Tuntufye Choir Visit Njombe Diocese
By Adams Mwenelupembe
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Njombe, Right Reverend Alfred Maluma says the visit of Tuntufye Choir to the diocese in Tanzania is a way of spreading the gospel through songs and sustaining the good relationship between Njombe and Karonga dioceses.
Speaking during the Eucharistic celebration marking the Solemnity of Christ the King, Bishop Maluma commended Tuntufye choir for the good singing using traditional instruments as opposed to electronic ones such as keyboards.
He added that singing using drums shows the tradition of a particular society and during Eucharistic celebrations the congregants are able to praise Christ through songs and the word of the Lord because the songs are sung in the way which can be understood by everyone.
“Am very happy and impressed with the traditional singing of Tuntufye Choir. Singing is part of prayer; therefore, I encourage them to continue with such tradition”, he explained.
In his remarks, one of the members of Tuntufye Choir Campion Mkolongo described the visit as of great value because it has transformed our spiritual lives and also our attitude towards contributing to the development of the Church.
“Many thanks to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Karonga, our visit to Njombe Diocese has helped us fill the gaps we have in our spiritual life,” Said Mkolongo.
Tuntufye Choir was formed by the Bishop of the Diocese of Karonga to be the model of all choirs in the diocese. Sixty four Christians of the Diocese comprised of choir members, liturgical dancers, Tuntufye Radio reporter, were part of the trip to Njombe.
Tuntufye Choir spent three days in Njombe where the climax of their trip was the Sunday solemn Eucharistic celebration. The Father Edward Kamanga led the group from Karonga Diocese.
The Diocese of Njombe has 45 Parishes and 60 priests.
Bishop Mtumbuka Closes Year of Our Small Christian Community
On Saturday 24th November, 2018, Bishop Martin Anwel Mtumbuka of the Diocese of Karonga closed the Diocesan Year of “Our Small Christian Community” with a call to Christians to yearn for the kingdom of God.
Bishop Mtumbuka made this call during this year’s Thanksgiving Mass at St Joseph the Worker Cathedral in Karonga, marking the end of the liturgical year. During a similar function last year, the Bishop proclaimed 2018 the Diocesan Year of Our Small Christian Community.
Thanksgiving Mass is an annual celebration of the Diocese of Karonga celebrated on the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King, the last Sunday on the liturgical calendar.
In his homily, which centred on the theme “Adveniat Regnum Tuum – Thy Kingdom Come”, the Bishop said Christ as King is also the Judge of the living and the dead. The Bishop exhorted the faithful to be dedicated in serving those in need as this is the way to the Kingdom of God.
Reflecting on the Last Judgement scene in Matthew 25: 31-45, the Bishop said the kingdom of God is reserved for those who selflessly serve others and not those who serve themselves. He said the way to God’s judgement is determined by the service we render to the suffering (the thirsty, the imprisoned, the sick, the naked) whom Jesus calls His brothers and sisters.
“The Solemnity of Christ the King reminds us that one day our souls will reach the presence of God to get our reward; salvation. And every week when we recite the Creed we profess that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.” the Bishop said.
Bishop Mtumbuka further said Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, it is the kingdom of heaven. He further said this is the reason we pray, “Adveniat Regnum Tuum (Thy Kingdom come)”.
“In this world there are good things, but there are also painful experiences, sorrows, accidents, wars, poverty, diseases, lack of medicines in hospitals, corruption and theft, witchcraft accusations, envy, violence against the elderly, children and women. This is why we pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God, Adveniat Regnum Tuum,” said Bishop Mtumbuka.
The Bishop, further, said Christians should strive to be counted worthy to stand in the presence of God and receive their reward. Referring to Revelations 22:20 where the author says “Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus” and the Lord responds “I am coming soon with my reward” the Bishop urged Christians to yearn for His coming.
“The Lord will come to wipe away our tears. Let us pray to the Lord to help us all to stand before him, to receive the reward of our service and to receive us in his kingdom,” said the Bishop.
Speaking during the function, Mr Joseph Nyondo of the Laity Council thanked the Bishop for the “Year of Our Small Christian Community” which he said has registered successes like; increase in number of men attending SCC gatherings, a deepened understanding of the importance of SCCs, strengthened unity within and among choirs as a result of their participation in the “Uzengezgani Withu” Choir Festival among others.
During the Thanksgiving Mass, Christians from all the parishes and Catholic institutions, within the Diocese, made contributions towards the running of the Diocese. The total amount collected was K7,118,815.00. Out of this the affiliates of Karonga Diocese from Mzuzu, Kasungu, Lilongwe and Blantyre contributed about K2.9 million and forty iron sheets.
During the same function, the Bishop awarded outstanding Catechists who have served the people in their areas with utmost dedication in the year 2018. The Bishop also awarded outstanding employees from different sections of the Diocese.
Thanksgiving Mass is celebrated on the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King to give thanks to the Lord for the graces received in the liturgical year and also for the gift of the Diocese which was inaugurated on 20th November, 2010. This year the Diocese has clocked eight years.
Justice and Peace Desk and Partners Document Health Rights Concerns in Chitipa
By Obert Mkandawire
On 21st November 2018 the Justice & Peace Desk of Karonga Diocese and its partners in OSISA Health Governance Project, namely; Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) and Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), supported community documentation of health rights concerns and system experiences for national level advocacy at Kakomo ADC in Misuku.
Among other concerns, the participants cited shortage of essential drugs. The documentation will also lead to the production of a compendium on health rights concerns from the people of Karonga and Chitipa.
After the ADC meeting, the team then met with the District Health Officer for Chitipa District to appreciate some of the issues raised.
Karonga Diocese Holds First Ever Conference for Families
By Ignatius Mvula & Benjamin Msowoya
From 9-11 November 2018, the Pastoral Commission, through the Association of Catholic Families, held a Diocesan Conference for Families at St Mary’s Parish Centre. 87 families of which 84 were couples attended the conference where they received lessons and interacted as families from various corners of the Diocese. This Conference was the first of its kind since the Association of Catholic Families was established in the Diocese in 2015.
The aim of the Conference was to deepen the faith of the families that gathered through the prepared presentations and discussions on the future of the Association of Catholic Families in the Diocese by looking at the draft Constitution of the Association and the Action Plan for the following year.
Bishop Martin Anwel Mtumbuka of the Diocese of Karonga presided over the opening mass of the Conference on Saturday, 10 November. During the opening mass, one couple, the family of Mr Benedict and Martha Nyondo, renewed their nuptial vows as they celebrated 25 years in marriage.
In his homily, the Bishop emphasized the significance of family to both the Church and society. “We need stable families in order to have a stable Church and society”, he said.
He cautioned the gathered families that: “The vocation to marriage, noble as it is, is not cheap as seen from what it demands of the couples – more so in today’s world where selfishness is rampant”.
He encouraged the congregation to root their families on selfless love, learning from Christ’s unselfish love. He also asked all pastoral agents in the Diocese to put special attention to the pastoral care of families.
Also present during the opening Mass were the Vicar General (Monsignor Denis Chitete), the Pastoral Secretary (Fr Joseph Sikwese), the Chaplain for the Association of Catholic Families (Fr Joachim Mwale), several other priests, religious sisters and catechists.
The families that gathered for the Conference also went through several presentations on Peacebuilding in Families, Handing on the Faith in the Home/Family Today, How to Fruitfully Contribute to the 2019 Tripartite Elections and the Constitution of the Association of Catholic Families.
During the Conference, it was encouraging to hear many couples openly sharing the benefits of actively being involved or being part of the Association of Catholic Families. Many of them testified that the lessons on Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning which were done in their parishes have awakened them on how to be better parents.
Many others also said that being chosen as Lead Couples in their Small Christian Communities has assisted them to re-examine their behaviour in many areas and has improved their families; they try to live up to the title of “Lead Couple” in their area.
It was not surprising to hear requests from the couples that such gatherings and lessons should continue at all levels (Diocese, Parish and Zone levels) in order to allow more families to know that the Association of Catholic Families has come to stay and to allow more families get involved and benefit from the presentations during such gatherings.
The Conference closed on Sunday, 11 November, with mass presided over by the Diocesan Chaplain of the Association of Catholic Families, Fr Joachim Mwale. During the closing mass, the couples that attended the Conference renewed their marital vows.
Participants fully contributed financial and materials resources towards the conference in terms of transport, food, stationery, refreshments and facilitators’ upkeep.
The Diocesan Executive Committee of the Association of Catholic Families was the main organising committee of this Conference. Although less families attended the Conference than expected (87 families of the expected 120 families, representing 73%).
St Mary’s Parish Youth to Benefit from Vocational Skills Training
By Princess Kamanga
The Parish Priest of St Mary’s Parish in Karonga Father Joseph Moloka Sikwese has called on young participating in the vocational skills training to work hard and make the most out of the training for their own and the benefit of their communities.
Father Sikwese made this call when he opened a vocational skills training for the young people of the parish at Lusubilo Orphan Care Center, in Karonga District.
Father Sikwese, who is also the Pastoral Secretary of the Diocese of Karonga and Bishop’s Secretary, said the training is in response to the many challenges young people are facing which push them into delinquency.
He further said the training is aimed at empowering the young people to be self-reliant and in turn avoid indulging in prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse, stealing and other forms of violence.
The vocational skills training will see young men and women being trained in trades such as tailoring, carpentry, business management and entrepreneurship.
The beneficiaries of the training programme expressed their gratitude for the training, saying it will transform their lives for the better since they will have an occupation of some kind and a source of income.
“The training will help us to avoid engaging into bad behavior as we will be busy here at school than just being idle at home. After the training, we will be able also to transfer the skills to our friends,” said Chance Mwanjawala, one of the trainees.
The training is an initiative of St Mary’s Parish in response to the high unemployment rates which trigger socially unacceptable behavior among young people. After the training, the young people are expected to start up their own businesses to sustain themselves. The training programme will run up to 31 May, 2019.
The project is funded by the Maltese Foreign Affairs Department through St Jean Antide Foundation of the Sisters of Charity of St Jean Antide, Malta
Traditional Leaders Handover Handover 30 Hectares to Chinunu Scheme
By Maureen .P. Soko
Traditional leaders surrounding Chinunu Irrigation Scheme in Mwalughali Village under Traditional Authority Kyungu have on 2nd November, 2018 signed an agreement that the land belongs to community members who are members of the scheme.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the representative of the District Commissioner for Karonga District, the Caritas Secretary of the Diocese of Karonga, Mwawi Shaba and community members.
The signing of this agreement is an assurance that the community members can now develop the scheme, in collaboration with the Development Desk of the Diocese of Karonga, without fears of future land disputes which are common in Karonga.
According to the Desk Officer for Development Desk of Karonga Diocese, Franklin Msiska, apart from evangelization, the Church has the mandate to help people in development activities like farming to ensure food security.
Mr Msiska said, the agreement will help to avoid wrangles since all parties have agreed that the land does not belong to anyone but the group.
He also added that the agreement will attract donors to aid the scheme.
“This agreement is very important because well wishers will be assured that their resources will be utilized effectively because no conflict will arise due to land ownership.” said Msiska.
On his Part, Mr Tembo who represented the District Commissioner appreciates the diocese for its efforts to develop the district. He advised scheme members to take good care of the scheme when fully established for it to benefit the community.
Talking on behalf of scheme members, President of Chinunu Scheme Lowani Simbeye said, currently the group depends on rain only because it does not have effective irrigation equipment, other than watering canes, which makes it difficult to irrigate during dry season.
According to him, hunger will be history in the area if they grow crops throughout the year.
Irrigation farming is one of the components under the Integrated Rural Development Project of the Development Desk. Among other things, the project is promoting climate smart agricultural technologies, vocational skills training for the youth, promoting afforestation and the use of energy efficient stoves. It is through this project, funded by Misereor Germany, that the diocese got into contact with members of Chinunu Scheme.
The Chinunu Irrigation Scheme started in 2009 with only 37 people, 32 women and 5 men but currently has more than 100 members.
Bishop Mtumbuka Transfers St Matthias Parish Centre to Chiwanji
By Ignatius Mvula
On 26th October, 2018, Bishop Martin Anwel Mtumbuka of the Diocese of Karonga moved the parish centre for St Matthias Mulumba (Misuku) Parish from Mughese to Chiwanji.
Speaking during a solemn Eucharistic celebration, Bishop Mtumbuka highlighted that it is within the interest of the Diocese of Karonga that the clergy must be as close to the people as possible, hence the move.
“We decided to shift the parish centre from Mughese to Chiwanji so that the priests can be closer to the people in line with our motto, we shall go to them,” said the Bishop.
“As you will all agree, Chiwanji is the central point where most people who need to see priests can easily see them and have their burning pastoral needs addressed. This is the main reason we exist as a diocese,” the Bishop further said.
Before the Mass, Bishop Mtumbuka blessed the magnificent Presbytery (Fathers’ House), which has been built by the efforts of the faithful of St Matthias Mulumba Parish and partners like Church in Need.
During his Homily, Bishop Martin reminded the people to live the faith they have received from Christ.
“We must all live the faith that we have received from the apostles. This must be reflected in both words and actions. If our life contradicts out teaching, then we become no better than the hypocrites that Jesus condemns in his teaching,” exhorted the Bishop.
Commenting on social development issues, the Bishop strongly hinted that the spirit of believing in witchcraft is not only archaic, but it is baseless without any logical standpoints.
“My brothers and sisters gathered here and all listeners on our Radio, get this right, when people claim that one or two people has bewitched them and they begin chasing old people and even killing them, the only explanation to this is the huge abject poverty and ignorance that have engulfed the people,” the Bishop further said.
During the same visit, the Bishop consecrated newly built churches at Makeye and Chuwa outstations. These churches have been constructed from financial resources generated by the communities of the two outstations.
“We tried to empower the Christians of the two communities to begin the projects of construction from the moulding of bricks through to competition. Now that we can assemble in this church and praise God for this gift,” said Fr Bernard Silungwe the Parish Priest.
“I am very grateful to you my Lord for coming to bless these Churches and to all the faithful for embracing this project with unreserved dedication,” Said Fr Silungwe.
The function was graced by the presence of many traditional leaders from the area, government officials and political leaders.
During the visit to Misuku, the Bishop was impressed with the progress the parish is making in its evangelisation efforts and well as social development. The Bishop also commended the missionary approach to evangelisation employed by the Parish Priest also because it is bearing fruit by bringing many to the Church. In the same vein, the Bishop pledged to give one hundred thousand kwacha to two outstanding catechists in the parish, Catechists Kayange and Mbukwa during the Thanksgiving Mass.
Among the many achievements in the parish, the faithful have fully embraced the idea of self-supporting their church, the Sunday school children are well initiated in their Catholic faith.
The Bishop also applauded the work of the Justice and Peace Field Officer for the area Alick Gondwe, for going a long way in bringing to book those who promote victimisation of people on witchcraft allegation and leading the fight against child marriages.
Because of its difficult terrain, as it is a hilly area, coupled with poor road network, most of the areas in the St Matthias Mulumba Parish are hard to reach.