The second edition of the Archdiocese of Nairobi Teachers Day is being held today, Saturday, 19th July 2025, at St. Mary’s School, Msongari. It is a special day set aside to honor teachers serving in over 400 Catholic-sponsored schools across Nairobi and Kiambu counties. With an attendance of nearly 5,000 educators, this gathering will not only be a celebration but also a solemn reminder of the sacred calling that is teaching. The theme for this year’s event is “A Teacher: An Agent of Hope and Faith at Home and School.” It is a theme that resonates deeply with the Catholic philosophy of education, one that goes beyond academic instruction and speaks to the formation of the whole person – body, mind, and soul.
Teachers today are more than transmitters of knowledge. In Catholic schools, they are seen as partners in the evangelizing mission of the Church. Their presence in the lives of learners – both in school and at home – is a source of stability, encouragement, and faith formation. They are often the first witnesses of Christ that children encounter beyond the family. The teacher, therefore, becomes not just a role model but a spiritual guide, a shepherd walking with the young, helping them make sense of the world while keeping their eyes on God.
The modern classroom is a complex space. It is filled with learners facing emotional, social, economic, and spiritual challenges. Many come from broken homes, others from faithless environments, and still more from communities where hope is scarce and virtue is ridiculed. In such circumstances, the teacher becomes a crucial point of contact with truth, love, and stability. The theme of the day rightly identifies the teacher as an agent of hope. Hope is not mere optimism – it is the deep assurance that the future holds meaning and purpose. When a teacher encourages a discouraged learner, when they celebrate effort over outcome, when they refuse to give up on a struggling child, they are planting seeds of hope that may take years to bloom. Yet bloom they will.
Similarly, the teacher is also an agent of faith. In Catholic tradition, faith is both a gift and a mission. Teachers are expected to model Christ, not only by what they teach but by how they live. They pray with learners, guide them through moral dilemmas, encourage spiritual habits, and remind them of their dignity as children of God. This work cannot be overstated. In a world where secularism is growing louder and morality is increasingly fluid, the consistent presence of a teacher who lives their faith is one of the most powerful evangelizing tools the Church has.
The dual responsibility of nurturing both the intellect and the soul requires deep commitment. Teachers must first be formed in faith themselves before they can pass it on to others. They must be encouraged, appreciated, and spiritually nourished. Events such as the Archdiocese of Nairobi Teachers Day offer such opportunities. It is not just a day for recognition; it is a moment of spiritual renewal, fellowship, and recommitment. Teachers gather not only to celebrate their shared vocation but to reflect on the weight of their influence and the honor of their calling.
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It is easy to forget, in the busyness of lesson plans and administrative duties, that a teacher’s words and actions linger long after a learner has left school. What a teacher believes about a child often shapes what that child believes about themselves. If a teacher believes in a child’s worth, that belief can carry them for life. If a teacher encourages faith, that faith can anchor a soul through life’s storms. This is why Catholic education insists that teachers are not simply employees of the school system but ministers in the vineyard of the Lord.
Many Catholic teachers today wear multiple hats. They teach, discipline, mentor, evangelize, and counsel – all often with limited resources and growing demands. Yet they persist. They show up, they smile, they pray, they correct with love, they cheer progress, they offer second chances. They are crusaders of the Gospel in the most unlikely of places – tired staffrooms, noisy classrooms, chaotic playgrounds. In these spaces, they proclaim Christ by their patience, by their integrity, and by their relentless commitment to each child’s success.
The second edition of Teachers Day is an opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for standing in the gap when families struggle. Thank you for teaching values alongside vocabulary, character alongside chemistry, and truth alongside theory. Thank you for the long hours, the uncelebrated victories, the whispered prayers, and the quiet sacrifices. Thank you for modelling resilience, compassion, faith, and courage. Thank you for being agents of hope and faith.
As teachers from across Nairobi and Kiambu counties gather at St. Mary’s Msongari, they will be united in purpose. They will share stories, receive blessings, reflect on their calling and draw strength from one another. It will be a day of joy, worship, recognition and prayer. It will be a visible sign that the Church believes in its teachers and that teachers remain one of the strongest pillars of Catholic education.
May this celebration reignite the fire in every teacher’s heart. May it remind them that theirs is not just a job, but a ministry. May it stir within them a renewed desire to shape not just minds, but hearts – hearts that will love God, seek truth, serve others, and bring hope to a broken world. For in every classroom stands not just a teacher, but a disciple, a shepherd, a witness, and an ambassador of Christ.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub County and serves as Dean of Studies.
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