Kenyan Women and the Healing of Creation: A Pastoral Perspective on Integral Ecology

Abstract

This article portrays Kenyan women as “wounded healers” who sustain life amid ecological destruction, genderbased violence, and social exclusion. Drawing on Laudato Si’ and cultural wisdom, it shows how these women practice integral ecology through sustainable farming, indigenous environmental knowledge, community caregiving, and faith-driven activism. Their resilience and spirituality enable them to promote peace, justice, and environmental stewardship even amid profound suffering. However, the article identifies a pastoral gap between the Church’s call to integral ecology and its practical pastoral engagement: women’s ecological and healing ministries remain largely informal, under-recognised, and insufficiently supported in parish structures and leadership. This gap restricts the Church’s capacity to respond holistically to intertwined social and ecological crises. The article, therefore, urges the Church
to integrate Kenyan women’s ecological wisdom into formation and pastoral planning, recognising them as essential co-creators of healing, justice, and a sustainable common home.