As the Superior General of the Brothers of Our Lady Mother of Mercy (Brothers CMM), a branch of the global Vincentian Family, Bro. Lawrence Obiko passionately encourages his fellow congregational leaders to “walk the walk.” While he confesses this may be a ubiquitous aphorism, Bro. Obiko preaches that true transformation can only occur from tangible actions aimed at serving faith communities. He speaks from experience, having dedicated his religious life in both leadership roles and hands-on ministries.

HUMBLE BACKGROUND

Bro. Obiko was born and raised in Kenya, one of seven children. His father was a supervisor at a coffee plantation and a concierge at a mission school. He attended St. Joseph’s Primary School and Cardinal Otunga High School, an institution founded and administered by the Brothers CMM. It was during his high school years that he was first introduced to the religious order, an encounter that left a profound impact on him.

THE BEGINNING OF A RELIGIOUS JOURNEY

Upon completing his high school education, he entered the novitiate and ultimately became a Brother in 1987. His initial assignment led him to a school for the deaf and blind in a small, Kenyan countryside village, where he served for three years. He resumed his studies at Baraka Farmers Training College in Molo. Additionally, he pursued Religious Formation at Tumaini Center and Spiritual Direction at Mwangaza Jesuit Training Center, both situated in Nairobi, while also focusing on agriculture.

DEPTH OF DEVOTION

Following his education, he served the congregation in various capacities, including as treasurer, community superior, postulant-master, and novice-master, dedicating 12 years to the Provincial Board. Notably, his role as novice-master was instrumental in establishing a new novitiate in Sigona, Kenya. He also supervised construction activities at St. Vincent de Paul Secondary School in Urambo, Tanzania, where he taught Computer Sciences.

In 2008, Bro. Obiko was elected as a member of the General Board and subsequently took up residence in Tilburg, The Netherlands, where he conducted canonical visits to fellow Brothers in eight different countries, promoting the congregation’s principles of brotherhood and mercy. In 2016, he joined the Vincentian Family Executive Committee and attended the inauguration of the Vincentian Family Office in Philadelphia in January 2017.

BEING A LEADER

It was obvious that Bro. Obiko knew what it meant to be a leader. During a meeting of his order’s General Chapter in 2021, he challenged his fellow Brothers to “be merciful brothers, joyful and courageous in today’s world,” urging them to carry the positive atmosphere of the Chapter back to their worldwide communities. He emphasized that this motto should not remain mere words on paper but be reflected in their speech, actions, work, and “even in their sleep.”

SUPERIOR GENERAL APPOINTMENT

In 2014, the Brothers CMM announced that Bro. Obiko was elected to serve as the 14th Superior General of the Congregation that was founded in Tilburg, The Netherlands, in 1844, by Bishop Joannes Zwijsen. In 2021, he was re-erected for a second period as Superior General.

TRUE PASSION TO SERVE

While Bro. Obiko proudly serves in a leadership capacity, his true passion is education. While working in a mission in Tanzania, he was assigned to lead the construction of a new school as well as teaching Information Communication Technology (ICT) instruction in a secondary school. His order oversees primary and secondary educational systems in nine countries, including The Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, and Zambia. Educational facilities in these areas were proposed and executed helping eradicate the lack of any formal learning system or adequate facilities.

Bro. Obiko’s approach to learning embraces a holistic approach. “We aim to make an informed child—a total person. This is not only the education he receives, but also the physical and the spiritual path, which evolves into a holistic approach. So that holistic approach is what we equip each child with so he or she is graduating as a well-formed, well-balanced person,” Bro. Obiko believes.

One of his primary educational challenges is the inadequate physical infrastructures where there is a lack of proper classrooms, libraries, and sports facilities. However, he admits that one of the significant challenges he has encountered revolves around the absence of discipline and structure in the students’ lives.

REALITY OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

“Looking at reality, it is obvious that most schools need to discipline their students,” Bro. Obiko states. “You need a good orientation, where there is opportunity of what is the future of the education and how can children be helped to find their way to the future.” His broad approach to education looks beyond the four walls of their early education and focuses on preparing the next generation to improve themselves, their society, and their fellow man.

“I guess this is the essence of study. Education is not only when [the student] is finished, but how is their learning experience going to affect their lives and the lives of others?” he asks.

His participation in the semiannual meeting of the Vincentian Family Executive Board in June 2023, held in Philadelphia, is one alternate avenue that Bro. Obiko hopes will answer these questions and provide answers for acquiring better resources while improving the methods for implementing change in poor countries. It marks the beginning of building bridges through global and local partnerships to achieve loftier goals on a more universal level.

“Collaboration is one of the big things,” Bro. Obiko points out. “We are not alone. We need each other. So, if we collaborate, we can do things better together.”