Posted on 12/14/2009 7:56:51 AM PST by markomalley
The Irish missionary priest savagely murdered in Kenya was due to retire home to Co Limerick next year.
Shocking details of the murder of Fr Jeremiah Roche have emerged, as police in Kenya concentrate their investigations on two suspects.
It is understood the priest was stripped naked, tied to a chair and was then stabbed in the throat and hit on the head with a blunt object.
The robbers left the scene with Fr Roche's blood-stained clothes, a CD player and two mobile phones. His clothes were recovered a kilometre away.
The killing took place close to Kericho, in the heart of the tea producing area of Kenya which last year experienced serious post-election violence between rival tribes.
Fr Roche was due to retire to his home parish in Athea, Co Limerick, next year after more than 40 years of dedicated service to the Kiltegan Fathers in Africa. The tragic priest's family have spoken of their grief and said they were "shocked and saddened" by the news.
"Jerry was a lovely man, he devoted his life to his faith and the church and he is someone whom we are all very proud of," said his niece Anne Cunningham.
"There were five boys and six girls in his family growing up and he was the only one to become a priest.
"Everyone was very proud of him and his faith and dedication to the church in Africa. He loved it over there.
"Even when he was home, he was working to raise money for his parish in Kenya and always received great support from everyone in west Limerick. We are just terribly sad here. All we have are good thoughts of Jerry."
Father Michael Sinnott, who was kidnapped by armed gunmen in the Philippines last month, said: "It's a terrible thing to happen."
He went on to hail the work of Irish missionaries around the world, as well as the "real heroes, who are the priests in Ireland who are working day by day to serve the people, under a lot of pressure".
Relatives received the grim news yesterday in a phonecall from the Kiltegan Fathers.
Fr Roche was the only Catholic priest in the Keongo parish and had only recently overseen the construction of a church in the area.
Africa is a cesspool.
Meanwhile, an Anglican Bishop ponderously intones that we must be nice to the Taliban.
Prayer to all of those who spread the Word in the name of Christ
“The robbers left the scene with Fr Roche’s blood-stained clothes, a CD player and two mobile phones”.
...hmmm. Another Kenyan considered these to be nice gifts to the Queen of England.
Didn't want to say "had his throat cut"
Wouldn't be PC.
My son spent 1 wks in Kenya doing surgery on children at a mission hospital in Mombasa. Then he went on a safari in the Massai Mara reserve.
He had nothing but positive things to say about all the natives he met there. There are many fine, fine natives.
Too bad there are those who are unwilling to move their people forward by incidents like the Kericho murder.
Sharia candidate and muslim frontman Raila Odinga was defeated, and he and his MUSLIM thugs turned their murderous gaze toward the Christians who overwhelmingly voted for Christian Mwai Kibaki.
Guess who was promoting Raila Odinga to the Kenyan people prior to the election and subsequent murders of the Christian people there?
It has a Muslim MO.
If all that truth had been REPORTED during the election, no way would he have been elected. It still hasn’t really been reported.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Tertullian
We will remember this dear priest in our prayers.
Don’t forget to adopt a priest in this Year of the Priest.
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