Spiritual

National Catholic Register reports that before Sabastian Sawe traveled to London for the April 26, 2026, marathon in which he shattered the two-hour barrier with a time of 1:59:30, the Kenyan athlete attended Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church, an outstation of St. Josephine Bakhita Lower Moiben Parish in the Diocese of Eldoret. Julius Kemei, chairperson of the parish and Sawe’s former teacher, described the champion as a man of deep Catholic faith who “never misses Mass,” who asks for prayers before competitions, and who generously supports Church projects — including a donation of sheep to fund the construction of a new church building. Kemei emphasized that Sawe’s entire family forms one of the four pillars of the newly established parish, and that the young athlete serves as a role model and mentor to the youth of the community. This account of a world-class athlete whose Catholic identity is inseparable from his public life offers a striking counter-witness to the secularization that has consumed virtually every other sphere of modern existence — and yet even here, the careful observer must ask what kind of Catholicism is being practiced, and whether the structures within which it is practiced remain faithful to the unchanging deposit of faith.