MALAWI: Missionaries Of Mary Mediatrix In Malawi Receives A New Missionary
Sam Kalimba
A journey that begun in 2014 in Mzuzu City, Northern part of Malawi at St. Peter’s Private Secondary school has yielded the Missionaries of Mary Mediatrix (MMM) a missionary.
In their usual vocational promotion activities among girls, the Congregation took it to the Diocese of Mzuzu where they met some girl students, one of them being Angela Botha.
It was on 7th October that the Archbishop of Archdiocese of Lilongwe, His Grace Tarcisio Gervazio Ziyaye presided over the first vows of Sister Angela Botha at Kaggwa Parish in a colourful mass.
The profession coincided with the feast of Mary of the Rosary.
Archbishop Ziyaye called upon the leadership of the MMM to count on Malawi for its growth as it has the potential in the young Catholic girls.
“Mother Superior, you can see for yourself that we have the fertile ground for vocations not only to Sisterhood but also priesthood in the country. All we need to focus on is how best we can nurture the vocations in the young ones. And Sister Angela is an example of what I mean,” Said Ziyaye.
He further said that vows are important for the missionary workers to follow Christ fervently. He said that only those who understand what a vow is are the ones accepted to profess it.
He further advised that it is imperative for priests, Brothers and Sisters to remember to live in a community life as a vital element in the missionary work, quoting the second reading during the Mass which came from Acts 2: 42-47.
Also present on the function was Mother Superior of the Missionaries of Mary Mediatrix Sister Mercedes Arbesu who came from Madrid in Spain the Head Quarters of the Congregation to witness and officiate the vows.
“I have followed Sister Angela since 2015 when she started showing interest to follow Christ through MMM and I just had to support her on this important day. At the same time, Malawi is home so I had to come home for I worked in in the country for some 15 years as a missionary,” said the Mother Superior.
She said that the joining of one Sister is a happy moment for the Congregation and the local Church.
Sister Angela Botha’s parents and a few other relatives and Christians from her home Parish, St. Augustine made a journey of more than 400 kilometers from the northern region of Malawi to Lilongwe to offer their child to God.
Her mother, Mrs. Cecilia Botha was all smiles and said that as parents, they were happy that they have offered their daughter to Christ.
Sister Angela Botha was born on December 10 in 1997 in Mzimba District, north of Malawi. She joined the MMM in 2015 at the age of 18.
The Missionaries of Mary Mediatrix have four communities in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe focusing on pastoral, education, Health and helping the needy.
