The International Kolping Society was founded by Fr. Adolph Kolping as a Catholic education and action-oriented organization.He was born in December 8, 1813 in Kerpen, a small village not far from Cologne, Germany.
Fr. Kolping founded the Gesellenverein in 1849 which soon developed into the first successful Catholic social initiative and into one of the most impressive lay activities of the modern church. The Kolping society counts 350,000 members in 36 countries and it is ready to take up the challenge of the social situation in the third world.
The Kolping Organization of Kenya is a Catholic family-like community of life, education and action founded by the Blessed Adolph Kolping. It consists of local Kolping Families, Parish, Diocese, Zones/Metros and shares in the work of the International Kolping Society.
Fr. Kolping started teaching the young boys and girls some skills on shoe making. The main issue was to make sure these young boys and girls don’t get frustrated in life but have a skill that could help them help themselves.
They needed to grow as responsible family members, workers, citizens and above all grow as committed Christians who attend church and adhere to the fundamental teachings of the church. With the same notion in mind the journey men association grew and spread in Europe and later in other continents like Africa, America, Asia and is now called International Kolping Society.
Kolping Organization of Kenya is a non-profit Catholic lay movement and is part of the International Kolping Society, which is based in Cologne, Germany. It is also a member of Africa Kolping Association (AKA).
The Kenyan chapter was founded in 1978. As a church related organization, it supplements the socio-economic programmes of the Catholic Church and promotes social teachings. It deals with the holistic development of the human person and strives to improve the spiritual, social and economic capacities of its members and the community in general. Currently, Kolping Organization of Kenya operates in clusters, called zones/ metropolitans, in Kisumu, Homa-Bay, Nyeri, Nairobi and Mombasa.
A sustainable Catholic Organization those whose members realize full integral development.
Kolping Organization of Kenya is non-profit making Catholic lay association working for the integral development of its members drawn from the Catholic church and for the benefit of the community through spiritual nourishment and guidance, training and economic development.
The “Birth” place of the first Kolping Family and later Kolping Society of Kenya is Giciiri village, Gatuanyage Location of Thika District in Central Province. It is in this place where Kilimambogo Hospital is located, where his Eminence Cardinal Otunga asked Elmar Hausmann if he could come to repair and erect new buildings of the dormant Kilimambogo Hospital, which the Nigerian Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters wanted to reopen in 1978.
It is here where Mr. Hausman managed to sell the ideals of Fr. Adolph Kolping and thereafter formed the first Kolping Family on 16/8/1978. The formation of other Kolping Families spread over Kilimambogo Parish and later moved to Mang’u Parish, Central region and Western region as well. There were only two regions after Kolping got established in Kenya, i.e Western and Central region.
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