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| Fr. Joseph Kimu |
A group of 47 pilgrims to the Holy Land, in Israel, will leave the country on June 17, 2015. This will be the third time Malawians are on pilgrimage to the Holy Land after the first one in 2011 and the second in 2012.
The group will be led by Rev. Father Joseph Kimu, the director of programs at Radio Maria Malawi who has been coordinating the trip since March 2014.
Speaking at the first meeting of the pilgrims at St. John Guest House in Mangochi recently, Father Kimu asked the pilgrims to be on this holy trip with one objective, to pray. He advised them to intensify their daily prayers considering that this trip is meant for them to deepen their faith.
On this note Father Kimu requested the pilgrims to get at least two prayer petitions each to be dropped at the tomb of Jesus in the Holy Land. Asked why people should go as far as Jerusalem just to pray, Father Kimu said it is very important because sometimes choosing right places to speak with the Lord through prayers aids a person to pray well.
“By going to the Holy Land pilgrims will have a chance to see places of spiritual importance, where Jesus Christ performed various miracles, prayers and all sorts of memorable activities inscribed in the holy book,” Fr. Kimu said.
In a bid to ensure that members on this pilgrimage are well guided in their preparatory prayers, a small hand book of special intensive prayers for nine days (Novena) has been published. The pilgrims will start observing these prayers from 8th to 16 June after which closing mass for the prayers will be held at St. Patrick’s Parish in the morning of 17th June 2015 in Lilongwe.
Among the pilgrims are five priests and one nun who will have a chance to see holy places such as where Jesus Christ performed His first miracle in Cana of Galilee, Bethlehem, mountain of temptations, river Jordan where Jesus was baptised, the mountain of transfiguration, the house of Elizabeth visited by Mary, the tomb of Jesus and so forth.
Source: Francis Polinyu Banda, Radio Maria Malawi
