Sister Bitrina Kirway, M.M.
Current Ministry Location: Hawaii
Sister Bitrina was born May 9th, 1960, in Nangwa, Hanan’g Arusha, Tanzania, to Margarita Alois and Joseph Basso Kirway. She has five sisters and two brothers. Sister Bitrina graduated from Nangwa Girls Secondary School in Nangwa in 1980. She then attended Monduil Teachers Training College in Arusha and graduated in 1981 with teaching certificate. Later, she studied, at the Moshi Co-operative University earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1987.
Sister Bitrina entered the Congregation from Nangwa Mbulu Diocese, Tanzania, on August 21st, 1988. She pronounced First Vows on October 21st, 1990, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY, and her Final Vows on May 23rd, 1999, in Hawaii. Before entering the Congregation, Sister Bitrina taught for six years in various primary schools and in adult education programs in Tanzania. In addition, she studied English and Third World Theology at Assumption College, Sally Oak, Birmingham, England.
In 1991, Sister Bitrina was assigned to the Central Pacific Region. In Hawai’i, she worked first as a Pastoral Associate and Director of Religious Education at St. Rita’s parish in Nanakuli. While working at the parish, she became aware of the existence of violence within families, especially domestic violence and child abuse. She went back to school and completed a Social Work degree at Hawaii Pacific University while serving as an advocate for abused women and children in the community.
Sister Bitrina became the Program Director for Communities in Schools Hawai’i, a project of the YMCA, working with families, with special attention to the disproportionate minority in all risk categories of education, economics, social, health, and culture, as well as outreach throughout the state by partnering with many different organizations while advocating for the rights and safety of women and children.
Sister Bitrina was immersed in Hawaiian culture and traditions. As a certified trainer for ‘Ohana Management System (OMS) and Hawaiian Spirituality – Ho’oponopono, she provided culturally coherent training in the `Ohana Management System and mentorship for community leaders, and offered opportunities, especially for Marshallese families, by nurturing a healthy and safe environment.
In 2008, Sister Bitrina was elected to the Maryknoll Sisters’ Leadership Team. Toward the end of her term in office, she studied HeartMath and is licensed and certified as a HeartMath Trainer, Facilitator, Coach, and Mentor by the Institute of HeartMath, Boulder Creek, CA. Before returning to her ministry in Hawai’i, she also studied Transformative Medicine online at the Graduate Institute in Bethany, CT.
Sister Bitrina went back to Hawai’i and started a new program, Keolaniau (wholeness), which addresses stress, anger, anxiety, and depression. The Keolaniau program offers tools to help reduce trauma and prevent stress.
Currently, Sister Bitrina provides training to the staff of a non-profit organization, mentoring and coaching to individuals & small groups about how to prevent stress in our lives.
Whether I am with the women in Prison, or through a mentoring session half across the world, I witness a small miracle, an inmate finding peace after years of struggle, a teacher creating heart- centered classroom where children thrive, or a single mother lowering her blood pressure and becomes a beacon of positive change in her family after many years of living with stress. These moments of transformation not only give me joy and hope but also inspire and uplift the entire family.