St Theresa Catholic Parish,

                                                                        P.O. Box 7,

                                                                        Champhira, 

                                                                        Mzimba, 

                                                                        Malawi -Central Africa

                                                                        13/3/2006

 

Reverend James McGillicuddy

Archdiocese of Southwark

Church of Our Lady of The Rosary

2 St Barnabas Road

Sutton Surrey

SM1 4NL,

United Kingdom

 

Dear Rev. James McGillicuddy, 

Very warm greetings from Champhira. 

We would like to give you a brief introduction of St Theresa's Catholic Parish. 

 

St Theresa's Parish locally known as Katete is the oldest of all 15 parishes in Mzuzu Diocese  which is found in the Northern part of Malawi. It was established as the first Parish of the  Diocese in 1938 by Missionaries of Africa (White fathers) 

 

The Parish covers an area of 700 km² divided into 28 outstations and 98 small Churches  (Substations) each one of which is an aggregate of sometimes 10 Small Christian Communities.  Some of the substations are grass thatched up to date. 

 

Katete area is divided into 4 main zones for its proper running. These are largely divided into two basing on its .topography. The eastern part which is hilly (the Viphya Plateau) area and the western part which is plain. The main tarmac road (Ml) connecting Lilongwe (Malawi's Capital City ) and Mzuzu city in north demarcates the two areas.

 

Two priests run the parish at present namely. Father Joakim Mwale (parish priest) and Father Cypriano Ngoma (curate).

 

Katete Parish has several main organisations like Catholic Development Commission (CADECOM), Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Women of Charity and Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP). CADECOM runs a simple project to improve the nutritional and economic stand of the rural people. It promotes vegetable growing, goat and chicken rearing. CCJP brings people to awareness of human rights issues and so foster unity, justice and peace.

 

There are two rural mission hospitals in the names of Katete Catholic Hospital which is run by Diocesan Sisters of the Holy Rosary on behalf of the diocese and Embangweni CCAP Hospital.

At the meantime Katete faces the following challenges

     (i)    HIV and AIDS related illnesses.

    (ii)    Orphans and old helpless people whose number is growing day by day.

    (iii)   Famine due to poor rainfalls and expensive farm inputs like Fertilizer.

    (iv)   Widows having no one to support them.

    (v)    Infant Mortality rate very high due to poverty, hunger, malaria and long distances to reach the two hospital which are almost 80 Km apart

 

As you can see Katete is a rural parish in the south of Mzuzu Diocese. The most densely populated areas are far from the main road. Most of its population comprises subsistent farmers trapped m areas with no facilities like motor vehicles, telephone and other essential means of communication so as to link up easily with the rest of the country. The Parish has no Email address but any communication through this medium can be achieved through the Diocesan address.

 

 

            Be assured of our prayers for your success.

                      Best seasonal wishes of Lent.

 

 

            Yours sincerely

                

            Rev. Fathers Joackim Mwale and Cypriano Ngoma.                                                                     i