombasa area, traveling south of the Taita Hills as their route.
With plans to construct a mission post, all that was left was the acquisition of building equipment and transportation of these loads to Kilema. The missionaries scouted for porters who they found within the Taita Taveta region. When the group realized that their porters all belonged to a similar community — unfamiliar with Christianity — the focus of their mission changed somewhat.
Location Scouting
Led by Monsignor De Courmount, they looked at the most strategic location with regards to density of Taita communities and the answer was a little area known as Bura in present day Mwatate of Taita Taveta County. They made plans to put up a mission to be used as a ‘half-way’ house for more missionaries to use on their future journeys into the interior. De Courmount’s idea was approved and he set out to begin construction. He was handed a caravan that consisted of one Muslim leader, six askaris and 16 porters – with the last group being from the community in which they were to introduce Christianity. 11 days later, they arrived. De Courmount spent time scouting a perfect section of the Taita Valley for the mission. He was accompanied by then Taita chief – Mbogholi and colleague, Father Flick.
In the shadow of surrounding mountains, with a stream freely flowing nearby, a beautiful location was chosen, and building began.
The Bura Mission
On 30th September 1896, the Bura mission was complete. Named Our Lady of Good Hope, the church had its first service that day and its first baptism of an indigenous Kenyan the following month. Through this church, sprouted two educational institutions: Bura Girls High School and St. Mary’s Teacher’s College.
Until this day, this catholic church is a worship location for the faithful in Mwatate, no longer a halfway house but a full service mission.
What do you know about The Bura mission? Let us know in the comments below.
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Bura Catholic Mission in Mwatate, Taita Taveta county,
Read more stories from our historical documentation of worship in Kenya here: bit.ly/KeHistoryOfFaith