MALAWI: Stepping into the Big shoes of his predecessor, Bishop Elect of Mzuzu is open to all ideas in regards to development in the diocese
Rt. Rev. John Alphonsus Ryan, Bishop-Elect of Mzuzu
Rt. Rev John Alphonsus Ryan, Bishop-elect of Mzuzu diocese, has said that he is open to different communities and ideas in regards to priorities that would see the diocese move to the next level in terms of development. Speaking to AMECEA Online news in Nairobi where he had attended a Capacity Building Workshop for Bishops on Management, Bishop Ryan who is a member of the Kiltegan order said that he expects priorities for the diocese to emerge after a lot of consultation.
“I cannot say that I am going in with a fixed idea but I am open to listen to different communities and different ideas and I hope that we will do a lot of wide consultation and part of that will emerge our vision and plan of action,” he said.
Coming from academic background to a pastoral Bishop Ryan said even though he was teaching at Mzuzu University, he was very much engaged with the pastoral work within the diocese of Mzuzu where he has served for close to 40 years.
Bishop-Elect of Mzuzu
“I was in the Parishes during the weekends doing the ministry and was also running a community centre in Mzuzu beside the University. The community centre has since been turned to a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO),” he said adding that he was also in the diocese commission for education.
According to the soft spoken Bishop Ryan who before his appointment was head of the Mathematics Department, in the University of Mzuzu, where he specialises in coding theory, the biggest challenge of Mzuzu diocese is its vastness, the diocese is very big geographically hence it is difficult to reach all the different corners. He however observed that one of the major strength is the vibrancy of the lay community in Mzuzu.
“I believe that we have something special in our liturgies, which is very much alive with song and dance and the laity are fully involved and that is a huge strength because the laity run the Church and so in one way it is very comforting for me to know that the laity are so vibrant and so involved in the whole diocese.”
As he steps into the big shoe left behind by his predecessor, the Late Bishop Joseph Zuza, who died in a road accident, Bishop Ryan says that he will strive to match up to the task armed with the spirit of the Holy Father Pope Francis and the example of his predecessor.
“Bishop Zuza was a man of the people as he was able to interact with everyone from the lowest to the highest. It is a challenge that I would hope to somehow follow and I am very much encouraged by the Holy Father Pope Francis who has the same philosophy of simple living and he talks about having the smell of the sheep. So I hope to follow the same footprints.”
The diocese, which has 11 parishes and is situated in the northern part of Malawi comprises of the northern districts of Rumphi, Mzimba, Nkhata Bay and part of the central district region of Kazungu.
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
