Faithful’s letters to ‘Nyaatha’ on husbands, alcoholic sons

A day after the sarcophagus -special glass box- which contains the remains of Sister Irene Stefani ‘Nyaatha’ was opened and a casket bearing her relics uncovered, faithful have started flocking the church hosting the remains.

A petition book has been placed next to the sanctuary, where Christians have started ‘writing letters and petitions’ asking Nyaatha to intercede for their needs.

Among the prayer requests filled by Friday evening revealed that a majority of the faithful had appealed to Nyaatha to intercede into their families and bestow peace upon them. A female faithful who withheld the names of her family wrote: “I ask you to pray for my husband so he could change his ways and get saved. Also help my daughter, who is set to sit her national examinations get good grades”.

Others called on the Italian nun to intervene and save ‘their alcoholic sons’. Another faithful’s account applauded her benevolence during her tenure at Gikondi, 85 years ago.

“You were compassionate and showed love to the weak, sick and elderly”. Nyaatha was yesterday beatified to Blessed in a Papal service held at Dedan Kimathi University grounds in Nyeri.

She came to Kenya in 1915, and was sent to Mathari area before being transferred to Gikondi Catholic Church in Mukurwe-ini where she worshiped, worked and lived, caring for the sick, elderly and poor.

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She treated patients infected by bubonic plague, which she also contracted from her patient Julius Ngare, a teacher and choirmaster at Gikondi Catholic Parish. She died days later.