Sister Luciana Lagonegro takes her last bow after 57 years of missionary work

Sister Luciana Lagonegro, who was critical in organising Pope Francis’ visit to Kenya, was buried yesterday. She died a week ago aged 82.

While she has been under medication for a long time and frequented the hospital in her last days, her health prospects had seemed promising until June 15 evening when she died.

Also known as Sr Ida, she was born in Italy but came to Kenya as a missionary in North Kinangop in 1967. Cumulatively, she lived 61 years as a nun — 57 of which she spent working as a missionary in Kenya.

Daughter to the late Italo Lagonegro and the late Ida Nardetto, she was the first born in a family of eight girls — Francesca, Mariarosa, Sr Loreta (a Dimesse sister), Agnese, Daniela, giuseppina and Valeria.

She was a perfectionist, a sister, a mother and a grandmother to many, having dedicated her life to Christ.

She is remembered as God-fearing, a peace maker, a comforter, loving, generous, a disciplinarian and a mentor to many.

In her sunset days of service, she dedicated herself to the preparation of church vestments and altar clothes with women at Dolly craft — Kangemi and Dimesse vestments.

Sr Ida joined the Dimesse Sisters in 1963 and, in 1969, she took her perpetual vow in North Kinangop Catholic Parish, Catholic Diocese of Nyahururu. She celebrated 60 years of religious life last year. She dedicated herself to learning Kikuyu and, at the time of her death, was a fluent speaker of the local language.

She worked in various missionary stations including Manunga, Tabor Hill, Tombelle, Rumuruti and Kangemi.

During her mission, Sr Ida agitated for women’s empowerment, catechesis, and dedicatedly served at St Teresa Manunga Girls Secondary School, taking care of the church. She readily welcomed people from all walks of life whenever they went to her and easily made friends and treasured their friendship, the eulogy read.

Between 1963 and 1967, she offered her "service as a religious" in Tombelle, Italy.

In March 1998, she was transferred to Kangemi. She also served a stint at Rumuruti community until August 2014 before being transferred back to Kangemi.

Her life, the eulogy said, was balanced, nurturing her spiritual life such that even in her busy schedules, she was very faithful to care for her relationship with Jesus.

The Dimesse Sisters eulogised her as dedicated and hard working. Sr Ida's love for Christ, the Dimesse Sisters said, was immense.

"Sr Ida you loved, embraced and ...cared so much for your spiritual life with great devotion to the spiritual exercises," the sisters said. "Nurturing and deepening your faith in God was a priority." But there is a time for everything, they wrote in the eulogy.

"Our beloved Sister Ida, you have brought us here today to celebrate a life well lived," they mourned, adding, "we remember you vividly, especially your joyful heart that embraced everyone."

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