• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Bishop Robert Barron
          • George Weigel
          • Question Corner
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Suzanna Molino Singleton
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Paul McMullen
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Father T. Austin Murphy Jr.
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
  • Advertising
  • CR Radio
  • Printing
  • Subscribe
Aziza and Siani Kayani are shown on their wedding day at the Baltimore Basilica. (Courtesy Aziza Kayani)

Sturdy foundation via Baltimore, Tanzania

Kyle Taylor September 11, 2020
By Kyle Taylor
Special to the Catholic Review
Filed Under: #IamCatholic, Black Catholic Ministry, Feature, It's about love, Local News, News

Third in a series about married couples who met through the Catholic Church or one of its institutions.

It was at the Mother Mary Lange Awards in 2015 when Aziza Cooper, the administrative assistant for the Office of Black Catholic Ministries, was  approached by Ava Brown about “a good man, a man of God” at her church, St. Edward in  Baltimore.

“She said ‘I have a nice young man I’d like you to meet,’ ” she recalled. “At first I was apprehensive, but then I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ ”

Siani Kayani was on the other end of that matchmaking.

“Ms. Ava gave me a similar introduction to Aziza, that she was a very faithful person, very kind and sweet, and friendly,” Kayani said. “I thought it would be nice to have a friend within the church, at least in the Baltimore community, around my age.”

The two emailed, talked on the phone and finally met in person April 2, 2015, Holy Thursday, their first date.

“Things took off from there,” she said, in a bit of an understatement.

The bride was welcomed to the groom’s family with mbege, a traditional brew from Tanzania’s Chagga ethnic group. (Courtesy Aziza Kayani)

They were married at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore Nov. 24, 2018. Bishop Denis J. Madden presided. Spiritan Father Honest Munishi was the main celebrant, and Spiritan Father Evod Shao and Vincentian Father Eugene Sheridan were concelebrants.

The marriage blended two cultures and continents.

Born and raised in West Baltimore, Aziza Kayani attended St. Cecilia and Seton Keough High School. Her husband was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and moved to the United States when he was 5. He grew up in Montgomery County, got a degree from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., and then a master’s in Health Management Systems from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

His career brought him to Baltimore; Siani works for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

They share common interests and a dedication to the church. After getting to know Aziza, Siani said he was smitten by how different she was from other women. It didn’t hurt that her name was a popular one in Tanzania.

“One of the things that attracted me to her is that she’s different from what I’ve been used to, in a very beautiful way,” he said. “It was enjoyable to introduce my background to her, especially when I took her to Tanzania.”

That 2017 trip was a milestone for Aziza.

“I know it sounds cliché, but something comes over you and you feel like ‘Wow, I’m back home – I’m in the Motherland,’ ” she said.

She noticed that the cultural differences extended to worship and faith.

“The Tanzanians were very spiritual, more so than people here,” she said. “I think sometimes people here forget the sacredness of certain aspects of the church. I’d say it was a stronger sense of spirituality. There was cultural infusion in the Mass.”

At their wedding reception, she was welcomed into the Kayani family with mbege, a traditional brew from Tanzania’s Chagga tribe, served in a wooden calabash to both bride and groom. She was presented with kangas, a colorful garment, in a ceremony that welcomed her to the family and Tanzanian community.

They reside in Catonsville and worship at St. Edward. They credit their faith as the pillar that has kept their marriage strong.

“It’s what guides us through our challenges,” he said. “It’s what we cling to in desperate times, it’s what we rejoice with when we begin our celebrations. It’s our foundation.”

Read more in this series

Faith, shared mission bring couple together

Good things come to couple that wait

Sturdy parish leads to 70 years of marriage

They both passed the test

Copyright © 2020 Catholic Review Media

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Kyle Taylor

Kyle Taylor

Kyle Taylor is a freelance writer for the Catholic Review.

View all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

Latest Local News

Retired Senator Miller dies, remembered as ‘lion’ of Maryland’s Senate

Ash Wednesday, other Lenten Masses will see changes in Archdiocese of Baltimore

Artisans, St. Philip Neri parishioners step up for $1.5 million church renovation

New children’s book breathes humanity into the stories of the saints

MCC watching bills as Maryland legislative session opens Jan. 13

Latest World News

Pope: King’s ‘vision of harmony, equality for all’ remains timely

‘We are better than this,’ deacon says before Johnson’s execution

Facebook removes video commentary by Mexican cardinal

‘We need the Lord to cast out demon of division in our nation,’ Washington cardinal says

Movie Review: ‘Pinocchio’

Catholic Review Radio

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Pope: King’s ‘vision of harmony, equality for all’ remains timely
  • Retired Senator Miller dies, remembered as ‘lion’ of Maryland’s Senate
  • Finches, a sweet start to the day, a spring mix recipe, and more (7 Quick Takes)
  • ‘We are better than this,’ deacon says before Johnson’s execution
  • Facebook removes video commentary by Mexican cardinal
  • ‘We need the Lord to cast out demon of division in our nation,’ Washington cardinal says
  • Ash Wednesday, other Lenten Masses will see changes in Archdiocese of Baltimore
  • Movie Review: ‘Pinocchio’
  • History’s greatest inaugural speeches
  • Artisans, St. Philip Neri parishioners step up for $1.5 million church renovation

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2021 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED