Category Parish News

St Anne’s Parish Junior Sunday School Children Cheer the Sick As a Way of Living the Gospel Values

Benedict Masudi Kauteka*

On 20^th January, 2019, Junior Sunday School (JSS) children of St Anne’s Parish visited their two colleagues, Patrick Phiri a Standard Four learner who was down with malaria and Misheck Mwaungulu, a Standard Five learner, who sustained a fracture on the left arm. Both are learners at St Anne’s Primary School.

The Junior Sunday school children did this after their Sunday service as one way of putting in practice.  Junior Sunday school children carry out a number of charitable activities in the zone as one way of living the Gospel values. Some of such charitable activities include fetching firewood, water and washing for the aged, and cheering the sick.

In his explanation regarding his fracture, Misheck indicated that he stumbled and fell down on the ground as he was going back home from school.

One impressing thing was that when these children reached the home of each of these two patients, one of them opened with a word of prayer and give some introductory remarks to which the patient would respond by narrating his condition. This followed presentation of a bottle of soft drink and biscuits bought from their own contributions.

Thereafter, a prayer was offered by one of them and they could depart from the home with smiles on their faces after cheering. The patients, in each case, were full of joy also as they felt liberated from the burden of loneliness in their respective homes.

*The author is the Catechetical Methodology Advisor for St Anne’s Parish

Youth Urged to Utilize Exchange Visits As Learning and Evangelization Tool

By Phillip H Chisi

Youths from St Mary’s and St Denis (Chilulu Outstation in Mzuzu Diocese) parishes have been called upon to utilize exchange visits as learning and evangelization tool.

The Catechetical Methodology Advisor (CMA) for St Mary’s Parish made this call at St Mary’s Parish over the weekend when the Parish hosted Catholic youths from Chilulu Outstation St Denis Parish.

In his speech, Catechetical Methodology Advisor (CMA) for St Mary’s Parish said exchange visits have the capacity to create common understanding, forging relationships and sharing experiences.

He further said through such visits youths renew their commitments to  relevant approaches or make commitments to new approaches, and create friendships as friendships as foundation for future networking and evangelization.

He added that visits benefit both the travelers and hosts as they both learn from each other’s experiences, and approaches to living their faith.

Catechist for St Mary’s Zone, Catechist Mwamughunda urged both the visitors and the host to share whatever they have received with their friends back home.

In appreciation the Youth Animator for St Denis Parish Mr. Mwandila, thanked the pastoral team of St Mary’s Parish for accepting their request to visit St Mary’s Parish.

“We felt at home and above all you gave us the privilege to visit Tanzania side, a thing we never expected. We will be glad to welcome you at Chilulu Outstation,” said Mwandila.

Over 51 youth from Chilulu Outstation were part of the three day visit. They arrived on 14 and departed on 16 December. The visit was meant to strengthen relationships and networking among youths from the two parishes.

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

Association of Catholic Teachers of St Mary’s Parish Commended for their Commitment to the Church

By Phillip H Chisi (CMA)

The Parish Priest of St Mary’s Parish Father Joseph Sikwese has commended teacher members of the Association of Catholic Teachers (ACT) under the parish for their strong commitment to the Church and cause of promoting Catholic education.

Father Joseph Sikwese, who is also the Pastoral Secretary for the Diocese of Karonga, said this at St Mary’s Parish during the conference of Association of Catholic Teachers (ACT) which took place from 3^rd to 5^th August, 2018.

In his remarks, the Parish Priest Father Joseph Sikwese appreciated the turnout of teachers which implies that they are devout Catholics.

“You are strongly committed to the Church and its values and fully committed, to the cause of Catholic education. You are also committed to Catholic Social Teaching and are steadfast agents through whom the catholic values and faith can be implemented in the schools where you are serving,” said Father Sikwese.

His remarks were in line with Bishop Martin Mtumbuka’s statement during the 2017 Association of Catholic Teachers’ conference. The statement stressed that teachers are role models and should use their positions to impart moral values and discipline.

St Mary’s Parish ACT is a group of Catholic primary and secondary school teachers who wish to support their parish in the teaching of catholic faith by participating in Sunday school as instructors among other aims. As an Association, working together to promote their Catholic faith, lighting the way for the future of Catholic education becomes their core priority.

In his remarks, Chairperson for St Mary’s Parish Association of Catholic Teachers Mr. Mwanguku thanked the pastoral team for making their convention possible. He promised that as teachers, they will continue carrying the flag of Catholic education and living the values it demands in their own life and profession.

The teachers shared on the successes and challenges they face in their work. They also interacted with resource persons on the following topics: Articles of Catholic faith by Fr. Joseph Sikwese; Catholic Education Policy by Mr. Remmie Kamanga, Leadership & Administration by Mr. Thomas Chauzuka Nyondo, and 2019 Malawi’s Tripartite Elections by CCJP.

Chipalanje Church Construction Progressing Well

By Leah Nyondo

St Michael’s Parish continues to walk the talk in the area of having good, spacious and strong Church structures from outstation to substation levels.

Recently, the Parish Priest of St Michael’s Parish Father Charles Peter Chinula held a tour to inspect the progress of construction work at St Patrick’s (Chipalanje) Substation.

Addressing Church committee members after the inspection tour, Father Chinula expressed satisfaction with the progress made. Further, he said his objective is to ensure that all outstations and substations have standard church structures.

“It is the duty of the parish to construct good church structures in the outstations and not leaving it to them (Christians in the outstations) because they end up building small and weak structures which do not last long,” said Father Chinula to Church committee members.

Christians support the church construction projects by moulding bricks, ferrying sand and water and providing food to the labourers as their contribution. The rest of the requirements, like cement and iron sheets are, provided by the Parish.

So far the parish is constructing two churches at Chisankhwa and Chipalanje. These churches will be blessed by the Bishop of the Diocese of Karonga Right Reverend Martin Anwel Mtumbuka late September and 4^th November, 2018, respectively.