World family meet inspires Malawi delegation

A delegation from Malawi to the World Meeting of Family in Philadelphia, United States of America has described this year’s gathering as crucial to the Malawi Church and families based on the theme: “Love is our mission: The family fully alive.”

The Malawi delegation included five couples, Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi’s (ECM) Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) and ECM bishop chairperson for the pastoral commission Peter Musikuwa of Chikwawa Diocese.

In an e-mail message from Philadelphia on Tuesday, Fr. Mwakhwawa said the theme for this year’s meeting will help to explore critical role families’ play in society and to give families an opportunity to talk about challenges and blessings that families have.

“It is exciting to meet and interact with many families, priests and bishops. Our bishop [His Lordship Musikuwa] stole the show yesterday, for he was the only visible bishop with his cassock around the conference centre and in the streets of Philadelphia. Everyone wanted to take a picture with him,” Fr Mwakhwawa wrote.

“Congregation of the Laity and Council of Families in Rome, together with the United States Conference of Catholic bishops are the organisers of this meeting of families which runs from September 21 to 27 2015. Pope Francis will attend the meeting from 26 to 27 September,” said Mwakhwawa.

Malawi’s couple president for Marriage Encounter, George and Selina Mwenelupembe, said the keynote and breakout session speakers were internationally known and engaged the delegates in thought-provoking dialogue.

According to George Mwenelupembe the meeting was essential to Malawi, whose challenges are those also being faced by other countries.

“Virtues are taught in the family, as a family we need to pray, worship and celebrate together. Worship leads to peace and love within and around the world,” he said

World Meeting of Families takes place every three years. The meetings started in 1994 in Rome by St. John Paul II. The last one was held in Milan, Italy in 2012. n