MALAWI: Poor Clares Ready to Help the Church in Preparation for Mission Month of October

 Timothy Michallass

The Poor Clares in the Monastery of Mary Queen of the Universe and Mother of Mercy at Maula in Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Malawi, have committed to give spiritual support to the universal Church in preparation for the celebration of Mission Month of October and World Mission Sunday 18 October 2020.

This commitment was made by the Mother Abbess of the Poor Clares in the country Sister Mary Monica Phiri in Lilongwe on 4th August 2020 following an animation session at the Monastery, conducted by the National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Malawi, Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa. 

Speaking after the session, the Mother Abbess indicated that the nuns accepted the invitation of the Church to cloistered nuns to pray for the mission of the Church. Sr. Mary Monica and nuns in the monastery expressed their delight with the message from the Holy Father for the World Mission Sunday of 2020. She said as a Religious congregation, they are ready to help the Church in preparation for the Mission Month through their apostolate of prayer and contemplative life.

“We will help the universal Church by praying for the preparations of the Mission Month so that even though countries across the world including Malawi are amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the preparations may run smoothly. We strongly believe that prayer has no boundaries: in fact, the effect of prayer is big in the hearts of human beings and on the activities of the Church,” she said.

The Pontifical Missionary Societies (PMS) Malawi National Director organized the mission animation session for the nuns in order to create among them an awareness of the contemporary missionary needs of the local and universal Church, to share the animation plans of the national office and to share the message of World Mission Sunday 2020 from Pope           Francis.

”PMS Malawi conducted this missionary training in the Monastery in order to equip them with knowledge about PMS, missionary needs of the Church and guidance of the Holy Father and Bishops in Malawi on how to prepare for Mission Month. Also, I communicated to the Sisters the Holy Father's wish for cloistered nuns to constantly pray for the missionary activities of the Church and indeed pray for missionary renewal in the present age," said Fr Mwakhwawa. 

He further said that the Church knows and values the vital role played by all cloistered men and women in all levels through their apostolate of prayer.

The PMS in Malawi and in the universal Church have started campaign in teaching all the baptized about living missionary Spirit in preparation for the Mission Month and World Mission Sunday which will be celebrated by the universal Church on 18th October 2020 under the theme: “Here am I,  send me” (Isaiah 6:8). 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, PMS Malawi has put in place a number of ways which will help all Christians get information about this year’s mission month. The office is using the digital platform to reach to some people of God in Malawi and beyond.

 In order to abide by the preventive measures of Covid-19, the National PMS office is using Catholic radios, and Catholic Television of Luntha in the country as well as social media platforms to teach popularize the Mission Month and the World Mission Sunday.