The Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops has (MCCB) hailed St. Andrew Kaggwa Parish for observing the year of jubilee celebrations faithfully. Speaking during a closing Eucharistic Celebration of the year of Jubilee at the Parish, National Pastoral Coordinator at the Catholic Secretariat and Deputy Secretary General of the MCCB Rev. Fr. Joseph Sikwese told the congregants on Sunday January 11, 2026 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 call made by the Secretariat to have all parishes in the country 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 closing Mass of the Year of Jubilee was on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord whose main celebrant was Rev. Fr. Francisco Bisai, the Parochial Vicar of the Parish. 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 in spite of their status in the society. He called on the faithful to carry on the spirit of jubilee into the years to come.
According information available, over 17 groups celebrated the year of Jubilee implying that at least every month of the year 2025 had a Jubilee celebration 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 Parish level. This was followed by the jubilee of communicators on January 26, 2025 where all Catholic journalists and communicators who pray at the parish observed their jubilee celebration. All other Catholics belonging to different professional groups like security, medical, judiciary, teaching, artisans and artists, and various existing Church guilds took turns in observing their jubilee celebrations in the year 2025.
The parish boasts of some milestones recorded as a result of observing the Year of Jubilee celebrations including 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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