The 26th session of the St. John Paul II Sabbatical Program concluded on Friday, May 8, with the graduation of 33 participants in a colorful ceremony held at the Beatitudes Christian Formation Centre, in Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Murang’a. The celebration held under the theme “Rise Above Challenges,” inspired by Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” marked the end of a four-month residential journey focused on ongoing formation and renewal.
The participants, drawn from nine arch/dioceses and 14 religious congregations, and representing 10 nationalities across Africa, Europe, and Asia, graduated with Certificates in Multicultural Psycho-Spiritual Counseling and Human and Personal Development.
In his keynote address, the Chief Guest, Rt. Rev. Peter Munguti Makau, IMC, Bishop of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Isiolo, congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to carry forward the impact of their formation: “We are truly proud of you. Thank you for dedicating this time and for offering yourselves to become channels through which what you have learned here can reach many others in need. When an agent of evangelization is re-energized, it follows that the community they serve will also be renewed,” he said, before appealing, “Wherever you are sent, be proud of this institution, and may God continue to bless you.”
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Sr. Irene Makovere, a Dominican Sister from Zimbabwe, reflected on the deep personal and communal transformation experienced over the four-month journey. She noted that while the participants arrived from different backgrounds carrying “different stories, burdens, and hopes,” they now leave the program as a people “quietly transformed, healed, renewed, and strengthened.”
“Four months ago, 33 of us came together from 11 different countries, carrying stories, burdens, questions, but also hopes. We arrived as pilgrims in search of rest and renewal,” she recalled.
Emphasizing the centrality of time in their journey, she added: “Here, we were given a rare and sacred gift, time. Time to write and read personal books, time to rest, time to pray and to listen. In a world that constantly urges us to be and do more, we were gently invited to rediscover something profoundly simple: how to be present to God, to ourselves, and to one another.”
“We felt our struggles, our fears, and our wounds, and we discovered that even we are beautiful before God. We rediscovered the dignity of our vocation, the gift of self-control, and the quiet, strength-guarded place within each one of us,” the nun, a passionate advocate for care of the environment.
Beyond personal renewal, Sr. Makovere noted that the sabbatical experience fostered deep bonds across cultures and continents. Through shared meals, laughter, silence, and stories, friendships blossomed and a sense of community took root. “This place became more than a center,” she said. “It became a home.”
“To our Bishop, Bishop Wainaina, in absentia, the dream that began in you is a holy dream. It has yielded so much good than you could ever have imagined,” she said in a message to the founder of the program, Rt. Rev. James Maria Wainaina of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Murang’a.
The 26th cohort included 20 priests and 13 sisters from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Egypt, Poland, and the Philippines.
Applications for the 27th session, beginning August 3, 2026, are now open. The program is available to priests and religious men and women worldwide who have served for at least five years.
To apply, please visit: https://stjohnpaul2sabbaticalcenter.com/application/
