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| Rt. Rev. George Tambala, Bishop of Zomba |
By: Mastone Peter, Diocesan Communications Secretary
A cross-section of Christians in Zomba Diocese gathered at the Cathedral to attend triple celebrations, namely, 100 years of Pope Benedict XV’s Apostolic Letter Maximum illud, 60 years of Zomba Diocese and 2 years of Diocesan Strategic Plan implementation.
At the celebrations, the Christians took their time to reflect on what they have contributed towards the growth of the Diocese in terms of pastoral and social development for the past 60 years and the role they are playing in implementing the Diocese’s Strategic Plan.
The faithful were reminded of their responsibility received through baptism as stipulated in the Maximum illud which was issued on 30th November 1919.
Rt. Reverend George Desmond Tambala, Bishop of Zomba Diocese presided over the function which started with the Eucharistic celebration held at Zomba Cathedral. On Maximum illud, he said the Apostolic Letter assigns everyone to go to the whole world and preach the Gospel, other than leaving the task in the hands of priests only.
The Bishop added that this letter should help Christians to deepen their faith through better understanding of the Catholic Church teachings.
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| Children ready to burst balloons to mark the climax of the function |
Maximum illud is an Apostolic Letter that redefined the Church’s missionary role. It focused much on the commissioning found in Mark 16:15, "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation.
On the 60 years of Zomba Diocese, the Diamond Jubilee, the Bishop called upon the Christians to reflect on what they have contributed to their Diocese in the past 60 years and how they are geared to take the Diocese to greater heights in the coming years.
On Strategic Plan, Bishop Tambala challenged the faithful to take stock of their level of participation and ask themselves if they are on the right track in terms of implementing the Diocesan development in line with the implementation timeframe.
The Catholic Diocese of Zomba, which has over 250 thousand Christians from its 17 parishes, is currently implementing a five-year Strategic Plan (2017-2022) whose overarching theme is ‘Towards a self-reliant Church’.
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| A cross-section of Christians that attended the function |
Speaking later at the same function, the chairperson for the Laity Council in the Diocese, Mr. Vito Sandifolo, said it is indeed high time Christians did a self-assessment of what they are doing for their Church.
He thanked all Christians who always play an active role in various programs of the Diocese, saying that this is the way to go and a recipe for building a self-reliant Church.
After the Holy Mass at the Cathedral, celebrations continued at Zomba Catholic Secondary School ground where there were a number of social activities, including a football match between priests and the laity.