In Bungoma where the Cardinal was born, in Kisii and Nairobi where he was the Ordinary, people have begun
to write personal and communal testimonies of the Cardinal’s holy life, of his extraordinary gifts and virtues.
Collection boxes have been distributed in the three Dioceses and the people have already written innumerable testimonies,
pointing to the holiness of the Cardinal. One of the places where a collection box is placed, is the Consolata Shrine in
Nairobi, run by our missionaries. The Pastor, Fr. Marino
Gemma, in an interview with the journalists, has confirmed that many parishioners have deposited their testimonies
in the box and he himself has “already submitted the first
batch of testimonies to Archbishop Ndingi, during the first phase of the process”. Fr. Marino strongly
recommends that all the people who knew personally the Cardinal, or had special work and/or life relationship with
him, “submit testimonies about them” to be used in
the process of beatification.
The place where the people’s devotion to the Caradinal is expressed in ways which touch the hearts of the pilgrims, is the Resurrection Garden, a magnificent Holy Shrine built by our Fr Ottavio Santoro, who is presently its Rector. On the grounds of the Shrine, at the request of the Archdiocese, Fr. Santoro has also built a Mausoleum where the remains of Cardinal Otunga rest. I contacted Fr. Santoro who gave me very precious information about the veneration of so many pilgrims. In fact in the Mausoleum of Card. Otunga there is a collection box for petitions, for the requests of graces, and for thanksgiving for favors received by the pilgrims who visit it. Fr. Santoro, who was one of the closest cooperators of the Cardinal, and presently is on the committee for the advancement of the process of his beatification, always nurtured a great admiration for him, and now he is one of the most convinced promoters of his holiness. Santoro said that the Mausoleum is visited by many pilgrims, (this year about 100.000 have paid tribute to the remains of Cardinal Otunga), and he hopes that one day soon, it will become the pilgrims’ place for all those who admired Cardinal Otunga while he was on this earth, and will venerate him after the Church’s declaration of his heroic virtues and holy life.
The place where the people’s devotion to the Caradinal is expressed in ways which touch the hearts of the pilgrims, is the Resurrection Garden, a magnificent Holy Shrine built by our Fr Ottavio Santoro, who is presently its Rector. On the grounds of the Shrine, at the request of the Archdiocese, Fr. Santoro has also built a Mausoleum where the remains of Cardinal Otunga rest. I contacted Fr. Santoro who gave me very precious information about the veneration of so many pilgrims. In fact in the Mausoleum of Card. Otunga there is a collection box for petitions, for the requests of graces, and for thanksgiving for favors received by the pilgrims who visit it. Fr. Santoro, who was one of the closest cooperators of the Cardinal, and presently is on the committee for the advancement of the process of his beatification, always nurtured a great admiration for him, and now he is one of the most convinced promoters of his holiness. Santoro said that the Mausoleum is visited by many pilgrims, (this year about 100.000 have paid tribute to the remains of Cardinal Otunga), and he hopes that one day soon, it will become the pilgrims’ place for all those who admired Cardinal Otunga while he was on this earth, and will venerate him after the Church’s declaration of his heroic virtues and holy life.
