Fr. John Anthony Kaiser, MHM “My son if you aspire to serve the Lord, Be sincere of heart, be steadfast, Whatever happens to you, accept it, Sirach 2:1-5 Mill Hill Father and Perham, Minnesota native, Fr. John Anthony Kaiser was found dead on August 24, 2000 besides his pick-up truck near the Kenyan town of Navasha. In 2001, the former Kenyan government and the U.S. FBI concluded that Father Kaiser "most likely committed suicide." Many people discount this theory, and currently the new Kenyan government is holding a special inquest into his death. Fr. Kaiser actually died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head. And new eye witness testimony at the September 4, 2003 Inquest Hearings revealed that Father Kaiser was "dragged out of his pick-up by two men in a saloon car moments before a gunshot rang out" on the night of his murder (Kenyan Daily Nation of Sept. 5, 2003).
Fr. Kaiser was honored prior to his death by the Law Society of Kenya for "Distinguished Service in the Promotion of Human Rights," for his struggles for the rights of the internally displaced people in the infamous Tribal - land clashing in Kenyan in the 1990's. He also was an out-spoken critic of the former Kenyan government's practices of land-grabbing. He became a "defender of the defenseless among his flock" (Law Society of Kenya, 2000) for his defense and promotion of justice for these displaced peoples of his parish and also of several young girls defiled and raped. Fr. Kaiser is remembered in Kenya for his defense of people's right to land, for encouraging the powerless to speak and claim their rights, and for championing the cause of the innocent and powerless. Copies of Fr. Kaiser's book, "If I Die" are for sale at the St. Cloud Mission Office. Videos documentaries of the life and death of Fr. Kaiser are also available for loan from the St. Cloud Mission Office. Continue learning about |
