Theses and Dissertation

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.168.4.170:4000/handle/20.500.12342/3

Welcome to Theses and Dissertation community

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Family

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Family Impact On Vocation Discernment Among De La Salle Brothers In Lwanga District, Kenya.
    (Tangaza University College, 2020) Olabanjo, Wole Patrick
    This study explored family impact on vocation discernment among De La Salle Brothers in Lwanga District, Kenya. Though family impact on vocation discernment can be both positive and negative, the researcher dwelt more in exploring the negative impact. The objectives of the study include exploring the impact of parents on the vocation discernment of aspirants to the Religious Life among the De La Salle Brothers; to study the impact of pressure for financial family support on temporary professed Brothers. The study was carried out among 90 targeted population and 90 sampling population, in Lwanga District of Africa, an Anglophone Province of the De La Salle Brothers Congregation in the Catholic Church. The Province comprises of six countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, with the headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The study has been able to find out the impact of family pressure on professed Brothers and young men aspiring to join the congregation. This impact could be negative or positive. When the family plays its role of good family upbringing, family prayers and bible reading, family devotion, unity and love in the family, parents’ faithfulness to each other, and participation in religious activities in the parish, there is positive impact on the child. All these prepare fertile ground for the child later in life to choose Religious Life of the Brothers. However, when the family fails in its role of proper upbringing, it has negative impact on the child. The research used a mixed method design comprised both qualitative and quantitative methods. The data was collected by the use of questionnaires and interview guide. The quantitative data was analyzed and presented in percentages and numbers while the qualitative data was analyzed according to the emerging themes in line with the research objectives. The study suggested some intervention strategies for addressing family impact on vocation to religious life among the Brothers
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Family Participation in Alleviating Insecurity in Umoja I Ward of the Nairobi County
    (Tangaza University College, 2019-01) Njue Njeru, John
    Despite Umoja 1 ward of the Nairobi County drawing up of the strategic plan (2014-2018) which included decision to combat insecurity, no concrete strategies were put in place to address the concern. This study sought to find strategies the family unit could adopt to alleviate insecurity in study area for sustainable social transformation. The objectives of the study were to identify the sources of insecurity, find out what roles the family unit could undertake to alleviate insecurity, reviewing conditions that hindered the family unit from playing an effective role in alleviating insecurity and proposing workable strategies that could be put in place to enable the family unit play an effective role in enhancing security in the study location. The descriptive research design involving both quantitative and qualitative research methods was used to access the data using focus group discussion guide and questionnaires as research instruments. The study target population was 373 families living in Umoja 1 ward. Based on Krejcie and Morgan sampling size table, 180 participants constituted the study size obtained through purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The data was analyzed through the use of Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The study found out that, lack of security education and formation, exclusion of the family in security matters, laxity by security enforcement agents, unemployment and weakening of the family values constituted sources of insecurity. The study found out that, individuals as well as the institutions within the society ,including the family had a role to play in alleviating insecurity in Umoja 1 ward; especially through joining Nyumba Kumi, training the children on security matters, putting security measures in their locality, enhancing collaboration with the neighbors on security matters, reporting insecurity incidences to the concerned agents and sharing of vital information with security agents constituted important family unit contribution to security. Rampart security breaches which were reported and never resolved such as robbery with violence, house breaking, muggings and abduction constituted of conditions that hindered the family from playing an effective role in enhancing security. More specifically, ignorance on security matters, lack of employment, high levels of poverty, technological challenges and corruption was noted as critical hindrances to the family ability to contribute towards sustainable security. Further, the study found out that, civic education, training on security matters, use of social media, use of creative arts, information sharing with the security agents and enhancement of legal frameworks constituted key strategies that could be used through the family unit to contribute towards sustainable security. The study recommended that, there was a need for inter- ministerial action plan whereby, the ministry of Education should develop a curriculum on security matters targeting the upper primary classes up to tertiary level, while the ministry of Interior and internal coordination should come up with integrated system of communication that allows for effective and efficient systems of communication and sharing on vital information to security agents. Finally, the government to take a facilitative role in helping the civil societies effectively participate in alleviating insecurity through civic education. The implication of these findings provided a roadmap towards security paradigm shift, where security planners would consider, prescribe and assign proactive roles of security to the family. The way forward was to come up with pro-activities that translated the study findings into concrete actions which involved, but not limited to; providing educational seminars, visibility campaigns, advocacy, further research and legal adaptation with a view of enhancing responsibility and accountability by all those that insecurity reality affects.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Pastoral Challenges in Marriage and Family Life: A Case Study of Parenting in Holy Cross Catholic Parish in Dandora, Archdiocese of Nairobi-Kenya
    (Tangaza University College/Duquesne University, 2017) Koroma, Emmanuel Batholomew
    The concept of marriage is very important and a concern of the society. For the society to continue to exist, its members have to marry and procreate, and this marry can be only between a matured man and a woman. Marriage between a man and a woman has Divine Origin. It was ordained by God that a man and a woman must come together in marriage to bring forth children. This is clearly captured in the bible that God is the Author of marriage and family, and He instituted it from the beginning of creation. In this account, God created everything including Adam, the first man on earth. However, there was no one like Adam, as a result of this God created Eve, Adam‟s wife as help mate. It is worth noting that God‟s observation that it was not good for Adam to stay alone led Him to the creation of his helper, Eve. She was the suitable companion to Adam because from Adam‟s own self, God created Eve. Adam‟s exclamation at the creation of Eve clearly shows the sexual attraction between men and women. (Cf. Gen. 2:18; 22-24) This particular Biblical passage refers to marriage and it means that it was instituted my God. Marriage ought to bring about together both the husband and the wife in love and with the primary aim of procreation. In this regard, the Council Fathers put it that: “Married love is an eminently human love because it is an affection between two persons; it can enrich the sentiments of the Spirit and their physical expression with the unique dignity and ennoble them as a special elements and sign of the friendship proper to marriage.” (GS, 49) Even though the institution of marriage is of Divine Origin, currently marriage and family life is under siege due to the fact that there are so many pastoral challenges in which this institution is face with like infidelity, parenting, alcoholism, separation, divorce and remarry among others. In this light, the Church cannot be silence seeing her children under going such challenges in their marriages. This is why I have set out to examine the causes of one of the above challenges, specifically parenting in order to give a pastoral recommendations and suggestions for families, pastors and pastoral agents in the Holy Cross parish Dandora which will help them in their marriage vocation and pastoral ministry. In the theological studies in Tangaza, the pastoral agent was exposed to courses which discuss marriage and family life such as: Moral Theology, Pastoral Theology, Social Doctrine of the Church, Sacramentology IV: Matrimony and Holy Orders, Catechetics, Sexuality, Marital and Family Morality, Canon Law: Marriage Processes, and Marriage and Family Pastoral Ministry. These made him also to be exposed to many Church documents dealing with marriage and family life like: On Human Life (Humanea Vitae), The Family in the Modern World (Familiaris Consortio), The Second Vatican Council, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (Part Two: Chapter Five, which is entitled: The Family, the Vital Cell of Society), and many others. All these have raised my interest and concern for marriage and family life.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    How Active Participation of Men in SCCs Can Strengthen The Faith Of The Family In Kenya Today
    (Tangaza University College, 2017) Ngala Karani, Joseph
    The ecclesiology of communion which developed from the Vatican Council’s model of the Church as People of God was the force behind the African Synod image of the Church as Family of God. This image of the Church makes it easy for the understanding of the creation of Small Christian Communities as a New Model of Being Church. Richard Currier and Francis Gram begin the first chapter of their book, ‘Forming Small Christian Communities: A Personal Journey’ with these words: “It is surprising how much we can learn about Small Christian Communities (SCCs) in the first chapter of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.” 1 There is no doubt that this statement refers to the friendship that existed between God the creator and the creatures, Adam and Eve, a community of love and caring for one another, since the writer tells us how God used to take a stroll with Adam in the garden in the evenings (cf. Gn. 3:8). From this remote source of the first community, originated the aspect of communion which runs throughout the scriptures, showing the relationship between God and His people, the chosen race (cf. Gn. 17:1-11; Ex. 12; 20:2-11), as well as a relationship between the people themselves (cf. Gn. 4:1-16; Ex. 20:12-17). It is believed that the very precise initiation of SCCs was by Jesus himself in the New Testament. The first instance was when he called the first four disciples and later appointing the twelve apostles as his companions (cf. Mt. 4:18-22; 10:1-4; Mk. 1:16-20; 3:13-19; Lk.6:12-16). Though this first community of Jesus and his disciples/apostles seemed to be of only men, there were also women who followed Jesus and who were counted among the disciples as well (cf. Lk.8:13;23:55;24:10). These disciples when left behind by Jesus after his Ascension into Heaven, they came to be known as ‘The Community of Disciples in Jerusalem’ (Acts 1:12-26). These are the ones who followed the instructions of Jesus to wait for the Gift of the Spirit in the upper room in Jerusalem. Again, the twelve were not alone, since they were in the company of Mary the mother of Jesus and other women (Acts 1:14). After the Pentecost, the day the Gift of the Spirit descended upon the apostles, Peter led the group of the eleven, raised his voice and preached to the people (Acts 2:14ff). This provoked the listeners who asked what to do, and Peter told them ‘to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus.’ Here, the four pillars of SCCs were well stipulated, that is, ‘devoting to the teaching of the apostles, communal life, breaking of the bread and prayer’ (Acts 2:42). These have remained as foundation of SCCs up to date, since any SCC should draw its strength and devotion from the above four pillars. Thanks be to Pope Saint John XXIII for his great move of calling the Vatican Council (19621965) which acknowledged the images of the Church as People of God (LG. 4), the Church as Communion (LG. 32), and the Church as Body of Christ (1Cor.12:12-27). “These images bring out the fact that the Church is a community of believers that participates in God’s love as Father, Son and Spirit.” 2 This is the image/model the AMECEA bishops while meeting in 1973 promoted and decided to make SCCs a new way of evangelization. However, the implementation of it was not until 1976. This was meant for the laity to participate fully and actively in church matters through participation in the SCCs. The African Synod which was initiated by Pope Saint John Paul II between 1994 and 1995 developed the theme/image/model of the Church as Family of God. According to ‘Ecclesia in Africa,’ this model is made possible through the values and roles of each family member, just as in the SCC where each member has roles to play. The communion aspect is very strong since this is basic for African communities. On this, Rev. Joseph Healey, a Maryknoll Missionary and a Small Christianity Community animator in Eastern Africa since 1968, has the best term for it –‘a New Way of Being Church.’ He says, “Our African SCCs are a communion of families that are often called domestic churches.” 3 In this paper, the researcher is going to look specifically as to whether more participation of men in SCCs can be a way of strengthening faith in families. This research is also going to give special attention to the participation of men in SCCs in Our Lady of Heaven Karen parish in Nairobi Archdiocese. In African tradition, men are regarded as heads of their families while women are regarded second class or weak beings. This is however changing very fast since women are becoming equal partners. In SCCs they take leadership roles and are very active. They talk of equity and equality in responsibilities. St. John Paul II quoting Paul VI affirms that, “If the witness of the Apostles founds the Church, the witness of women contributes greatly towards nourishing the faith of Christian communities.” 4 Though women are taking lead in Church leadership, men should be aggressive. They should reclaim their headship, not negatively, but in a positive manner so that they act as role model to the family. Active participation of men in SCCs is therefore very vital since it will enhance, motivate and encourage all family members to participate, including their children. In the last chapter of this paper, the researcher will share about the participation of men in SCCs in the Diocese of Malindi, the diocese of his origin. Lastly, the researcher will suggest some practical pastoral recommendations as a way forward to motivate men’s participation in SCCs. All this is aimed at strengthening the faith of the whole family. At the end of it all, Small Christian Communities must be a place where the family finds the Church, and the Church finds the family, since SCCs are places of evangelization for the benefit of the bigger community.