By Tione Andsen
Members of St Padre Pio Church an outstation of Kaggwa Parish in Area 49 in Lilongwe have been encouraged to concern going for pilgrims to Holy places locally and internationally in order to deepen their faith.
Kaggwa Parish, Fr. Mathews Potani said this Sunday after conducted Morning Mass on Holy Trinity Day at St Padre Pio Church in New Gulliver.
He said visiting such Holy places help Roman Catholic Christian to appreciate and inspire them to have a better understanding of Church issues.
Fr. Potani commended nine women from Padre Pio Church who were part of this year’s pilgrims to Uganda for setting a good example.
“When they were going they requested us to remember them in our prayers and now that they have returned from the trip. We are happy to see them joining us after their successful pilgrims,” he said.
Fr. Potani expressed concern that on the pilgrim trip there was not man from St Padre Pio who joined the pilgrims.
He said men should start preparing now that they should be part of the trip next years.
Fr. Potani said there are local Holy places in the country such as Kachebere in Mchinji, Michiru in Blantyre and Mount Camel in Kasungu as one of them.
He said more members from most Parishes in the country are undertaking such pilgrims to Uganda and Israel.
Vice Chairperson for Padre Pio Church, Alex Chitsanthi said it was pleasing that some members of Padre Pio Church were part of this year’s pilgrims to Namugongo in Uganda.
He hoped that whatever they have learnt from the trip they could be able to share with the rest of members.
“We had nine women on the trip with one man from our Church. It is my sincerely that next year’s pilgrims, we will have 14 men and seven women,” Chitsanthi told the congregation.
National Chair of friends of Uganda Marty’s and Chairperson of St Francis Small Christian Community (SCC), Grace Kalanda said this was not just a mere trip but a pilgrimage where penance is observed.
“The money we paid for the trip is just little compared to the graces we received in Namugongo. My experience as a whole is the way our friends pray and honour the Marty’s show how much they have in God and this year’s was an extraordinary year because there was a 90 year old man and six year old boy who walked 340 km on foot which showed that their faith helped them so much,” she narrated.
Kalanda disclosed that they visited Namugongo shrine where Charles Lwanga was buried and the alter of the Church was built on his tomb and had a visit at Munyonyo shrine where mass was conducted.
There were over 102 members from Malawi who under took the pilgrims and nine of them were from St Padre Pio Outstation Church.
Nine Members from St Padre Pio Church who went on the pilgrims from May 27, to June 5, 2019 were Stella Bunya, Jessie Kadammanja, Maina Kapopo, Elizabeth Bwemba, Gift Thunde, Mirriam Chimoto, Chimwemwe Kalirani, Matilda Namondwe and Grace Kalanda,
The Pilgrims members jointly presented a table Cross as gift to St Padre Pio Church from their successful pilgrims in Uganda.-MANA