An unusual ceremony was witnessed after a 29-year-old lady got married to the church through a wedding.
The event, which occurred on Sunday, January 8 in Kiamaina Catholic church, Laikipia county saw Margaret Wairimu committing her whole life to the church as her ‘husband’.
She explained that it was an event she had been longing for after going through a tough journey.
“It was not easy as I watched some of the girls we began together being sent home for they could not complete the holy journey.
She also stated that she joined the sisterhood at the age of 17 hence it is a decision she had fully committed to.
“I joined the sisterhood in 2011, I am the only sister in this parish. I would like to encourage other girls to be sisters and stop being afraid,” she noted.
The bride's parents came to a point of accepting her decision after going through a session of learning. Unlike other weddings which are faced with chaos, this is a solemnly held occassion.
“It was fully explained to us that when she makes that decision we will not benefit in any way and we had to accept,” Wairimu’s father stated.
To become a sister, one has to go through a phase of four years of learning how to be a sister and an additional six years to reflect on whether you have made the right decision.
After the period has elapsed, that's when you go through the wedding to get engaged fully to the church.
During the wedding, the bride maids are supposed to be fellow sisters who have been through the sisterhood process.
Bridemaids are common in weddings as they act as the bride's accompaniment throughout the wedding.
She is later dressed in traditional attire where she is instructed to cut part of the shoulder to signify that she has been married to the church since there is no bridegroom at such an event.
This relates closely to ruracios which involves various practises like marking territory and cutting shoulder.
