Cabinteely parish first got involved in supporting Kitui  late 2005 when Fr. Paul Healy made an appeal for money to buy motorbikes. Fr Paul, a native of Dalkey, and a priest of the Dublin Diocese, went out to Kitui in 1998, intending to stay for a year or two. Eight years later, Fr Paul was appointed Diocesan Administrator, or acting Bishop, of the Diocese of Kitui. In 2005, Fr Paul returned to Ireland to appeal for support for the financial needs of this very poor diocese.

 In contrast to Ireland, Kitui has no shortage of priests or seminarians- but there is a severe shortage of infrastructure and transport. Because of the very poor murram roads throughout the diocese, and of course due to the lower running costs, off-road motorbikes are the most practical form of transport. In 2005, Fr. Paul, then the Diocesan Administrator, was faced with a situation in which he had newly ordained priests freshly appointed to new parish positions, but unable to carry out their pastoral duties in full because they had no means of transport.  As a result of his appeal the people of Cabinteely donated €13,000 for the purchase of four motorbikes. 

 

At the same time Fr Paul had shown the need for a new boarding school in Kitui, and so Aidan set out to raise funds for this.The School project will cost €450,000 (including land) in total. We now have raised €160,000 euro to date.

The parish will continue to support orphan sponsorship as we feel it is most important to educate the youth,and give them opportunity to get out of the poverty trap.

We also want to help in the fight against aids.

Our plans are to get the youth of the parish involved in raising funds, to have cake sales, to have a garden sale. We also want to share the talent of our parish with Kitui, by helping in the various projects undertaken by Friends of Kitui.