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In Nairobi, on 13 June, a sombre mood hung at the Anglican All Saints’ Cathedral as the remains of Abuom were wheeled into the church. On the pews sat, among others, theologians, religious scholars, global ecumenists, and humanitarian officials who were paying their final respects.
“I will really miss you but I choose to celebrate you, the lessons, and life skills you have passed on to me,” said Tabitha Chepkwony, her daughter, in a tribute. “One thing that will forever stand out to me and I intend to uphold it all my life is, even on your death bed, you still praised God and thanked Him for his goodness in your life. Your life is a testimony, Mama.”
Abuom, 73, died of acute heart failure on 31 May at the Coptic Hospital in Nairobi. She had been braving a heart ailment since 2012 which worsened in September 2020.
Kenyan Anglican Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit presided over the memorial service. Inside the church, several candles were lit to symbolize the light that Abuom was for the Kenyan, African, and the global church.
“She has been the light even in dark places. We are celebrating the life of one who has left a mark, because her light has not dimmed. She has left behind a legacy,” said Sapit. “In the church, she was a teacher, a mentor, and an evangelist. She had shown a direction to many who did not know where to go.”
Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, a former WCC general secretary, told the service that Abuom’s departure was a huge loss for immediate family, friends, and many organizations whose lives she touched through services, friendship, fellowship, and solidarity.
“Although we are mourning, we are also celebrating the life of an ecumenical icon,” said Kobia.
A lay canon, Abuom is the immediate former moderator of the WCC central committee. She was elected to the post in 2013 at the WCC 10th Assembly in the Korean City of Busan. The first African and woman to hold the position, her term concluded in September 2022, at the WCC 11th Assembly in the German city of Karlsruhe.
“Dr Agnes sought to live her ecumenical commitment through a lifetime of dedicated service. We at the World Council of Churches, in particular, have so benefited at every level from her decades of ecumenical engagement,” Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary, told the service, as he also conveyed the condolences of member churches and ecumenical partners.
Pillay said the death of Abuom—peace pilgrim first to last, a true African, and also a citizen of the world—had brought home how vital her life and work had been in the ecumenical movement.
“Agnes showed us how Christian engagement, marked by love, can yield global, transformational change,” he said.
The Most Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, presiding bishop of the Church of Norway and a former WCC general secretary, said as an African church leader, Abuom had brought the spirituality and strength of churches to the global fellowship.
“As a disciple of Jesus Christ and a pilgrim in the world, she became the most credible witness of the love of God, and represented in a special way the presence of the Kingdom of God among us,” said Tveit in a tribute.
Abuom will be buried on 15 June at her home in Kapseret Tanning Village, near Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County.
Memorial services, funeral set for Dr Agnes Abuom (WCC news release, 12 June 2023)
WCC obituary: "Peace pilgrim Agnes Abuom dies at 73"
Livestream: Commemorating the accomplishments of the life of Canon Dr. Agnes Abuom
Photo gallery: Celebrating the Life of Lay Canon Dr. Agnes Abuom
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Participants of the Memorial service celebrating the life of Canon Dr Agnes Regina Murei Abuom at the Anglican All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi, Kenya, on 13 June 2023.
The Anglican Church of Kenya
