Demetria Banda
The Pastoral Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi has called upon its young members to actively participate in youth targeted Church organizations and programs.
National Pastoral Coordinator Rev.Fr. Henry Chinkanda made the call on Tuesday the 8th of June 2021 at Msamba Pastoral Centre during a day-long training of Diocesan Youth Chaplains, Matrons and Patrons of Young Christian Students (YCS).
Fr. Chinkanda instructed the attendees to be close to the YCS members by encouraging them and paying attention to their potentiality as young people in the Church.
“Young Christian students are important agents of evangelization and ought to be fully equipped with necessary leadership skills and knowledge. It is our duty to guide them to use the right path to become better leaders of tomorrow before they can abandon their Catholic faith due to shallow knowledge of faith and other everyday incentives which their friends use to persuade them,” said Fr Chinkanda.
Commenting on the same, the National Youth Chaplain Fr Valerian Mtseka said YCS helps students to be submissive to God. “We want to revive YCS in all schools in Malawi, especially Catholic Schools, with an aim of deepening their faith in prayer and Bible sharing as they discuss and share a lot of things when they meet and get solutions from the bible,” he said.
In his presentation on Lenten Social Project, Br Pascal Mtuwana advised the YCS Matrons and Patrons to alert YCS members on their significance as drivers of the Lenten Social Project which gives the young Christian students the opportunity to exercise their social responsibility and leadership skills.
“We expect the Young Christian Students to be drivers of this Lenten Social project, as this will help them to have analytical skills, and they should be able to analyze the local community in which their school is. This will help instilling in learners core Christianity values such as love for all, hope, solidarity, cooperation, respect for life, self-reliance, sharing and integrity of creation as well as facilitating social transformation by redressing basic social injustices,” said Br Mtuwana.
He continued that the schools should help improve the social life of people around the community and paying attention to the environment.
“We want the teachers to have the sense of responsibility towards the learners in guiding them as they do the project, we want the community to forge a strong relationship with the school,” explained Br Mtuwana
Raphael Mosopa YCS Patron from Devine Mercy Catholic Secondary School in Chiladzulu, said the training has helped him on the ways on strengthening YCS in his school.
“As a patron I will make sure that YCS as a club in my school is included on the school program and I will help leaners to realize their vocations and encourage them towards achieving them,” he said.
