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| Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa, National PMS Director, Malawi |
By Watipaso Mzungu
The Tilitonse Children Group at Guilleme Parish in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe on Saturday donated blankets to 130 underprivileged children. The gesture is in the spirit of living Missionary Day for Children, a day for prayer and role of Catholic children in the world, which Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Malawi is promoting in all the Catholic churches in the country.
The day gives children the chance to take an active role in leading the liturgy with singing, the reading of the Word of God, making church announcements, liturgical dances and the offertory procession.
Tilitonse Children raised about US Dollars 500 000 to buy the blankets, which they donated after a Eucharistic mass at Kamwendo Catholic Church. One of the group members, Alinafe Tobias, disclosed that they raised the money through contributions amongst themselves and soliciting the support of their parents, guardians and other people of good will.
“We want to inculcate a culture of love and giving among our fellow children so that they may learn to help others,” said Alinafe. She added that one of their activities as a group, is reaching out to their fellow children who are suffering poverty in order to teach them love and many other Christian values.
Rodah Jere is one of the children who received blankets and she did not hide her excitement, saying she would now be able to sleep in warm blankets.
“I am inspired to join Tilitonse so that I become one of the children that are promoting love and giving,” she said.
Head of the PMS in Malawi, Father Vincent Mwakhwawa, commended members of Tilitonse, stressing that they demonstrated a unique spirit, which is lacking among people in many churches.
“I am impressed with these children. It shows that they are managing to live what they are learning from the Bible and their teachers about a Christian life in the Catholic faith. It is not easy for many people Christians to live what they read in the Bible,” observed Mwakhwawa.
“This gesture is an example of what a human being should be, especially children. It is sad that, we, adults underrate children, thinking that they cannot love, give and donate. The children at Kamwendo Church have just proved to us that they have the capacity to love and express it much better,” he added.
Mwakhwawa further stated that love and sharing are core Christian values.
“However, society, nowadays, is full of selfish people and many such people are in government, politics, business and religious institutions. We must emulate what the children at Kamwendo Church have done. As PMS, we will ensure that these children continue to be taught well and that their love diversify to even wayward children in communities,” he said.
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