Sunday School Children Lead Epiphany Liturgy
By Ignatius Mvula
Sunday school children in different Parishes of Karonga Diocese led the Liturgy on 7th January, 2018 to mark the feast of Epiphany. The Children have been preparing for this feast for the past three weeks and were all filled with joviality during the celebration.
At St Mary’s Parish alone, they were seven hundred children that gathered from Friday to Sunday.
In her homily, Matilda Luhanga, a 13 year old girl called upon all the faithful to keep on gazing at the star of Jesus as opposed to that of Herod.
“Each time we seek our own kingdoms, we lose focus of the star of Jesus, we must at all times look at the Jesus and never waver with the joys of this world which are but temporal” said Matilda while attracting ululation from the audience.
Maltida warned the congregation on the evils of abortion, belief in witchcraft, dishonesty and rampant prostitution as serious vices of our time. She reminded the people that all these spring from a selfish mentality where the perpetrators think about the self more than the common good.
In the solemn Eucharistic celebration that was presided by Fr Albert Chilambo, the children dramatised the gospel to bring the message home. They also contributed money as a fulfilment of the belief of “Children Helping Children”.
Tomaida Songa, one of the instructors for Sunday school at St Mary’s Parish centre, pointed out that it’s always her joy to see children getting engaged with matters of faith and demonstrate them in concrete life.
“It is good to orient children to a life of faith while they are still young. This will help the church to be strong in the future with reliable church elders,’’ said Songa.
In their speech, the children thanked Bishop Martin Mtumbuka for the robust and booming Sunday School Apostolate. They hinted on the catechism lessons they receive, which cement their catholic faith, the Bible lessons, and weekly quiz and on the physical front the Likuni Phala they eat each Sunday.
The same event took place in all the parishes within the Diocese of Karonga coordinated by the Director of Pontifical Missionary Societies (PMS), Fr. Matthews Simwela.