Premium
Priest Habil Lipesa Omukuba from Kenya says Romania has become his second home.
In an interview for a local publication in Sibiu, Turnul Sfatului (Council Tower), the Kenyan priest confessed that he saw snow for the first time during his visit to Romania. He also learned to cook sarmale (cabbage rolls). He also talked about his conversion and referred to similarities and differences between Romanian and Kenyan Orthodoxy.
In January, Fr Omukuba visited several cities, churches and monasteries in Romania, where he served with Romanian priests. In Alba Iulia, he taught theology students about Orthodox ministry, according to basilica.ro.
The priest said that it is not easy to be an Orthodox priest in Africa, which is why he learns a lot when he comes to Romania.
“In my country, we have about 47 million people and about 500,000 Orthodox. I don’t know exactly. Otherwise, we have many confessions. We have many Protestants, then Catholics. So, we are very few Orthodox in Kenya. If you are an Orthodox priest, you are seen as someone who does not follow the Bible, so when I come here, I learn a lot because Romania is an Orthodox country, so I learn a lot in parishes and in monasteries. It really is a holy place, with loving, friendly and welcoming people.”
Father Habil Lipesa Omukuba is a clergyman of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. He is the founding director of the “Tabitha” orphanage and school in Kenya. If he took care of 50 children last year, he takes care of 130. Also, the priest has four biological children and a little girl recently adopted.
The Kenyan priest receives constant support in his philanthropic actions from Cisnădie III parish in Sibiu county. Father Habil Lipesa Omukuba will stay in Romania until February 24.
