Daughters of Presentation of Mary in the Temple, in Kenya

Kima

The congregation of Daughters of Presentation of Mary in the Temple started its first mission in Kenya in 2014. The first missionaries of Daughters of Presentation of Mary at the Temple arrived at Kima from Tanzania on 21st October 2014. Kima is a village which is located almost 120 km from Nairobi and 20 Km from Sultan Hamud town which is the nearest town of Kima village where people go for their main shopping. Kima secondary school is located 10 km away from the main Nairobi- Mombasa highway. The village is mainly occupied by Massai and the Kamba communities, separated by the railway line from Nairobi to Mombasa. The people of Kima village are mainly engaged in livestock keeping. The sisters are working in the Kima Secondary school owned by the Diocese of Ngong and managed by Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel. The secondary school is jointly run by the Diocese of Ngong and Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel of East Africa.

Our sisters here take care of the girls in the hostel by meeting their various needs. Sisters conduct special classes to the students who are week in studies during their holidays. In addition to the educational work, the sisters visit families in Kima village and by their presence in many small Christian communities they meet the spiritual needs of the people here. The sisters continue to carry out the mission entrusted to them with great courage, trusting that their sacrifices today will be the seeds of growth for future development of our mission in Kenya. The community realizes that there is a growing need to attend to the needs of young girls and the families nearby and especially Christian families that go through tremendous struggles to hold on to Christian family values due to their poor cultural and economic conditions. Inspired by the life and example of our founders sisters try to reach out to the people, particularly girls through education and faith formation in schools, hostels and formation houses etc. Our mission has been to share in the Church’s mission by working as educators in the faith. Following the Charism and vision of our founders, DPMT continues the mission of Jesus Christ entrusted to the Catholic Church by working in schools, taking care of the girls in the hostels, in Formation houses.

Kibiko

The Daughters of Presentation of Mary at the Temple began it’s mission at Kibiko in Ngong, in 2015, south west of Nairobi in southern part of Kenya, which is one of the fast growing towns of Kenya. Ngong is a town near the Ngong Hills along the Great Rift Valley within the Kajiado County located in south west of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The Ngong Hills, from the eastside slopes, overlook the Nairobi National Park game reserve and, off to the north, the city of Nairobi. Ngong hills is one of the places of natural beauty and panoramic views of nature. Standing on the peak of Ngong Hills, we get a view of the whole town of Ngong , Kibera, a part of the famous Great Rift Valley etc. The area is calm and peaceful.

Presentation Convent Ngong- Kibiko

On Sunday, March 5th 2017, the Congregation of the Daughters of Presentation of Mary at the Temple celebrated the joyous dedication and blessing of the convent in Nairobi, Kenya. This house welcomes girls from the East African countries viz. Kenya and Tanzania. The mystery of the Presentation of Mary at the Temple enlightens our life and directs our path of formation. Each candidate is invited to enter into the School of Mary to participate in the mystery of Presentation at the temple and gradually assimilate the spiritual and apostolic features of our Charism - “Here I am, the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me as you have said” (Lk: 1:38).

The formation in the Congregation of DPMT is to help the candidates to accept life as a vocation and to seek and discern God’s will and present it as possible way to answer God’s call. It fosters the growth and over all development of young girls who desire to dedicate their lives for the human and Christian promotion of young girls of their and other societies as well. We aim to prepare them to live out their commitment as consecrated virgins more fully, with greater maturity, a greater sense of personal responsibility and a more total dedication of themselves to their vocation and mission.

The Candidates are engaged in a busy routine of prayer, class, household chores, gardening, poultry etc. Our candidates actively participate in the liturgy, choir and other parish activities. They are capable for the running of the house, cooking and working in the garden. During a short period of time they learn basic rhythms of presentation prayer, life and work. They are taught to pray, they pursue their studies, work together and learn to accept one another and live in unity. Through a process of discernment, the candidate is helped to respond to God’s call to religious life. In addition to prayer and discernment, they also learn about our Congregation, its founders, the history and other studies needed for their future mission.
During this period they are taught to reach that degree of maturity which is necessary in order to make a deliberate and responsible choice for the religious life. They strive to have a holistic approach to their religious formation which touches and transforms the core values of their lives.

We also collaborate with priests and sisters of other congregations in the parish and in the diocese. Sisters in this community reach out to the sick in the parish and visit orphanages nearby our community. We often attend the meetings of the religious in the parish, recollections and seminars etc. conducted in the parish. All of these wonderful experiences help us to deepen our commitment to the congregation and to the church as missionaries. More than anything else it has challenged us to try to live what we teach. We believe the success of our mission here is only because of God’s blessings and our beloved Founders intercession and our profound faith in God and sheer determination to do our entrusted mission. We entrust our mission in the powerful hands of our beloved patroness our Blessed Mother for its growth and development. Thanks to the help and support to our mission extends by our Mother General and her team.

Kimana

The seed-foundation of the DPMT, in Kimana, took root and gave birth to the establishment of its first school named Presentation School, Kimana in Kajiado north county in 2019. Kimana is settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley Province and is located in the Loitokitok District with Tanzania to the West, the Kajiado District to the North, Kibwezi District to the East and Taveta District to the South. People here in Kimana are mostly Massais and it is a massai land. For many years they avoided farming here in favour of animal husbandry. In recent times, they are encouraging farming in lands around mount. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. But agriculture is difficult due to the semi-arid climate. We have a clear view of Mt Kilimanjaro from our land.

Presentation Schools are lighted lamps that dispel the darkness in the pursuit of educational excellence! Presentation School Kimana is the first step of the DPMT in the African soil for one such mission to carry forward the educational thrive inherited from her Founders! On 21st November 2018 on the Feast day of our Patroness Blessed Virgin Mary Presented in the Temple The Presentation Pre- Primary block was blessed and inaugurated. It is located at Tikondo in Kimana in Kajiado County. The school is situated in a very calm and quiet atmosphere, ideal for the tiny-tots to be fully immersed in their world of learning and growing!

The students are at the centre of all our endeavors and they will be the recipients of an education established from a tradition of excellence, drawing inspiration from its Founders. It provides value-based education, and a shared commitment for the academic excellence, intellectual growth and an all-round development of the child. It continues to embrace and impart the human and Christian values. ‘An enlightened society walking towards the fullness of life’ is our Vision! ‘Be Light to Enlighten’ is our Motto. ‘Integral growth of the individual through Education of Heart’ is our Style of Education!

The sisters are involved in parish activities, visiting the families, visiting and attending mass in sub stations of Kimana parish and attending prayers in small Christian communities.