Christians at Guilleme Parish in Mchinji came together for a profound journey of self-reflection, prayer, and commemoration of the suffering of Jesus Christ during the Way of the Cross.

The spiritual procession, which began at St. Robert Outstation in Tembwe and concluded at Guilleme Parish drew Christians from all Outstations under the Parish, who symbolically experienced Christ’s journey to the cross and his ultimate sacrifice.

The spiritual procession, which began at St. Robert Outstation in Tembwe and concluded at Guilleme Parish

The spiritual procession, which began at St. Robert Outstation in Tembwe and concluded at Guilleme Parish

The spiritual procession, which began at St. Robert Outstation in Tembwe and concluded at Guilleme Parish

As part of the celebration of the Passion of the Lord, Archbishop George Desmond Tambala of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe urged the faithful to use Good Friday as a powerful tool for their spiritual growth and salvation.

The Archbishop, emphasized the significance of the day in Christian life, calling for deep reflection and commitment to faith.

“Today is an important day for Christians in their spiritual life. They should reflect on their faith, examine their conscience, repent for their sins, and engage in intense prayer as we remember that Jesus Christ died for us on the cross,” Archbishop Tambala stated.

Despite the challenges presented by the rainy weather, the faithful remained steadfast in their devotion.

The Archbishop praised the Christians for their unwavering commitment to their Catholic faith and dedication to spiritual renewal.

“I commend the Christians here at Guilleme Parish for their resilience in their faith. They gathered in large numbers, and despite the rain, no one showed any sign of turning away,” he added.

prostration: the abasement of “earthly man,” the grief and sorrow of the Church, and a solemn remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death

The veneration of the cross

The vice-chairperson of the parish committee, Cosmas Phiri, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Archbishop for gracing them with his presence, acknowledging that his visit strengthened their faith and encouraged the Christian community.

The Way of the Cross procession, a solemn reenactment of Jesus Christ’s journey to Calvary, provided an opportunity for reflection and prayer, reinforcing the essence of Good Friday, a day of sacrifice, redemption, and renewed faith.

By Titus Jata Phiri

The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe, His Grace George Desmond Tambala has emphasized the importance of prayer for the nation as Malawi prepares for elections this coming September.

His Grace made the plea today, 15th April 2025 at Maula Cathedral after Chrism Mass.

Archbishop Tambala highlighted the need for spiritual intervention to foster good leadership, combat corruption, address social development challenges, and ensure peaceful elections in September.

“The house we are trying to build here is Malawi, in terms of economic and social development issues, as well as leadership issues. We pray that God will give us a good leader and that come September, we will have peaceful elections,” His Grace explained.

In his remarks, Chairperson of the laity council of the Archdiocese, Mr. Patrick Liphava, stressed the responsibility of the laity to coordinate efforts among Christians, including those in Small Christian Communities, to ensure they pray with the intention of achieving peace as the elections approach.

“As the Laity, we need to coordinate all Christians from family to Small Christian Community up to parish level to make sure that we have a focused intention to pray for peace in this country,” said Liphava.

Malawi will hold the Tripartite Elections on 16 September this year, to elect new office bearers in the office of the President, Members of Parliament as well as Ward Councilors.

By Monica Chinyama

Minister of Mining Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma has revealed that his ministry is actively working towards finalizing the Mining Development Agreement (MDA) with the Australian mining company Lindian Resources Limited, aiming to commence mining operations at Kangankunde in Balaka district.

Speaking in Lilongwe after a meeting with Lindian representatives, Ng’oma stated that expediting the signing of the MDA would allow the investor to begin work before September this year.

“We are committed to hastening the signing of the MDA so that mining activities can kick off by September.

This initiative will enable the country to reap benefits from the mining sector, including job creation for local communities in Balaka district.” said the Minister.

On his part, Lindian’s country manager, Trevor Hiwa, said that the company has made significant progress in constructing the access road.

Hiwa expressed confidence that discussions with the Malawi government regarding the MDA would advance, as it is crucial for the company’s operations to commence.

The rare earth deposit at Kangankunde is valued at approximately US$ 1 billion for its initial mining phase and has the potential to establish itself as a leading producer of rare earth elements.

The Association of Catholic Chiefs at Likuni Parish in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe has been called upon to play a key role in promoting environmental conservation in their communities.

The appeal was made at Parish during a tree-planting exercise organized by the Congregation of Teresian Sisters.

Sister Teresa Mulenga, Project Coordinator for environmental projects, emphasized the importance of involving chiefs in environmental conservation initiatives.

“Chiefs are well-positioned to drive environmental conservation efforts, given their close relationship with their subjects. By equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills, we hope to ensure continuity of the program and promote sustainable environmental practices in our communities.”

Likuni Parish Priest, Father Damiano Chitha, commended the Teresian Sisters for their initiative, saying it would have a significant impact on environmental conservation in the area.

“We appreciate the Teresian Sisters for organizing this initiative at our Parish. As a Parish, we are committed to working with the chiefs to ensure the trees planted are well taken care of,” said Fr. Chitha.

Chairperson of the Chiefs Association at Likuni Parish, Senior Group Mtanga, echoed Sister Mulenga’s sentiments and promised that the chiefs will take a leading role in educating their subjects on the importance of environmental conservation.

“We will use the knowledge shared with us to promote environmental conservation in our areas,” he said.

The initiative aims to empower chiefs to promote environmental conservation in their areas, ensuring a positive impact on the environment and promoting sustainable development.

By Titus Jata Phiri

An agricultural expert, Kingdom Kwapata has described the minimum farm-gate prices set by the Ministry of Agriculture as not a true reflection of the reality on the ground.

The government has released the prices where among others maize will be sold at 1050 kwacha per kilogram.

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According to Kwapata, the prices will start rising in due course considering that the country is undergoing a recession period.

“We are not expecting to have a lot of maize this year because of quarries among other reasons, farmers did not access fertilizer as you know fertilizer was expensive and this combined with the poor rains will cause the scarcity of the commodity leading to increase in prices,” Kwapata explained in an interview.

Kwapata added that “we are projecting that probably within due course the real price of maize will be reflected.”

The expert has however urged farmers who can manage to withhold their commodity for sometime to do so, so that they can sell it at a higher price in the future.

“It is just unfortunate that many farmers at the moment don’t have money or resources and therefore they are desperate for access to resources. That is why they are compelled to sell at that price, but believe you me, very soon the commodity will escalate,” he explained.

Some farmers in the country have been faced with draught problems that are likely to reduce their harvest this year.

Ministry of Health has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality deaths across the country.

Speaking on Monday, 07th April 2025, during the press briefing at Bwaila Hospital on commemoration of World Health Day, minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda emphasized the need for enhanced efforts to address maternal and newborns health issues, despite having limited healthcare facilities in almost every hospital in the country.

Chiponda also added that this year’s world health day aims at reducing preventable maternal deaths and improve overall maternal and newborn health and ensuring that no woman or baby should lose life due to maternal issues as one way of meeting Malawi 2063 Agenda.

” We are very glad that since the start of this year-to-date Bwaila hospital has never registered any maternal death and we want this to be a whole year thing and we’re also in the process of discussing with the private sectors to start providing transport to women in labor as we do not have enough ambulance as a country” chiponda said.

In her remarks Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, World Health organization country representative, said that their organization aims at ensuring that women have access to quality delivery service all over the world.

Kimambo said that “Malawi is one of the countries with high rate of teenage pregnancy that also add to the complications that occur during labor time therefore it is our mandate to make sure that every woman have access to high quality delivery service in order to promote the mother and child health across the world.”

This year’s World Health Day has been commemorated under the theme “Health begging’s, Hopeful future” and also today makes the 77 years of the World Health organization in service all over the world.

By Tiyamike Paul Chisale