The message came in just past 6 pm. An active Catholic had died in one of our outstations. The burial would be the following day. They wanted to know — could a priest come to celebrate the funeral mass?
When I saw the message, I did not hesitate to respond positively.
It was only later that
Please send us missionaries...and please send them as soon as possible.
Those were the pleading words of the Christians of the newly established parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary at Chisankwa, Karonga Diocese, Malawi, when we visited in November 2019.
I arrived in Zambia as a young Catholic missionary in 1994. It’s hard to believe that was twenty years ago now! In the ten years that I was in the country I ministered in four different parishes: Kapisha, Luangwa, Chambishi and Kamushanga. Though I left Zambia in 2004 because I was asked to move to Rome to become the Treasurer...
Missionhurst Missionaries build Catholic communities in frontier situations: places where the gospel is not preached or lived. This blog is about their work in the four corners of the globe, and their holistic work in four areas of focus: relief and healthcare, socio-economic development, education, and pastoral work.
