MALAWI: St. Andrew Kaggwa Parish Tops Malawi’s Jubilee Celebrations with 17 Group Events
Rev. Fr. Joseph Sikwese sepaking at St. Andrew Kaggwa
Sam Kalimba
The Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB) hailed St. Andrew Kaggwa Parish for faithfully observing the Jubilee year celebrations. Speaking during a closing Eucharistic Celebration of the year of Jubilee at the Parish on Sunday, January 11, the National Pastoral Coordinator and Deputy Secretary General of the MCCB, Rev. Fr. Joseph Sikwese, told the congregants that there were only two parishes in the Conference that observed the year of jubilee celebrations faithfully.
“There are only two Parishes in Malawi, St. Andrew Kaggwa of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe and Ntcheu of the Catholic Diocese of Dedza, that observed the year of jubilee calendar. We expected all parishes to respond positively, but only two parishes did well. I thank you for inviting me to come and see for myself what you have done in response to the Secretariat’s call for all parishes in the country to observe the year of jubilee celebrations for various groups in the Church. You are topping the list of the two parishes,” said Fr. Sikwese.
He asked the Parish to continue responding positively to programs arranged by the Catholic Secretariat for the people of God to observe in accordance with the tradition of the universal Church.
The Jubilee Year closed with a Mass on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated by the Vicar of the Parish, Rev. Fr. Francisco Bisai. In his homily, inspired by the humility of the Lord, he thanked the Christians at the Parish for accepting to take part in the year of jubilee celebrations despite their status in society. He called on the faithful to carry on the spirit of jubilee into the years to come.
According to available information, over 17 groups celebrated the year of Jubilee, indicating that at least one Jubilee celebration took place each month in 2025 at the parish.
Monsignor Patrick Thawale opened the doors of the Parish building on January 5, 2025, on the feast of Epiphany, marking the launch of the year of Jubilee at the Parish level. This was followed by the jubilee of communicators on January 26, 2025, during which all Catholic journalists and communicators who pray at the parish celebrated. All other Catholics from different professional groups, such as security, medical, judiciary, teaching, artisans, artists, and various existing Church guilds, took turns observing their jubilee celebrations in 2025.
The parish boasts of some milestones recorded as a result of observing the Year of Jubilee celebrations, including the establishment of new groups like the elderly association, youth media team, medical professionals’ association, and interventions made by different groups reaching out to the sick, the weak, and the poor in the small Christian communities.
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