St Theresa Catholic Church Mourns the loss of their Priest

BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth:

SOME FOUGHT to hold back the tears as they spoke of the man who, in the nearly two years he spent at the St Theresa Catholic Church, had made a lasting impression in their lives.

Jovial, loving, kind, a confidant, prayerful and God-fearing. These were some of the words used by members of the Black River church to describe the late Father Joseph Kimani.

Kimani, a Kenyan, died after the vehicle he was travelling in collided with a bus on the Melrose Bypass in Manchester last Thursday night.

Sister Suzan of St Theresa Church and Basic School, said Kimani?s death was a great loss to the church and school family.

?It is a great loss for us. Father Joe had been here for almost two years and we had been having a good interaction with him. He [had] been at our school, on the school board, so anything that is taking place in the school, any activity, Father Joe [was] always there with us, to support us, advise us; always involved and he [was] always in good time,? she said.

Sister Suzan said Kimani would rarely decline a request made of him.

?He was a very humble man, a very prayerful man, and a man that [was] always with people visiting, especially with the sick [and] those who are marginalised, and so on. He was down to earth with them; at the same time people loved his preaching, too,? she added.

Dorothy Robinson, who often accompanied Kimani on visits, said, ?He had such a lovely laugh; you could hear the belly laugh. He was loved and right through the community, you can hear people speaking well of him. I miss that man. We could talk about anything at all.?