Sam Kalimba

12th February, 2022: Archbishop George Desmond Tambala of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe has called upon the clergy and the religious in the Archdiocese to work towards ending the challenges youth are facing. He said this on the occasion of celebrating the world day of the consecrated on 12 February, 2022 at the Our Lady of Africa – Maula Cathedral.

“Drug abuse is apparently becoming a common challenge for our youth mainly in Lilongwe. If we don’t deal with this now we are pitching a future without the Church. The future Church is being built on these youths and hence I urge all the congregations to take this issue as a matter of life and death. The Church needs the youth more than anything else,” said Archbishop Tambala.

Archbishop Tambala went further to ask for unity among the consecrated arguing that it is only in unity that all what he expects from them could be done.

“I don’t expect individuals but the whole congregation. I don’t expect a single congregation but the union of the Association for Men Religious Institutes in Malawi (AMRIM), that of the Association of Women in Religious Institutes of Malawi (AWRIM), and indeed the union of the Association of Diocesan Catholic Clergy of Lilongwe (ADCCOL) to work together to achieve our goal. I know that it is the contribution of individual members but let the results be focused on unity and not an individual,” said Archbishop.

For the first time in the history of the Archdiocese, the local ordinary also announced the establishment of the office of the Vicar for Religious. He said that the move is Canonical and it comes in the spirit of building the much needed unity among the Religious.

“I wish to announce a new office that will be a bridge between and among the associations that we have as well as between you and the Church through my Office. I thank Rev. Fr. Bill Turnbull, M Afr. for accepting to be the Archdiocesan Vicar for the Religious.  I also thank Rev. Fr. David Niwagaba, SMM for accepting to be the Vice Archdiocesan Vicar for the Religious. You will see them coming to your communities and associations. They will only be doing their prerequisite function of bringing us together,” Archbishop George Tambala told the parked Cathedral.

Similar sentiments on unity among the clergy and religious of different congregations in the Archdiocese were made during the 2021 Chrism Mass by the care taker Archbishop Thoma Luke Msusa of the Catholic Archdiocese of Blantyre.

The Archdiocese has several lay youth groups including Parish Youth Movements, Young Christian Students/Workers, Community of Sant’Egidio and the Holy Childhood of the Pontifical Mission Society.

Members of the various congregations of priests, brothers and sisters of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe on 12 February, converged at the Monastery of the Poor Clares and Maula Cathedral to celebrate the Day of Consecrated Life. Traditionally, the event is celebrated on 2nd February, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Particular churches have the liberty to shift the day to suit their programmes.

The Archdiocese of Lilongwe celebrated this Day on 12th February. The function started with a talk by Rev. Fr. Henry Chinkanda from the Episcopal Conference of Malawi. Fr. Chinkanda took members through the Synod document, reminding the gathering the content of the document. He summarised the document for the people in that it invites all the faithful to walk together, to journey together. And as servants of God, we share the threefold mission of Christ, and that is: teaching mission, prophetic or priestly mission and kingly mission. Fr. Chinkanda emphasised the themes of the Synod, which include, participation, dialogue and mission among other.

Finally, he outlined the calendar of activities during the two years of the Synod:

• In December 2022, all Small Christian Communities should summit the Synod document responses to the Arch/dioceses
• In May 2023, the responses should be compiled and submitted to the Episcopal Conference of Malawi
• In July, 2023, Episcopal Conference of Malawi should submit all the responses from all the Arch/dioceses to the AMECEA office.

The event was concluded by the Holy Mass presided over by his Grace Archbishop George Tambala. He talked on communion, and suggested another day of meeting other than one day in a year.

The Salima District Executive Committee (DEC) has approved a project for Securing Livelihoods of 2000 smallholder farmers and subsistence fishermen. This means that CADECOM Lilongwe will be working in the district for the next three years. Apart from improving the livelihoods of the target groups, the project will also focus on conservation of the commons(fisheries, forest, soil)

Sisters of different congregations in Diocese of Dedza offering intercession prayers.

Sam Kalimba

DEDZA 5 FEBRUARY, 2022: The Catholic Church in Malawi launched the celebrations of 2022 pontifical missionary societies’ 4anniveraries at a function that took place at Dedza Parish in the Diocese of Dedza on 5th February 2022.

According to the National Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies in Malawi Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa, Pope Francis declared 2022 as the year that the Church should pray and thank God for the 400 years for the establishment of the Congregation for the Propaganda Fidei also known as Evangelisation of Peoples by Pope Gregory XV in 1622; 200 years of the foundation of the Missionary Society for the Propagation of faith by Pauline Marie Jaricot in 1822; 100 years of the establishment of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) by Pope Pius XI in 1922 and 150 years of the birth of Blessed Paulo Manna, Born in 1872, founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU).
In a Mass that was presided over by the local ordinary, his Lordship Bishop Peter Adrian Chifukwa, Priests and the Religious working in the Diocese rekindled their consecrated life as one way of fulfilling the desire of Blessed Paulo Manna who according to Fr. Mwakhwawa perpetually prayed for the unity of priests and the religious all over the world even on his sick bed.

Bishop Chifukwa called on the religious and their superiors to translate the philosophy of the propaganda fidei initiated by Pope Gregory XV by opening the Church Catechesis to children and the youth as well as those willing to join the Church.

“To you Superiors of different congregations, I appeal to you to consider training some of the Sisters in Catechism so that apart from your Charisms and Traditions you also evangelize our youths before they look elsewhere for teachings. We have a lot of work in our parishes and we need your hand. This may be required only once in a week. I know you can manage to put to practice what we are being called to do this year as we celebrate the anniversaries,” said Chifukwa.

Fr. Mwakhwawa encouraged his counterparts in vine yard of the Lord to ensure taking the celebrations that will be at the climax on 23 October, 2022 when the Church will be commemorating the world mission Sunday to their parishes and small Christian communities.

“It is my humble appeal to you all fellow priests and the religious and including the laity to take these activities home. You are not expected to raise funds to celebrate these 4 anniversaries nor are you anticipated to organize specific functions for the same. All what you need to do is simply to offer thanksgiving prayers to the Lord, to teach and reflect on historical and missionary experiences over the past years and to do missionary awareness and pastoral plans for the future of the Church in Malawi and beyond for the coming 50 years, 100 years and 500 years,” Said Mwakhwawa.

The Church in Malawi shifted the initial plan of holding the event in Diocese of Chikwawa to Dedza due to poor road network caused by the cyclone Ana that affected the area.