The Catholic Archbishop of Nairobi, Philip Arnold Subira Anyolo, has issued a directive barring the celebration of Sunday Mass in private homes unless explicit permission is granted by his office, citing the need to preserve the unity and sanctity of parish worship.
In a pastoral letter addressed to priests, members of religious orders, and the faithful, Archbishop Anyolo said the practice had become increasingly common, with some parishioners requesting private Masses instead of joining the wider parish community — and some priests agreeing to these requests.
“No Sunday Mass should be celebrated in private homes except for a grave reason and with the express permission of the Local Ordinary,” he wrote.
“Christians are obliged to attend Mass on Sunday and other holy days of obligation according to divine law, as expressed in the third commandment of the Decalogue and the Code of Canon Law.”
He cited canons 1246–1248, which set out the obligation for Catholics to attend Mass, and emphasised that this should ordinarily be fulfilled in a parish church or other designated place of worship, such as recognised outstations.
Referring to canons 1214 and 932, he stressed that the Eucharist should be celebrated in spaces intended for public worship.
The Archbishop, who began his episcopal ministry in Kericho in 1996 before later serving in Homa Bay and Kisumu, said the decision was intended to strengthen the sense of community within parishes.
He urged Catholics in the Archdiocese of Nairobi to “cherish the parish community celebration of the Lord’s Day and to keep it holy”.
Priests, he said, should “refrain from celebrating Sunday Masses in private homes” except in exceptional circumstances, such as when a parishioner is gravely ill or otherwise unable to attend church, and even then only with episcopal approval.
The move comes amid wider discussions within the global Catholic Church about balancing pastoral flexibility with the importance of shared worship. For the Nairobi Archdiocese, Archbishop Anyolo’s letter underscores a desire to keep Sunday worship firmly rooted in parish life — a reminder, he suggested, that the Eucharist is not a private devotion but a public act of faith binding the community together.
