By Patricia Kanyumbu
PMS Animator, Lilongwe
Children in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe have been called upon to read the Bible, pray with the Bible and preach the Word of God in their daily life. This call was made by the Most Rev. Tarcisio Ziyaye, the Archbishop of Lilongwe on 11 January 2020 at St. John’s Msamba Parish when the Archdiocese was celebrating the Missionary Day for children as part of the Epiphany celebration.
The Archbishop told the children that the Catholic Church is celebrating the Year of the Bible and the Holy Father wants every Catholic to spare some time to read and pray with the Word of God so that they can get God’s light for their life and find content for preaching in the word.
“You children, the Catholic Church wants you also to participate in the celebration of the Year of the Bible. We ask you to read the Bible together with your fellow children, with your parents and teachers and understand what God is speaking,” Archbishop Ziyaye urged the children.
Over three thousand children from all the parishes of the Archdiocese gathered at St. John’s Parish on a long-awaited Missionary Day for children in the Archdiocese. To a child in Lilongwe Archdiocese, this is one of the memorable days in missionary celebration.
Together, they prayed the Missionary Rosary, celebrated the Eucharist, sang and danced together, offered gifts from their homes. Following the motto, ‘Children helping Children’, they brought their offerings from their parishes to assist their needy friends and support of the work of the Holy Father in the evangelization.
The presence of our Archbishop Tarcizio Ziyaye, of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, the PMS National Director, Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa, PMS Diocesan Director, Fr. Francis Lekaleka, Priests, the Guest Speaker, Sr. Rebecca Mathole, the Religious Sisters, the Lay leaders and Animators of the children, on this auspicious occasion, colored the day.
A motivational speech given by Sr. Rabecca Mathole stimulated the missionary conscious in the children. Working for the Association of Women Religious Institutes in Malawi (AWRIM), she emphasized the need for the Church to put much effort in giving holistic missionary formation to children.
Sr Rabecca encouraged the animators, parents and other pastoral agents to pay attention to the spiritual, physical, social and emotional needs of children so that they grow with dignity as desired by the God the Father. She also encouraged the children to continue attending missionary catechetical lessons at their Church communities.
The National PMS Director Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa encouraged the children to read the Bible every day in their families so that they become proclaimers of the Word of God. He urged them to take up the role given them by parents in their families, of reading the Bible during the Bible and prayer family sessions.
