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| Kenyan delegation and Parishioners at St. Kizito Parish (Chigoneka) |
On Sunday, 20th July 2014, the AMECEA delegates took a break from their study sessions and paid pastoral solidarity visits to various parish communities in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.
The delegates who were grouped according to their Episcopal conferences and the organisations they represent had the opportunity to celebrate Holy Mass and interact with the host Christians at various Parishes within the city of Lilongwe. They were accompanied by the delegates from Malawi Episcopal Conference.
The groupings of the solidarity visits were as follows: Eritrea: St. John’s Parish (Msamba); Ethiopia: St. Don Bosco Parish (Area 23); Kenya: St. Kizito Parish (Chigoneka); Sudan and South Sudan: Holy Trinity Parish (Kawale); Tanzania: St. Francis Parish (Kanengo); Uganda: Our Lady of Africa Cathedral (Maula); Zambia: Sacred Heart Parish (Mtima Woyera); and Other delegates: St. Patrick’s Parish (Chimutu).
At St. Francis Parish (Kanengo), the 25 Tanzanian delegates comprising of 21 Bishops, 2 Priests and 2 Lay faithful were warmly received by thousands of Christians. The Sunday liturgy which was animated with traditional Malawian hymns and dances was presided over by Rt. Rev Tarcisius Ngalalekumtwa, Bishop of Iringa and President of Tanzania Episcopal Conference.
In his homily, the Archbishop of Arusha, Most Rev. Josephat Lebulu said that the Risen Christ through the Holy Spirit is working with the AMECEA Church all the time and that is why the inspiration made by the AMECEA Church in instituting the Small Christian Communities is desired by Churches in other parts of the world as an effective strategy for Evangelisation.
After the Mass, the delegates exchanged gifts with their hosts and visited the Social Concern Project run by the White Fathers, and closed the day with lunch prepared by the parishioners in their honour.
At Our Lady of Africa Cathedral (Maula); the Ugandandelegation of 14 Bishops, 5 Priests and 6 lay people were hosted at the Parish. The 25 delegates who were in two groups celebrated Mass at the Cathedral presided over by Most Rev. John Baptist Odama, and at the community of the Poor Clares Sisters presided over by Most Rev. Emmanuel Obbo, the Vice-Chairman of AMECEA.
In his homily, Archbishop Odama, the Chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference emphasized the fact that AMECEA was established with the purpose of ensuring that the Catholic Church in Eastern Africa grows together in unity and strength. “Eastern Africa can easily become pagan if we do not work together”, he stated.
The delegates were hosted to a luncheon, during which they exchanged gifts with their hosts. This was followed by a tour of the residence of the Archbishop of Lilongwe and Radio Alinafe, owned by the Archdiocese.
AtHoly Trinity Parish (Kawale); the delegates from Sudan and South Sudanvisited the Parish and Mass was presided over by Rt. Rev. Santo Loku Pio, the Auxiliary Bishop of Juba, South Sudan. After the Mass the team visited an Orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity, and a Maize production and grinding mill operated by Holy Trinity Parish community. They were later entertained with cultural Malawian songs and dances and a luncheon.
At St. Don Bosco Parish (Area 23); thousands of St. Don Bosco parishioners gave a colourful welcome to Ethiopian delegation accompanied by singing, cultural dances and a lunch reception.
Archbishop Berhaneyesus Souraphiel CM, Metropolitan Bishop of the Archdiocese of Addis Ababa and the President of the Conference said Ethiopia is impressed by the warm heart of the people of Malawi.
The Archbishop also said that the Church in AMECEA must work hard to teach the youth of Africa to love their country as at the moment, Africa is losing many of her young people trying to migrate to other continents.
“As Christians, we must love one another and show God’s Mercy to each other,” he added.
He also asked the St. Don Bosco parishioners to pray for the AMECEA member countries especially South Sudan.
The Ethiopia delegation was accompanied by Bishop Peter Musikuwa of Chikwawa Diocese, Malawi.
At St. John’s Parish (Msamba); Eritrean delegation, which comprised of two Religious Sisters and a lay person were led by Fr. Tesfaghiorgis Kiflom, Secretary General to the Eritrean Bishops were accompanied by the two bishops from Ethiopia (Bishop Markos Gebremedhin and Bishop Giovanni Miglioratti) and Bishop Giorgio Bertini of Djibouti and Apostolic Administrator of Somalia.
During the event Bishop Bertini and Fr Tesfaghiorgis Kiflom of the Eritrean delegation shared the experiences of their local Churches.
The parishioners prepared cultural shows and meals for the visitors after the celebration of the Holy Mass. The delegation was accompanied by Bishop Montfort Stima of Mangohi Diocese
At Sacred Heart Parish (Mtima Woyera);ZambianCatholic Bishops and other Zambian delegates were given a warm welcome by the parishioners
The main celebrant was Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu. In his homily, the Auxiliary Bishop of Chipata Rt. Rev. Dr. Benjamin Phiri, asked the people present to re-examine their Christian faith by not living double standards. Basing his homily on the readings of the day, he said that people live side by side with the devil and that at the end of their lives God will separate the holy ones from the evil ones.
Mtima Woyera Parish was started in 1906 by the Missionaries of Africa and a massive structure of the new church building is being erected. The parish has close to 11,000 Christians and according to the Parish Priest, Fr. Zikoma Nkani, about three quarters of them attend Mass every Sunday.
At St. Kizito Parish (Chigoneka)Kenyandelegation, accompanied by His Eminence John Cardinal Njue arrived at the Parish.
Addressing the parishioners cardinal Njue warned them against the rise of passive Christianity where those attending Holy Mass on Sunday were either not receiving the Eucharist or were engaging in other unchristian activities during the week.
“The Church in Africa is faced by the challenge of passive Christianity where people choose which sacraments to follow and which to ignore….why is it that almost half of the people coming to our churches do not receive Holy Communion? ” he said after leading the delegation of 12 bishops and other delegates from Kenya .
He challenged the ongoing plenary to strengthen Evangelization so that Christians in the AMECEA countries may live Christian values in their daily lives.