The Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe Financial Administration department has on Saturday 2 August, conducted a training session to strengthen the financial skills of bursars and accounting clerks from all of its educational institutions.
The training, took place at the Msamba Catholic Centre in Lilongwe, focused on budgeting, reconciliation and the use of accounting software, such as QuickBooks, to better manage institutional finances.
The Financial Administrator of the Archdiocese, Sr. Doris Tembo, expressed her hope that the training will deepen participants understanding of financial management and accountability systems.
“Our main objective is for these accountants and bursars to understand the financial management and accountability systems of the learning institutions and also to practice the best skills in budgeting and reconciliation and some other accounting related things,” she explained.
Fr. Louis Chikanya, who represented the archbishop, described the training as “crucial and timely,” noting that it comes as the archdiocese begins a new phase of development.
He emphasized that the archdiocese needs professional accountants and bursars to efficiently manage institutional finances, especially as it moves forward with new investment activities.
Brian Bayani, a participant from Loyola Secondary School in Kasungu, hopes to acquire the necessary skills to manage school finances and maintain proper records for both the government and the diocese, allowing for easy retrieval if needed.
Sr. Mandela from Maria Goretti Girls Private Secondary School in Lilongwe also highlighted the importance of the training.
She believes the session will help participants learn new software and, in the future, enable them to train others.
The training brought together bursars and accounting clerks from various institutions, including: Ludzi Secondary School from Mchinji, Loyola Secondary School from Kasungu, Guilleme Boys Primary School from Mchinji, St. John’s Private Secondary School from Lilongwe and Bishop Patrick Kalilombe Catholic High School from Nambuma in Dowa.
The facilitators for the training include, Sr. Doris Tembo, Fr. Ryan (her assistant), Fr. Maxwell Kubalasa (an accounting expert), and Mr. Munthali (an expert in accounting software tools who led the session on QuickBooks).
The Secretary General of the office for the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) from the Vatican, Sister Ines Paulo, has applauded teachers for their tireless work in instilling Christian values in children.
Sister Ines expressed her joy at the way the children’s ministry is progressing at Likuni Parish in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, highlighting that the dedication shown by teachers in nurturing the children’s spiritual lives is truly admirable.
Bishop Mwakhwawa with Sr Iness visits Mulungu Alinafe SCC
During her visit to Mulungu Alinafe Small Christian Community (SCC) under the Kakoma Outstation of Likuni Parish, Sister Ines was pleased with the growing number of children being taught spiritual values through the support of both their mentors and the sisters under the Archdiocese of Lilongwe’s PMS.
“I have to appreciate these mentors for the remarkable job they are doing in mentoring the children. They are doing an excellent job that gives hope for the future of the Church through these children,” she said.
As part of her role in the PMS office, Sister Ines emphasized the importance of implementing various programs that reach children in different areas, including ministry and education, tailored to the challenges they face.
Sr Iness sharing gifts with the children
She also met with various commissions and groups at Likuni Parish and expressed satisfaction with how Christians are actively participating in different ministerial roles.
During a meeting with these groups, Sister Ines urged parents, teachers, and organizations to prioritize the spiritual care and education of children, aiming to mold them into reliable future Church leaders.
Meanwhile, Vincent Kamunong’ona, chairperson for Kakoma Zone, noted that the visit by the PMS Secretary General from the Vatican has greatly motivated their spiritual and missionary activities.
As part of her visit to the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Sister Ines also toured the Tikondane Care for Children , run by the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA).
She praised the MSOLA Sisters for their outstanding efforts in supporting street-connected children and promised to advocate for increased support, emphasizing that helping suffering children is at the heart of the Church’s mission.
Sr Iness visits Tikondane Care for Children
Sister Marie Sakina, project coordinator for Tikondane Care for Children, said the center currently houses a higher number of children than intended, over 35 instead of the ideal 25, due to widespread poverty and other societal challenges.
“We have a lot of children because of the difficulties in our society, especially in the streets. Many families lack food, and these hardships are forcing children onto the streets,” explained Sister Sakina.
After the tour, His Lordship Vincent Mwakhwawa, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, expressed joy at the mission visit by the PMS Secretary General from Rome.
He noted that the visit had showcased the strength of the Church’s children’s ministry in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe under the PMS office.
Rt. Rev. Vincent Mwakhwawa, the Auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe
His Lordship also commended the mentors at Mulungu Alinafe for their contributions to nurturing children’s spiritual lives and preparing them for missionary service within the universal church.
“The archdiocese is deeply committed to training animators. We want to continue forming them, especially because many children in grassroots Christian communities lack properly trained teachers,” said Auxiliary Bishop Mwakhwawa.
Throughout her visit, Sister Ines Paulo had an opportunity to interact with children, hear their success stories, and learn about the challenges they face, particularly in accessing education and basic necessities essential for their spiritual journey.
Her visit was also accompanied by Holy Childhood Coordinator from the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston from the United States of America Daria Braithwaite, who is also in Malawi for the Mission experience.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe has urged its lay faithful to wholeheartedly commit themselves to the Mission Month activities, emphasizing the universal nature of the Church and the global need for evangelization.
The call by Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa of the Archdiocese come prior to the launch of the archdiocesan Mission Month preparations at St. Bernadette Chitula Parish.
Bishop Mwakhwawa highlighted the archdiocese’s role as part of the Universal Church, stressing the importance of preparing for October’s mission activities.
Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa, Auxilliary bishop of Lilongwe
“We want all the faithful to pray for the Church and its activities, and to continue praying for church leaders,” Bishop Mwakhawawa stated.
The Auxiliary Bishop underscored the need to look beyond local congregations and recognize the vast number of people worldwide who have yet to hear the Gospel.
“Our message to them is to know that in the world there are so many people who don’t know the Gospel, so they have to teach one another,” his Lord ship explained.
His lordship also highlighted financial contribution as a key aspect of the Mission Month, encouraging generous offerings and sacrifices, emphasizing that these funds would support other churches globally.
“Though as a church in Lilongwe and Malawi, we receive support from other countries and other communities in the world, we also want to offer our sacrifices, the collected resources will be sent to the Holy Father to be distributed to places needing support for building faith communities and evangelization. They should start collecting their financial resources so that we can put them together as an Archdiocese and send them to the Holy Father,” he said.
PMS Director for the Lilongwe Archdiocese, Fr. Geoffrey Chikapa, outlined the plan for the PMS office and mission team to visit various out-stations prepared by Chitula Parish.
Fr. Geoffrey Chikapa, Lilongwe archdiocese PMS director
“Basically, we are going there to animate only two things: one, to encourage Christians to pray for all the mission work in the archdiocese and across the dioceses, and secondly, it’s also to mobilize resources, we cannot preach the word of God without financial resources,” he said.
In his remarks, the Laity Council Chairperson in the Archdiocese, Patrick Liphava, mentioned the importance of proper procedures for submitting mission month offerings to the archdiocese, making an assurance that the Laity Council will follow up with parishes to ensure timely submission to the archdiocese.
Patrick Liphava, laity counchil chairperson (Lilongwe archdiocese)
Meanwhile, Vice Chairperson of Chitula Parish, Samuel Majuta, expressed confidence that they will meet the given target, as the parish is ready to learn more during the month.
Vice Chairperson of Chitula Parish, Samuel Majuta
Chitula Parish is among the newer parishes in the archdiocese, having opened in 2022.
Communities affected by floods, particularly those at St. Barnabas – Dwangwa Parish, are now cultivating a more secure and sustainable future with a comprehensive support and training provided by the Catholic Development Commission of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe (CADECOM), in partnership with Missio Austria.
Launched in December 2024 at the request of Archbishop George Tambala, the project initially delivered emergency food aid before evolving into a powerful initiative focused on agroecological training, seed provision, and long-term food security.
In his remarks, the beneficiary farmer, Esau Banda says the change has been truly transformative.
“Previously, we lacked the knowledge needed to succeed in farming. Now, with the training we’ve received, we’re confident we’ll begin to harvest bumper yields,” Banda shared.
On the farm, Esau and Lucia connect over the project’s impact
He attributes this confidence to lessons on crop diversification by saying that “going forward, each harvest will produce more because we’re growing a mix of crops. For instance, alongside maize, we now grow soya, beans, and tomatoes. This approach not only increases our income but also strengthens our food security. These farming techniques are now a permanent part of our lives.”
Banda also underscored his commitment to sharing this newfound knowledge with others who weren’t part of the training, so they can also benefit from the innovations.
He then recalled receiving initial relief support which included 50 kilograms of maize, 5 kilograms of beans, and 2 liters of cooking oil which “helped us survive the crisis.”
One of beneficiary carrying Cooking Oil and other Relief items during the launch of the project
Relief items during the Launch of Integrated Response and Resilience Project at Dwangwa Parish
Additionally, Esau Banda confirmed that they are now able to grow cassava and sweet potatoes as part of their strategy to support their households, “something we learned through CADECOM’s training.”
Another farmer, Towera Mwasinga echoed stories of resilience and empowerment.
Towera explaining what she experienced before and after the coming in of the project
“Before this training, we didn’t know how to make organic manure. Now, we do—and we’re certain it will boost our harvests,” she stated, noting that expensive inorganic fertilizer was often out of reach.
Another participant, Josephy, highlighted the practical improvements gained when CADECOM took him to a training where he was taught about the importance of crop diversification, soil and water conservation and how these make his household resilient to climatic shocks.
“As a result, I began planting bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, and started a vegetable garden. CADECOM even provided us with the planting materials,” he said.
Josephy highlighting the people on the improvements he gained through the project
In addition to that, Josephy has also praised the guidance for his banana plantation as “before their training, I had already planted bananas, but their guidance taught me how to properly care for and improve productivity. For example, I now ensure no more than four suckers grow from each banana plant so there’s enough space for better yields. I also maintain a small vegetable garden, which provides the household with fresh vegetables without having to spend money at the market.”
Josephy at his Banana plantation with Lucy Bayer from Missio and other visitors
Another farmer, Kumwenda reinforced the benefits of adopting sustainable practices at which they were also encouraged to grow local crop varieties as they are more resilient to drought and other farming challenges.
He also detailed their newfound ability to create homemade pesticides: “We were taught how to prepare homemade pesticides using local materials instead of buying from stores. The recipe includes water, soap, hot chili, and a tree known as Katupe. You can also add aloe vera or any other bitter trees. The ingridients are chopped and ground then, mixid with water, the mixture is then left to dissolve for thirty minutes before it is applied to crops. This knowledge has helped us save money.”
Kumwenda sharing process of making pesticides using locally available resources
The community’s journey was not without significant challenges. As a beneficiary recalled of the flood experience: “When the floods hit, we were forced to evacuate our homes and seek shelter at a nearby school, then relocated to a camp, where we stayed for about six weeks… Later, we established temporary shelters and brought our families back.” Despite returning, fear lingered: “Even after returning, we were constantly afraid of what might happen next, especially whenever we saw dark clouds. We are deeply grateful to CADECOM for their support and pray for blessings upon them. We hope they continue extending this kind of help to others as well.”
CADECOM Acting Secretary Madalitso Chilalire, speaking during a site visit with Missio Austria, reiterated that the project’s heart lies in agroecology.
“So, we are trying to work on the mindset of the people that they can have other food likesweet potato, cassava, fruits, like bananas that they can also use as carbohydratesas food to their households so that they should not only rely on maize which is nowadays becomingdifficult to grow.So that is what we are doing in Madisi (Dowa) and in Nkhotakota and so far so good, the farmersare adopting.”
Chilalire (R) sharing ideas with Lucia during the project visit in Nkhotakota district, Malawi
He added that CADECOM is now considering adding savings and loan initiatives to help farmers reinvest earnings and strengthen financial independence, believing that “the success we’ve seen so far can grow even further with the right support.”
Chilalire and the team checking in with a beneficiary to see how CADECOM’s training is being put into practice at home
Lucia Bayer, representing Missio Austria, lauded the project’s comprehensive model as it is not just food relief but a long-term resilience.
Bayer has since emphasized the encouraging results that show farmers are well-prepared to build a better future.
“With proper training, seeds, and the possibility of savings programs, these communities are laying the foundation for a better future,” she said.
On the farm with Lucia Bayer of Missio Austria, gathering insights into the agricultural progress
She concluded by stating, “I would assume this is just the starting point and it can grow, because when they learn how to go about the money, how to save and invest, and they will have the possibility to take a loan within the village bank, I believe that is the way for them to go, because then they will experience even a greater empowerment.”
Lucia Bayer (L), a beneficiary farmer (C), and the Archdiocesan Director of Social Services, Brian Odhiambo (R) pose for a photo
The project, active in both Madisi Parish (Dowa) and St. Barnabas Parish (Nkhotakota), has become a beacon of sustainable recovery, led by the very people it was meant to support.
A significant three-day national training on the Basic Formation Cycle, also known as the Evangelical Solidarity Program (ESP) has successfully concluded today, 15th June 2025 at Bethany Retreat Centre in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.
The intensive “trainer of trainers” (ToT) workshop, which ran from June 13th to 15th, was led by the International President Couple of the International Confederation of Catholic Family Movements (ICCFM), Sergio and Dora, accompanied by Gerardo and Eloina.
The training marked a pastoral visit by the international team, fulfilling a tradition of engaging with national CFM teams globally, with Malawi and Uganda being their chosen destinations this time. The workshop saw the participation of 54 delegates from across Malawi’s Archdioceses and Dioceses, including Blantyre (9), Lilongwe (19), Chikwawa (3), Zomba (6), Mangochi (5), Dedza (8), and Mzuzu (4).
The workshop commenced on Friday evening with a Holy Eucharist Mass celebrated by Right Reverend Vincent Mwakhwawa, who underscored the critical role of the family as the foundation of the nation.
Bishop Mwakhwawa expressed the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (MCCB) desire to see families become evangelizers within their associations and movements.
His Lordship urged participants and chaplains to seize this unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of the movement and formulate plans for implementing the newly acquired knowledge.
Bishop Mwakhwawa shares a moment with visitors and families, embodying the spirit of community at CFM’s national training at Msamba Parish
Bishop Mwakhwawa also advised CFM leadership to always collaborate with the National Pastoral Coordinator, Fr. Joseph Sikwese, and the National Chaplain on Family Apostolate, Msgr. Henry Chinkanda, for guidance on their initiatives.
He specifically requested the International President Couple’s assistance in implementing youth accompaniment programs in Malawi, drawing inspiration from Mexico’s model.
In their remarks, the ICCFM President Couple, Sergio and Dora, highlighted the auspicious timing of the workshop during the Jubilee Year, themed “Pilgrims of Hope.”
They emphasized that such trainings are crucial for the Church, as they address capacity gaps among couples and within the broader Church community.
They echoed Bishop Mwakhwawa’s sentiment regarding the importance of the Basic Formation Cycle in equipping families to deepen their faith both individually and as couples.
Participants engaged in highly interactive sessions, exploring the methodology of the Basic Formation Cycle, which employs the “See-Judge-Act-Reflection” approach advocated by the Church. The training incorporated presentations, dynamics, group discussions, and plenary sessions.
Delegates also received an overview of CFM’s structure and governance, which aligns with MCCB and Canon Law, with proposed adjustments subject to MCCB approval.
Key takeaways from the training include the commitment to implement the Basic Formation Cycle (ESP) upon receiving blessings from respective Bishops, seeking advice from MCCB on the proposed governance structure, and enforcing trainings and the adoption of natural planning methods in various dioceses and parishes.
The successful conclusion of this training is expected to significantly bolster the capacity of Catholic families in Malawi to fulfill their role as evangelizers and strengthen the movement’s presence across the nation.
The newly ordained priest in the Society of St. Patrick’s Missionaries, Rev. Fr. Kennedy Julius Mullande, has thanked God for the gift of vocation in his life and asked for prayers to serve the Lord wholeheartedly.
He shared these sentiments on Pentecost Sunday after celebrating his first Mass as a priest at his home parish, St. John Paul II Chitedze, in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.
Fr. Kennedy Mullande
“I am very grateful to God for the precious gift of life and priesthood given to me. I also thank my parents, friends, and parishioners for their prayers and words of encouragement that helped me reach this far. It has been so amazing,” said the smiling Father Kennedy.
Father Kennedy urged all young people to discern their vocations with the help of the Holy Spirit, assisted by their parents and vocations directors, so they may serve the Lord as priests, brothers, and sisters in the Vineyard of the Lord.
Earlier, the Vocations Director for Central Africa (Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa) in the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, Fr. Felix Mlauzi, urged the newly ordained priest to observe all priestly virtues as showered upon them by the Holy Spirit.
“You, Father Kennedy, and of course all of us priests, are supposed to be honest in our ministry. You have to be prayerful, available all the time, and not be segregative in your work. You also have to be simple and exemplary, observe chastity and celibate life. In addition, use social media to spread the Gospel of the Lord and not to discredit the priestly ministry,” said Father Mlauzi.
He also pleaded with parents, guardians, and friends to avoid exerting pressure on the newly ordained priest, especially concerning finances, as this could compromise their ministerial work.
The parishioners, priests, and friends of Father Kennedy Mullande gave him various gifts to assist him in his ministry as the first priest from the seven-year-old parish in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.
parishioners presenting gifts to Fr. Mullande
Rev. Fr. Kennedy Julius Mullande, who comes from Samu village, Traditional Authority M’bwatalika in Lilongwe, has been appointed to serve the church in the West Africa region, specifically in Nigeria, under the Missionaries of St. Patrick’s.
