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Mzuzu Malawi-The Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu main organizing committee held its third preparatory meeting for the World Mission Sunday Centenary Celebration at St Peters Cathedral on Saturday 28 February 2026.

During the meeting subcommittees presented activities progress reports, budgets and the way forward on protocol, liturgy food, accommodation, security, heath, decoration, transport, fundraising and publicity.

The meeting was graced by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu Rt. Rev. Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda, who expressed satisfaction with the progress so far.

“I joined the meeting today to see the progress, and I am happy to see how committed people are working and I am confident that come 3rd October 2026 we will have a successful celebration,” said bishop Nyirenda.

During the meeting, there were also elections for the main celebration committee leadership where the members voted for the chairperson, treasure, secretary while other sub-committee members maintaining as committee members

The newly elected chairperson Dr Elijah Wanda said he was honored to take on the role and promised to work tirelessly to ensure a colorful celebration.

Wanda further encouraged fellow members to work together citing that the Centenary Celebration will be a big event.

Fr Thomas Gondwe, Mzuzu Diocese PMS Director, said the reports that were presented by the Sub-committees were well articulated which clearly shows that the members are working hard.

The body of Sister Elizabeth Sezi of the Sisters of the Holy Rosary and the headmistress of Katete girls’ primary school in Mzuzu Diocese was laid to rest on 27 February 2026.

Sister Elizabeth born on 1 February 1969, died on 25 February at Mzuzu Central after suffering from heart complications.

The Requiem Mass for Sr Elizabeth Sezi took place at St Peters Cathedral in the morning where the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu Right Reverend Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda led the mass.

The Bishop described Sister Sezi as aa dedicated religious sister and hard working teacher who always wished hers students excel in education. Bishop Nyirenda recalled the moments he encountered her teaching students during old hours and on holidays compromising her resting time.

Bishop Nyirenda further said, death is not the end of everything but rather the beginning of a new life and he encouraged the faithful to pray for sister Sezi’s soul.

Association of Women in Religious Institutes of Malawi (AWRIM) Secretary General who is also a member of the Sisters of the Holy Rosary and a former primary school learner of late Sr Sezi, Sr Agnes Magalasi Phiri said the sisters are shocked by the death of their fellow Sister.

“Sr Sezi’s death has left a gap in our Rosarian congregation, and we will greatly miss her,” said Sr Phiri.

Mclonic Sezi the brother to sister Sezi said she was a pillar of strength and support to the whole family, saying her death leaves a huge void in the family.

Agatha Soko a standard 8 student at Katete Girls primary school described sister Sezi as one of the best teachers who always wished them to do well and succeed with education.

Sr Elizabeth Sezi made her first vows in the Sisters of the Holy Rosary congregation on 4 October 1992, and final vows in 1998.

May Her Soul Rest in Eternal Peace

The Christians for the St Louis are currently worshipping in a grass thatched church and plans to build a big church with brick walls and Iron sheets roof are underway as its foundation has already been built.

The Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu, Father Isaac John Katumbi on pastoral visit at the place appealed to well-wishers to support this church project with various building materials. The Vicar further commended the Christians for their tireless effort and willingness to start the church project on their own with the little local contributions they are making.

“Let’s support the Outstation, they have big plans and they are doing a lot, but they need some help, and to all the well-wishers let’s support them to accomplish this church development,” said Father Katumbi.

St Louis Outstation Local Pastoral Council chairperson Gregorio Nyoni also made an emphasis on the support needed for them to complete their project as the population of Catholics in the area is growing each year.

St Louis Outstation has four zones with over 300 families.

Mzuzu Malawi-The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu Rt. Rev. Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda has commended the remarkable work that missionaries are doing in his diocese.

Speaking in an interview during the celebration of the concentrated life at St Augustine Parish, Bishop Nyirenda appreciated the missionaries’ participation and contribution through pastoral and developmental services they implement in the Diocese of Mzuzu.

“They are doing a lot in the diocese, they run parishes, help in schools, hospitals so it is important that we pray for them to continue working hard in the diocese” said bishop Nyirenda.

One of the missionaries from Lusaka Archdiocese in Zambia father Nathan Kakuo who serves as the Parish Priest of St Paul’s Parish said the bishop’s encouragement has reminded them of their consecration and ordination to serve the Lord.

“The principal call of our Lord Jesus Christ is to go and evangelize to the entire world, so we are just following the footsteps of Jesus, and here in Malawi the missionary mission is going on well.”

Father Kakuo further appreciated the moral and kind support the diocese gives them citing that it helps them to serve the people well despite serving in a foreign land with different cultures and traditions.

Sister Lucy Tarimo of the Holy Spirit Sisters from Tanzania who serves as an assistant pastoral sister and as a teacher of their congregation pre-school at St Augustine parish in Mzuzu. Sr. Ruth has been in Mzuzu Diocese for over 3 years saying she is enjoying the hospitality and kindness of people in Mzuzu Diocese and she expressed that her pastoral experience is great.

“The Malawian people are very friendly, I am enjoying serving God in this country. I thank the bishop of MZUZU diocese for encouraging us and we will continue working hard and with missionary zeal, sai Sr Lucy.”

In the Diocese of Mzuzu the following parishes are led by missionaries, Holy Family in Bowe, Utatu Utuba in Mzimba, St Paul’s in Mzimba,St Francis de sales at Edingeni, St Padre Pio in Mzuzu, St Alphonsus Rodriguez in Mzuzu and St Thomas the Apostle in Mzuzu.

Other Missionaries are serving in different institutions such as Hospitals and Schools.

Malawi Rumphi –Women in areas of Mzokoto and Mphompha have commended the CCJP- Mzuzu Diocese Land Rights for Women Project for supporting to secure land tenure for organic farming, which has led to an enhanced economic empowerment, improved household food security, and greater self-reliance.

The women expressed these sentiments on 14thJanuary 2025 during the issuance of customary Land titles to the 73 women (project beneficiaries) at Mzokoto T/A Mwankhunikila.

CCJP- Mzuzu Diocese Coordinator, Felix Manda explained the project focuses on securing customary land titles for the marginalized women (divorced widows, single mothers and unmarried girls). Manda added that in Rumphi the project targets to support 100 more women in addition to the 73 women who have already secured their land.

The project also empowers women to apply agro-ecological and organic farming methods to realize their rights to food and social economic development.

Northern Region Deputy Director for Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Lands, Ruth Banda appreciated the efforts of CCJP in Mzuzu diocese for helping the government to implement a new Customary Land Act that empowers citizens to secure their land hence protecting it from being sold to strangers.

The Director of Social Development, who is also the Vicar general of Mzuzu Diocese, Fr Isaac John Katumbi complemented the development saying that the Diocese is pleased with the outcome of the project and its impact as this transformation of women’s lives is within the Mzuzu Diocese goal of achieving a holistic evangelization of both spiritual and social- economic development of people in the diocese.

Cecilia Nyasulu who got divorced and returned to her parents’ home is one of the beneficiaries of the project. Her life has greatly transformed as she is able to farm a variety of crops and sale some. From the profit realized through sale of extra produce, Nyasulu is able to pay school fees for her secondary school child.

Land Rights for women project implemented in Mzuzu diocese is funded by Misereor in Germany, aims at empowering women specifically widows and divorced to have access land to Land for organic farming, breaking the northern region’s cultural belief that ownership of land belongs to men.

Mzuzu Diocese Malawi -The Catholic Church in Malawi in October this year is expected to celebrate a significant milestone of 100 years (Centenary) of World Mission Sunday (1926-2026) and 110 years of Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU) (1916-2026).

Preparations for this day have been launched on 10th January 2026 in the Catholic diocese of Mzuzu which will be the hosting diocese.

Speaking in an interview Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) National Director Father Peter Madeya, said this early planning will ensure a colorful celebration.

“Starting preparations at an early stage will help us have a successful and colorful celebration,” he said.

Father Madeya further said World Mission Sunday has really helped the Catholic church in the country in establishing different institutions in the dioceses.

Mzuzu Diocese PMS Director Father Thomas Gondwe said his office will work together with the Pastoral Office in order to have a wonderful celebration. Fr Gondwe further said during the preparations the main organizing committee of Mzuzu Diocese will be looking on liturgy, accommodation, transport, food, health, decoration, security, fundraising, protocol and publicity.

The national event is expected to attract a large nationwide audience from all dioceses and will be witnessed by the Pope’s Delegate from Rome and the PMS International Secretary.

By Staff Reporter

The project aimed at enhancing gender equality and promote the right to education for girls in Mzuzu Diocese (June 2022–May 2025), funded with EUR 465,000 by Misereor and implemented in four parishes in Kasungu, Mzimba, and Rumphi districts. It responded to persistent gender-based violence, harmful cultural practices, and poverty that expose girls to defilement, early marriage, and school dropout, and it used data from routine reports and stakeholder consultations, including girls themselves, to assess progress.

Objective 1: Parents’ mindset and support

• Objective 1 sought mindset change among parents/guardians regarding equal education rights for girls and boys, and results show all three indicators surpassed targets at endline. ​
• 2877 of 3500 targeted parents/guardians (82%) changed socio-cultural beliefs and practices to support equality in education (target 80%), and 3026 (86%) took actionable steps to prevent early and forced marriages (target 70%).
• 3377 of 4000 targeted girls (84%) completed primary education without disruption from early marriage or teenage pregnancy (target 80%); survey data from attendance registers confirmed similar performance (82%).
•  These achievements are attributed mainly to strengthened Parents and Guardians Education Advocacy Groups (PGEAG) and project volunteers, who received advocacy and lobbying training and engaged communities to discourage harmful practices like accepting dowry at the expense of girls’ schooling.

Objective 2: Protection and safeguarding systems

• Objective 2 aimed to improve protection and safeguarding systems so they effectively protect girls’ right to education in schools and communities.
• Confirmed defilement cases recorded by the Ministry of Health increased from 49 at baseline to 104 at endline (212% of baseline) against an intended 50% reduction, which the report interprets as a sign of improved reporting and awareness rather than increased incidence alone.
• CCJP supported five defilement cases in magistrate courts; three were successfully decided in favour of the girls (60% success versus a target of 100%), with some losses linked to alleged bribes that led families to misrepresent ages and consent.
• Five community by-laws to protect girls’ rights and education were developed and enforced with district councils, and their enforcement helped 3377 girls (84% of the 4000 targeted) complete primary school without disruption.
• Overall, the report concludes that protection and safeguarding systems became more responsive, as indicator performance was above average and close to targets, despite not all targets being met.

Objective 3: Re-admission  and retention

• Objective 3 focused on effective, responsive re-admission strategies for girls who had dropped out of school.
• Only 128 girls were re-admitted in targeted schools using the national re-admission policy, against an ambitious target of 1010 (12.7% achievement), and the report explicitly notes that this target was unrealistic and insufficiently revised during implementation.
• Of the 128 re-admitted girls, 120 (about 93%) successfully completed primary education, exceeding the 80% completion target and showing that once re-admitted, girls largely stayed and finished school.​
• The project concludes that, although the absolute number of re-admissions was much lower than planned, the re-admission strategies in place were effective and responsive for those who did return, and enforcement of the policy did promote education rights for this group.​

For a detailed analysis of the project download below:

By Staff Reporter

The Catholic Development Commission (CADECOM) of the Mzuzu Diocese is implementing the A+ Successor Project in the areas of Traditional Authorities Mwahenga and Katumbi in Rumphi District, with financial support from Caritas Australia. Monsignor Isaac John Katumbi, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu and Director of Social Development, conducted monitoring activities on Wednesday, 10^th December 2025, in Ntchenachena, Rumphi, where he expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project and called for continued collaboration between the project team, beneficiaries and the wider community.

During the visit, Monsignor Katumbi observed the Livestock Pass-On initiative, in which beneficiary Estery Thamusi, who received three goats last year, passed on two healthy goats to fellow community member Patrick Kamulana, thereby extending the reach of the intervention. He further inspected Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities, including the provision of communal tap water, the use of vision maps developed by Chimyanga and Chiunganya Village Development Committees, and practical cooking demonstrations aimed at improving household nutrition and hygiene.

Other interventions visited included support provided to people living with disabilities, as well as welding and tailoring workshops where trained beneficiaries are now engaged in productive work after receiving vocational skills through the project. One such beneficiary, William Nyirenda, expressed gratitude to CADECOM-Mzuzu Diocese, noting that the vocational skills initiative has promoted economic empowerment among local youth.

A+ Project Coordinator, Henry Simukonda, commended the beneficiaries for positively embracing the project and expressed optimism that more people would be reached through ongoing interventions, particularly the expansion of tap water supply and livestock pass-on activities.

Later in the day, Monsignor Katumbi launched an improved seed distribution initiative for the 2025/26 growing season, through which farmers received improved seed varieties to bolster food and nutritional security in the targeted communities; he was accompanied by CADECOM Coordinator Dan Zimba and Diocesan Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Kondwani Kamphekete.

The A+ Project is a five-year livelihood programme focusing on agriculture and food security, water, hygiene and sanitation, environmental management, and enterprise development, and it seeks to strengthen the resilience and self-reliance of vulnerable households within the Mzuzu Diocese.

Pictorial focus