Pope Francis appoints Rev. Fr. Michael Odiwa as Homa Bay Bishop

Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Michael Otieno Odiwa as the Bishop of Homa Bay Diocese.

The news of the appointment of Bishop-Elect Michael Odiwa was officially made public in Rome on Sunday 29th, November 2020 at noon, Rome time (2.00 p.m. Kenyan time).

The letter of his appointment was sent to the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) by the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen.

Bishop-Elect Odiwa will replace Most Rev. Philip Anyolo who was transferred by the Pontiff to the Archdiocese of Kisumu on November 15, 2018.

Archbishop Anyolo has been serving as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Homa Bay since then.

Bishop Elect Odiwa is currently working in the Archdiocese of Adelaide South Australia as an assistant Parish Priest and in-charge of Italian speaking community of the Annunciation Church Hectorville Parish.

He is also a defender of Bond Tribunal of the province of Adelaide South Australia and Northern Territories.

Bishop Elect Odiwa is the former Vicar General of Homabay Diocese and the Parish Priest of the Homabay Cathedral.

He has also worked in Asumbi, St John’s Seminary Rakwaro, Rakwaro, Ang’iya and Nyalieng’a parishes.

The Bishop Elect was born on November 11, 1962 in Sori, Karungu and baptised in 1963 at Migori Parish.

He was ordained a Deacon on May 17, 1992 and ordained a Priest for the Catholic Diocese of Homa Bay on July 3, 1993.

Bishop Elect Odiwa studied Doctorate in Canon Law from Urbaniana University, Rome between 2000 and 2005.

He studied Spirituality at St. John’s Senior Seminary Molo 1986, Philosophy at St Augustine’s Senior Seminary Mabanga from 1987 to 1988 and Theology at St. Matthias Mulumba Kalemba Tindinyo from 1989 to 1992.