Newly Ordained Priest Grateful for Vocation, Calls for Prayers

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.

“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.

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.

By Alex Nason