{"id":122958,"date":"2025-10-13T15:52:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T14:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122958"},"modified":"2025-10-13T15:52:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T14:52:32","slug":"kenya-church-acts-after-altar-wine-turns-bar-favourite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/kenya-church-acts-after-altar-wine-turns-bar-favourite\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya: Church Acts After Altar Wine Turns Bar Favourite\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Catholic Church in Kenya has officially replaced its long-used altar wine after it became a popular choice in bars and liquor stores across the country, sparking concern among the clergy and faithful over the loss of its sacred meaning.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) unveiled a new brand known as \u201cMass Wine,\u201d which will now serve as the official sacramental wine for all Catholic churches in the country.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The change aims to restore the sanctity of the wine used during the Holy Eucharist and prevent its misuse in secular settings.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba, chairman of the KCCB, the new wine is \u201cspecifically consecrated and reserved for liturgical use.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He explained that Mass Wine bears the official coat of arms of the KCCB and the Archbishop\u2019s signature to ensure authenticity and compliance with Canon Law.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThe Church has decided to restrict the sale and distribution of the new altar wine to dioceses only. It will not be available in bars, supermarkets, or liquor shops. This is to maintain its sacred nature and protect it from commercialisation,\u201d the Archbishop said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The new wine, imported from South Africa, was first used publicly during the National Prayer Day at Subukia National Marian Shrine in Nakuru on October 4, 2025.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0Its label carries a spiritual inscription:<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThe fruit of the vine and the work of human hands will become our cup of joy,\u201d the Bishop said, underscoring its holy purpose.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The decision followed growing concerns that the previous altar wine, locally produced and easily available on the open market, had become too common.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reports indicated that it had become a favourite drink in bars and hotels, prompting outcry from sections of the clergy and laity who said it had \u201clost its sanctity.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri Diocese noted that the Church could not ignore how \u201cwhat was meant to be sacred was being consumed as an ordinary drink,\u201d describing the development as spiritually troubling.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While many faithful have welcomed the new move, describing it as necessary to restore reverence to the Eucharist, others have raised practical concerns. Some parishioners expressed uncertainty about how quickly the transition will be implemented in remote parishes, while others worried about the cost implications of importing the wine.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThere are questions about whether the new wine will be affordable for smaller parishes and if the supply will reach all dioceses consistently,\u201d one Catholic lay leader in Kisumu told local reporters.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite these concerns, the Church leadership maintains that the reform is an important step in safeguarding the integrity of Catholic worship.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The KCCB has directed all parishes nationwide to phase out the old brand and source their Eucharistic wine exclusively through diocesan offices.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The move, church leaders said, is not just about the wine itself, but about preserving the spiritual distinction between what is holy and what is ordinary.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cBy setting apart this wine exclusively for Mass, we remind ourselves and the faithful that what happens at the altar is not common.\u00a0 It is sacred,\u201d Archbishop Makumba said.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo The Catholic Church in Kenya has officially replaced its long-used altar wine after it became a popular choice in bars and liquor stores across the country, sparking&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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