Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ahero Catholic Church was the ground that welcomed a mammoth of Luo widows known as St. Monica Widows. 30th August 2009 marked the Silver Jubilee of the movement since it’s foundation within the Archdiocese of Kisumu. The occasion was graced by Rt. Rev. Linus Okok and concelebrated by various priests among them Rev. Thaddeus Oluoch, the patron and Spiritual director of the movement.
In his sermon, the bishop stressed the importance of prayer in the life of any Christian and in a special way in the life of jokamonica (members of St. Monica) citing the dedication and perseverance of St. Monica, Augustine’s mother, in prayer. Being the Year of the Priests, he further urged the jokamonica to pray for the priests, their sons in faith, that they may administer the sacraments and the Word in purity of heart as their matron saint, Monica did to her son. He exonerated them of their brave step in remaining faithful widows in the church despite the Luo traditions of widow inheritance.
This was an extraordinary celebration in Kisumu Archdiocese owing to the fact that since its foundation, St. Monica widows have not converged in such a multitude to profess publicly that they want and will continue following the will of God and not the earthly precepts especially those attached to the Luo culture of widow inheritance. A cultural practice that has a lot of controversy in the region and beyond its borders. In the Mass scores of them took their public promise while another good number renewed their promise.
Its beginning
One Sunday in the sixth month of the year 1984 at Kibuye parish, Rev. Fr. Silvester Sulwe, (R.I.P) then the Parish Priest, made a solemn announcement after the celebration of the Eucharist; to meet all the widows of his parish. Surprisingly, there was a big turnout. This prompted him to regulate the number so that he can have manageable members for a start. Therefore, he ensured that, ‘ngat mabedo e kanyaklani nyaka bed dhako manie sakramit ma ok olimo chik piny bang tho jaode’ (members in this group must be receiving Holy Communion and must have not undergone any cleansing rite since the demise of their husbands). This became the sole criterion for the strong foundation and later membership into the movement. With this criterion, many widows were unworthy since in one way or another they had involved themselves in the practice. Only five of them were found worthy and together with Fr. Sulwe, the movement began taking shape.
The journey of great perseverance and hardship in fighting this bogus and superstitious tradition kicked off. It was a lifelong sojourn and the immediate agendum after the green light from the Archbishop Okoth Zaccheus of Kisumu Archdiocese, was the name of the movement. After thorough consultation and discussions with the members, the founding priest settled on St. Monica. This is because of many suffering and inhuman treatment met on the widows who refused to undergo cleansing after the death of their beloved husbands.
The perpetrators of such inhuman acts upon widows are at times their offspring, in laws, friends, and even other relatives. This lifestyle was not far from that of St. Monica. She also had her share in the suffering caused by the lifestyle of her husband, Patrice, and son, Augustine. The former having hardheartedness and not professing Christianity while the latter following a weird and immoral lifestyle.
With this in her family, she embarked on prayer as her sole arsenal to help convert them. Her perseverance in prayer yielded the fruit of double conversion of her husband and son who later became the bishop of Hippo, doctor of the church and a saint. This was in line with these widows; hence, their patroness being St. Monica.
The next move was to let the movement be known all over the diocese and even beyond. The members went out as itinerary preachers (joinjili) to mobilize other widows who felt the need of following Christ in purity after the death of their husbands. This was between 1985 up to 1988, seeing them cover most parishes in the diocese. Ugenya and Alego regions recorded a big turnout. The founding priest chose Psalm 46:1=11 which motivates them to this date, giving them the charisma to forge ahead despite the many odds in life.
The Five Pillars
Their founder, Rev. Fr. Sulwe had five very important pillars for the widows to abide by as they journey amidst various turbulent. These were:
1) Jokamonica nyaka tim kinda gi lemo (they must pray unceasingly)
2) Jokamonica nyaka land St. Monica e ping ngima (they must spread the movement to the whole world)
3) Kik jokamonica medie chumbi (they must not exergerate)
4) Nyaka gi lu chike Nyasaye gi adiera (they must be faithful to God’s precepts)
5) Nyaka gi lu chik jabiskop (they must follow the directives of the bishop)
Later on there was a composition of the St. Monica’s Anthem “wan gi chir” composed by Mrs. Clement Ogolla which is to date the household name of the movement.
The culture: “Ter”
The Luo tribe has for many years observed the custom of “ter” (widow inheritance yet for its proponents translation being ‘the institution for the care of widows among the Luo tribe’) as part of their earthly living. The younger brother of the deceased or any other relation if the former is not available inherits the widow after the widow undergoing ‘cleansing ritual’. The inheritor is to provide security, financial support, a canopy of male headship and parental care for her children and continuation of the deceased name and life incase by the time of his death he did not bear children.
There are various ‘cleansing rituals’ to do away with the bad omen (kola) believed to have been brought by the death of her husband. One involves the herbal treatment while another involves sleeping with a social misfit or outcast or madman or a well known person of this trade. In the first case, herbal treatment, the widow mixes the herbs in either the food and bathing water or in one of the two, so that when the brother in law leaves her home, he does not carry with him the bad omen. And in the second, the brother in law inherits her only after sleeping with the misfit, whom it is believed to have carried the evil spirit after the act.
This cultural phenomenon has for ages represented the Luo people as culturally complex tribe which has aroused different worldviews of thought especially in the intellectual and religious domain. Some societal critics have described it is most degrading, dehumanizing and painful to the Luo widows.
The widow who refuses to undergo this rite would face pressures from all fronts of life, and in most cases considered ‘unclean’ before the members of the society. Such pressures include not being allowed to participate in any social economic and spiritual function or activity, for she was viewed as a death time bomb ready for explosion. This enslaved the widows into psychological fear and endless poverty making them submit to the practice.
Drastic step
Many institutions and organization have come in to salvage the Luo widow from such practices. Such an institution in the forefront is the Catholic Church’s St. Monica Widows movement.
They animate the people on the dangers of the practice and on how the widow having undergone such a practice suffers in the hand of an inheritor. But the members in this movement are not sailing it smoothly. Many have met slow martyrdom while holding firm to their faith and Christian doctrines.
Agnes Okuogo who hails from Ojolla, was forced to have an inheritor, and in her prayers, the inheritor later turned eunuch. Whereas, Filomena Omuso had to seek refuge at Aluor Parish after having been evicted by her relatives from her home. Others like Christina Odundo have been attacked and battered with rungus by their children.
The battle is still on and nothing will stop these widows be it intimidation or physical assaults until they rest their case and desire in God’s will. And as their anthem states; ‘wan gi chir ka watingo achaye Yesu ka wachiko ka Monika’. Indeed this calls for bravery and faith!
(this article was published in the Seed Magazine http://seedmagazine.org/index.html in the March issue, No 3, Vol. 22)
