Comboni Missionaries
in Malawi & Zambia

MALAWI
Our missionary ministry began in Malawi in 1973, in the archdiocese of Blantyre, with the arrival of Fr. Giuseppe Gusmini. 
In 1974 four parishes were entrusted to us in Mulanje District: Phalombe, Chiringa, Muloza and Gambula. In 1976 other two parishes were entrusted to our care in the Shire Highlands: Lirangwe and Lisungwi. 
The parish of Chipini in Zomba diocese was accepted in 1977. In that same year 1977, Malawi was constituted a delegation with Fr. Jaime Rodriguez as Delegate.
In 1982 we were entrusted with the foundation of a parish at Mthawira, in Blantyre archdiocese. 
The province of Malawi-Zambia was constituted in 1984 with Fr. Luigi Casagrande as its first provincial superior. 
One confrere taught at Zomba major seminary from 1980 to 1984, and we began our presence at Kachebere major seminary in 1983. 
In 1984 we began vocation promotion and mission animation followed by the launching of Zikomo magazine. 
In line with the process of revision of our commitments, in 1986 Muloza parish was the first to be handed over to the archdiocese of Blantyre. 
The postulancy started in 1984 in Ludzi. In 1986 it was moved from Ludzi to the premises of the montfort missionaries in Balaka where it eventually settled at the new Inter-Congregational Seminary (ICS) in 1987. 
In 1991 we built and opened a provincial house in Lilongwe. 
In 1992 the new Comboni house in Lunzu together with the Mission Animation Centre in the same place were opened while the Comboni Technical School started its activities in 1993. 
In 1994 the community of the provincial house in Lilongwe accepted the pastoral commitment of Msamba Parish. 
We also handed over to their respective dioceses a few pastoral commitments such as: Mthawira parish in December, 1994, Gambula parish in 1995, Chipini parish in 1998, Chiringa parish in 2004 and Phalombe parish in 2007. 
In 2008 our commitment at Kachebere was ended, and a community was established in Lisungwe parish. 
In 2015, a new parish of Mbera in Mangochi diocese was given to the Comboni missionaries. Its parish priest and his assistant commute from the Inter-congregation Institute (ICI –Balaka) where they also teach philosophy. 

ZAMBIA
Our missionary ministry in Zambia began in November 1977 with the arrival of Fr. Kizito Sesana in the diocese of Chipata. In that diocese we accepted two parishes: Chadiza in 1978 and Vubwi in 1979. 
St. Mathias Mulumba, in Chipata town, was opened in 1983. 
We have been present in Chikowa since 1983 and in 1985 a community was established to care for Chikowa mission, given to us in 1987, and to start the Chikowa Youth Project in 1988. 
Vubwi Parish was handed over to the diocese in 1987 and Chadiza parish in 1988. 
A confrere worked in Chikungu Pastoral Centre from 1984 to 1988.
In 1988 we were entrusted with two pastoral commitments in Lusaka: St. Kizito parish (George Compound) and St. Andrew Kaggwa parish (Lilanda). 
In 1997 we took over the pastoral care of Chama parish. 
In 2001 a new Inter-Provincial Novitiate was officially opened in Bauleni, Lusaka. 
In 2009 a confrere was appointed as PMS Director in the archdiocese of Lusaka. 
In 2010 we opened a new community in Kanyanga to take pastoral care of the mission. 
In April, 2011, St. Mathias Mulumba parish was handed over to Chipata diocese. 
In October of the same year, Chizongwe community, in the outskirts of Chipata, was opened for hospitality. It was blessed by Bishop George Lungu. 
In January 2016, a new centre for vocation promotion and mission animation was officially opened at Kalikiliki, in Lusaka.
Our second field of commitment is in the Luangwa Valley, in the diocese of Chipata. This area was evangelized in the past, but then it was left almost abandoned. In the 1980s, the Bishop of Chipata asked us to take responsibility of the area and revive the life of the Church. In his mind, we should be forming a team with diocesan clergy and other pastoral personnel. 
In reality this plan never worked. The area is too large and it would require much more personnel. We follow three parishes: Chama, Chikowa and Chipata. 
Our missionaries work in this vast expanse by visiting local communities and staying with them several days in a row. The distances and the poor infrastructure make everything more complicated. 
In the Luangwa Valley there are still areas of first evangelization, but there are also some communities already formed. People there are very generous. In June-July, when the main harvest is ready, each Christian community offers maize, potatoes, beans for the work of the Church. It is amazing to see small communities to offer so much. It is also important to keep up this tradition, for the local Church needs to grow in awareness and self support.
In this valley, we try to provide basic educational services, but also technical formation. In Chikowa, there are three Comboni Brothers who run the Chikowa Youth Development Centre, which offers two-year courses in construction, carpentry, and agriculture. Br. Jonas Dzinekou, from Togo, is the principal of the centre. 
The Centre was started as a response to the shortage of educational opportunities in the country, and exists not just to provide important technical skills to the students, but also to offer human formation. The human formation program at the centre is intended to provide an open space for students to share about their lives and their hopes, to learn skills and to become responsible adults who work for the improvement of society. We are also involved in social projects, like digging bore-holes for clean water and working with prisoners. One of our fathers is a counsellor and visits prisoners every week. When there are special reasons for concern, he invites government officials to take action. Last year, because of the torrential rains, one of the prisons was flooded and he was able to mobilize the ministry to help with emergency, and also to look into the living space of prisoners, usually massed in crowded cells.