OUR LADY QUEEN OF APOSTLES GATURI CATHOLIC PARISH MURANG’A DIOCESE
Gaturi Catholic Parish was officially handed over to us Conventual Franciscan Friars by His Lordship Rt. Rev. Bishop James Maria Wainaina on 13th February 2022. Currently there are four friars (the first ones to arrive) doing pastoral work there. They are friars: Boniface Muia Nzioki, Benard Waweru Moko, Benard Waweru Mwangi and Peter Kyalo Mwema.
The parish has 20 Local churches (outstations including Centre) namely: Gaturi (centre), Kiruri, Blessed Irene, Kihingo, Kigongo,Thuita, Ititu, St. Anthony (Thingithu), Christ the King, Kanguru, Munyu, Geitwa, Kamune, Nyakihai, Kairi, Mweru, Kabui, Mutuya, Kahinga and Gakurwe. Together, the parish has 122 Small Christian Communities (S. C. Cs), with a population of 25,183 baptized persons, of which 17,271 have received the sacrament of confirmation and 1, 387 the sacrament of matrimony.
Institutes within the parish
- Filial house to South C
- Daughters of Jesus the Good Shepherd Convent
- Cottolengo home for the elderly men (CHEM)
- Don Oriene special school for mentally and physically challenged
- Gaturi Catholic Dispensary
- Mugeka Polytechnic
- Bakhita Education Centre Gaturi
- Gaturi girls secondary school
- Gaturi primary school
- Mugeka mixed boys and girls secondary school
- Kigongo primary school
- Kigongo mixed boys and girls secondary school
- Mweru primary school
- Mweru mixed boys and girls secondary school
- Ititu ECDE
Challenges encountered in the apostolate
- No parish pastoral cars
- Poor roads
- Insufficient water supply
- The outstations (Local churches) are far from each other, hence the need to open news ones, but there is a problem of finding land
- The parish is still in primary (initial) evangelization: the faith of the Christians is still very weak, hence slow response to sacramental life and liturgical activities.