The Role of Catholic Women Association in Promoting Social Cohesion: A Case of St John the Evangelist Parish, Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya

The role of the Catholic Women Association in promoting social cohesion is still overshadowed by men in the Catholic Church. This study sought how the Catholic Women Association at St John the Evangelist Parish, Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya has promoted social cohesion as a successful tool to transform society. The study’s objective was to examine the role of the Catholic Women Association in promoting social cohesion at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The study was anchored by Emile Durkheim’s Social Functionalist Theory and Julian Rappaport’s Empowerment Theory. The study adopted a Mixed-Method approach and a descriptive research design. The target population was 2320 from St John the Evangelist Parish, and the sample size driven from the target population was 341 fully registered members of CWA and CMA. Simple random and purposive sampling methods were employed. 2 CWA leaders and 5 priests were sampled purposely. The response rate for both quantitative and qualitative studies was 336(96%), 12 people were not available for the interview. Questionnaires were used to collect data for the quantitative study, while an interview guide was used to collect data for the qualitative study. The data for the quantitative study was analyzed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and was presented in tables. In contrast, thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data for the qualitative study. There was a significant moderate positive correlation between the variables, Catholic Women Association, and promotion of social cohesion, which implies that social cohesion when promoted by the CWA leads to a cohesive and inclusive society at St John the Evangelist Parish, Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The study concluded that CWA has played a great role in promoting social cohesion at St John the Evangelist Parish. However, to create more awareness of the CWA role, there is a need for combined efforts among the church leaders and the congregation to support the efforts of CWA in promoting social cohesion in the church. The study recommends that CWA should have mentorship seminars and leadership training courses as part of their association programmes.