Some chiefs in the country have commended the Catholic Church for its commitment to organizing youth gatherings aimed at assisting them to reflect on their lives and further the development of the church and the country.
Village headman Matswana, who is also the chairperson of the association of Catholic Chiefs in St. Matthias Lumbadzi Parish, said this during the vocation day celebration on May 10th at Lumbadzi Parish in Lilongwe.
Catholic Chiefs at St. Mathias Lumbadzi Parish during mass celebration
Village headman Matswana stated that youths are very instrumental in development activities in their villages, the country, and the church, which calls for their responsible behavior.
“Because youths are energetic, they are supposed to widen their knowledge of important information about their lives. As such, they need to refrain from all sorts of bad behavior like drinking beer, smoking, and sexual activities, which can jeopardize their vocations,” said village headman Matswana.
The chief added that such church gatherings give youths a chance to reflect and discern deeply and honestly about their vocations to family life, as priests, in religious life, and in single life as they develop the church and the country.
The chiefs attending a mass celebration
In his remarks, the chairperson of the youths in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Chrispin Limbe, thanked Monsignor Thawale and village headman Matswana for encouraging and enlightening them to work hard in school, be prayerful, and be hardworking, saying this can help them grow both physically and spiritually.
“We thank our church, the Catholic Church, for organizing these gatherings every year for us to appreciate various vocations. We learn a lot. I ask my fellow youths wherever they are to use the internet wisely for education and not for evil things. Youths are supposed to live a prayerful life so that they are helped to choose the right vocation for them,” Chrispin said.
The function, which started with mass led by Monsignor Patrick Thawale, took place at St. Matthias Lumbadzi Parish in Lilongwe under the theme “Youths as Missionaries of Hope.”
Youths in the country have been called upon to use their daily life activities to reflect on their vocations, using education, prayer life, and conscience as driving forces.
Monsignor Patrick Thawale of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, made the appeal on Saturday, May 10th, at St. Matthias Lumbadzi Parish in Lilongwe during the celebration of Vocation Day.
Monsignor Patrick Thawale
“Youths have to use their diverse talents and strengths in serving God and fellow human beings in their communities. For the youths who are into technology, I urge them to use it for education’s sake, which can help develop their communities, and not use it for bad intentions which can ruin their lives,” said Monsignor Thawale.
Monsignor Thawale added that youths are pillars of development in the Church and the country by using their energies and intelligence.
“Youths are supposed to continue to reflect on all things happening in their lives to choose their vocations as priests, sisters, religious, and single life in serving God and fellow human beings. As such, I urge all the youths to be prayerful and read various Catholic encyclicals which help to know God. They need to use that to develop the Church and the country through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in choosing their vocations,” added Monsignor Thawale.
In her remarks, Grace Phiri, from Salima Parish thanked the Monsignor for encouraging them to work hard in all aspects so that they choose their vocations wisely for the benefit of the Church and the country.
“Today’s function (Vocation Day) has helped us know the importance of hard work, education, and a prayerful life. It is true that when we pray hard and read the Word of God frequently, we shall ably choose the right vocations,” said Grace.
The Vocation Day took place at St. Matthias Lumbadzi Parish in Lilongwe under the theme “Youths as Missionaries of Hope.”
The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe today celebrated 180 years of its existence worldwide, as well as 25 years of sisterhood for Sister Jenipher Machemba.
The celebration also included the first profession of vows for Sister Triza Kumbanda, Sister Rosaline Kanjeli, and Sister Prisca Letiyas at St. Joseph (Ludzi) Parish in Mchinji district.
The ceremony was led by the Auxiliary Bishop of Chipata Diocese of Zambia, Bishop Gabriel Msipu, who commended the sisters for their dedicated service in the Archdiocese.
Bishop Gabriel Msipu
Bishop Msipu emphasized the importance of recognizing the sisters’ contributions in various sectors of life, especially in Malawi, as the congregation marks 180 years of service.
“We should appreciate the sisters for their valuable work, such as in hospitals, schools, and other initiatives that greatly impact people’s lives,” he said.
His Lordship also encouraged the newly professed sisters to remain committed and contribute positively to the congregation’s mission.
In her remarks, Regional Animator of the congregation in Malawi, Sister Adelaida Jere, reaffirmed their commitment to continuing their work based on the congregation’s charism, which is Love and Compassion.
Sr. Jere
Sister Jere urged the sisters to stay dedicated to their chosen path in serving the Catholic Church.
“Let us remain focused on our mission and adhere to the congregation’s charism so we can serve the church effectively,” said Sister Jere.
During the ceremony, Sister Rosaline Kanjeli Wanga has been assigned to support development projects at St. Louis Convent, Sister Triza Kumbanda has been assigned to assist in hospital services at Holy Family Convent, while Sister Prisca Letiyas has been assigned to help with parish activities at Guilleme Parish.
The Congregation of Sisters of Charity of Ottawa was founded in 1845 and arrived in Malawi in 1946, establishing themselves in Guilleme Parish, Mchinji.
Currently, the congregation has 58 sisters serving in various parishes in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, particularly in the Mchinji deanery.
Some stakeholders in the environmental sector have voiced their concerns regarding the reported pardon of a Chinese national, Lin, who was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for wildlife trafficking.
Lin is believed to be among the individuals who benefited during this year’s president Lazarus Chakwera’s Easter celebrations pardon list.
The CSO’s, which include the National Youth Network on Climate Change, Movement for Environmental Action, Coordination Union for Rehabilitation of the Environment (CURE), Association for Environmental Journalists, and Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy, believe this will negatively impact efforts to strengthen wildlife protection and combat wildlife crimes.
CSO’s representatives speaking to the media in Lilongwe
Speaking on behalf of the CSO’s, the Executive Director of CURE, Charles Mkoka, stated that the time has come for authorities to start treating wildlife crime cases as seriously as rape and corruption.
Charles Mkoka, CURE Executive Director
“We have been told that this person is now a free person, and we are very worried because at this particular time, as Malawi, we are moving towards revolving our wildlife sector, ensuring that the species are growing,” explained Mkoka.
“It is very worrisome to see that within a short span of time, this particular person has actually benefited from the time of COVID, and we wanted to make sure that at least we should be able to move towards engaging authorities so that cases involving wildlife should be regarded as serious offenses in Malawi,” he added.
Mkoka then urged authorities to exclude wildlife crimes from all future pardons and emphasized the need for authorities not to be reluctant with information on matters of national interest, in line with the access to information act in the country.
“Now we want to make sure that we increase public awareness because these are matters of national importance,” he said.
He is of the view that the ATM strategy, which is being advocated in the Malawi 2063 agenda, can be realized if authorities are seriously involved in the management of wildlife conservation, as the tourism sector can only grow if wildlife species are fully protected.
Lin was convicted in 2021 after being found guilty of wildlife crimes, as he was found in possession of pangolin scales, elephant ivory, hippo teeth, and rhino horn, respectively.
The government remains quiet on various calls regarding the release of individuals who benefited from this year’s President Chakwera’s pardon as part of Easter celebrations.
On May 3, 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu welcomed its new shepherd, Bishop Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda, in a ceremony marked by great jubilation and celebration.
The installation ceremony drew people from all walks of life, including political leaders, who gathered to witness the historic event.
The ceremony was witnessed by Archbishop George Desmond Tambala of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe and other priests who signed to approve and witness the installation of Bishop Nyirenda as the new bishop of the Mzuzu Diocese.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Malawi and Zambia, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici, urged the faithful of the Mzuzu Diocese to pray for their newly installed bishop.
“Always pray for the bishop for his role, not only a day, but each day,” he emphasized.
Apostolic Nuncio to Malawi and Zambia, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici (Centre) during offertory
Archbishop Perici encouraged the faithful to continually pray for their new bishop, that he may be guided and strengthened in his ministry.
His Excellency Perici also extended his best wishes to the retiring Bishop of Mzuzu Diocese, Bishop John Ryan, for his future endeavors.
Bishop Ryan thanked the faithful of the diocese for their support during his tenure and encouraged them to work closely with Bishop Nyirenda to ensure the continued growth and development of the diocese.
His Lordship expressed his gratitude for the trust and cooperation he received from the clergy, religious, and lay faithful.
In his speech, President of the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB), Bishop Martin Mtumbuka, praised the retiring Bishop Ryan for his dedication and service he rendered to the diocese.
“Bishop Ryan was a strong defender of the environment and always made decisions that considered the less privileged,” he said.
Bishop Mtumbuka also called upon priests to avoid participating in partisan politics.
In his remarks, the newly installed Bishop Yohane Nyirenda thanked Bishop Ryan for his dedication and zeal during his ministry as the bishop of the Mzuzu Diocese.
Bishop Nyirenda also called for collaboration with priests and emphasized the importance of working together in order to develop the diocese of Mzuzu.
Installation of Bishop Nyirenda as a local ordinary of Mzuzu Diocese
His Lordship Nyirenda was ordained priest on July 19, 2008. He was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of the Mzuzu Diocese on May 5, 2023, and later appointed as the bishop of the diocese by Pope Francis on April 1, 2025.
The Centre for agricultural transformation (CAT), has expressed satisfaction with the results realized from the interventions the organization is implementing with its stakeholders on smart agriculture where smallholder farmers in the country are being encouraged to diversify and adopt climate resilient crops.
CAT Executive Director, Macleod Nkhoma, says for the past five years the organization has been working on the concept, some farmers have now started rejoicing over bumper yields after embracing smart agriculture practices.
Today, the organization showcased various modern farming technologies to about two thousand farmers from selected districts in all regions of the country, during a farmer field day under the theme ‘‘climate-resilient agricultural technologies and crop diversification for sustainable food security” at its NRC Smart-Farm in Lilongwe, so that farmers should emulate the same at their respective fields.
CAT Executive Director, Macleod Nkhoma at the demonstration of Smart Agriculture in Lilongwe
“Smart agriculture, you start looking at the condition of the soils. You want to start there, that the soils are in a condition that crops can grow well. But also, the other thing is that smart agriculture looks at having diversified crops that our farmers can produce. The reason for that is that in case one of the crops fails, at least they will have something from another crop,” Nkhoma emphasized.
“We have got weather stations here. We call them ground sensors. These ones give us information, agricultural information, that is very important for crop production, but also the other thing about smart agriculture is that you’ve seen here we have irrigation facilities to ensure that in case there is some drought, we can still irrigate. And so, the ground sensors will send us information that the soil’s moisture has dropped at a certain level and our technicians will trigger the irrigation to actually irrigate the crops,” he added.
Deputy director responsible for field crops in the ministry of Agriculture, Osborne Tsoka, expressed hopes that the country can alleviate hunger if farmers can embrace modern farming technologies.
Mr. Tsoka interacting with the media
‘’when it comes to maize, they’re getting barely below around 2.3 metric tons per hectare. But when you look at the technologies that are being showcased here, we are getting the yields as high as 8 metric tons per hectare,’’ Tsoka hoped.
The vice president and Country Director for Global Action to end smoking through the Agricultural Transformation Initiative (ATI), Dr. Candida Nakhumwa, the funding partners for the Project, expressed her impression with the progress that has been made in as far as diversifying farmers to stop relying only on Tobacco as their cash crop is concerned.
Dr. Candida Nakhumwa, emphasizing a point
’’as you have seen on the field, they’ve diversified into oil seed crops, especially soya beans and groundnuts. And for soyabeans, what we’ve seen is that it has readily available domestic market, as we see an increase in the need for fish feeds, livestock feeds in general,” Nakhumwa explained.
Nakhumwa then disclosed their continued partnership with CAT as they are also looking to help farmers compete on the international market through value addition.
showcasing various modern farming technologies
“We have built the Centre for Agricultural Transformation. And the idea is that we want to bring in an element of value addition. We want to bring in an element where farmers or entrepreneurs that would like to venture into value addition, and so we’ve assisted to begin to understand, how do I process peanut butter? How do I process cooking oil? Before they engage with the Malawi Bureau of Standards, we want them to be at the lab here, where the costs are slightly lower. They should test their products, and then the engagement with the Malawi Bureau of Standards comes at the end,” she added.
Emanuel Yendemani Mwale from Madzo cooperative in Madisi, praised CAT for the knowledge saying now they are realizing bountiful yields since they started using smart agriculture technologies.
