Ministries

St Kizito Catholic Parish has a number of ministries and church groups

Liturgy

Liturgy is directed towards the communion of life with Christ leading to the proclamation of the gospel and active charity. This is the source of the Catholic faith because from the Sacraments the faithful draw abundantly the water of grace which flows from the side of Christ crucified.
Good liturgy practice is, among others, anchored by the following: Receiving sacraments, reading the Word, sharing the sign of peace, singing, offerings and attending retreats.
Liturgy is led by the Committee at church level made up of Liturgy members elected from Small Christian Communities. The Parish Priest provides overall guidance to the liturgy Committee.

The groups that work closely with the Liturgy Committee include: Altar boys, Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion, Choir, Divine Mercy, Teresian girls and Tilitonse.

Youth

At SCC and at church level there are youth groups. Each SCC has one youth group, where all the youth belong. At church level however, there are different youth groups, namely; the Catholic Youth Organization which accommodates youths aged 12 – 30 years; Young Christian Workers whose membership is drawn from school leavers and all those young workers; and Young Christian Students which caters for youths in Secondary Schools around St. Kizito Church. The groups are assisted by Patrons, Matrons and the Youth Chaplain.

Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)

CCJP was established to contribute to the creation of a just and peaceful society. At St. Kizito, the commission is mostly involved in the conduct of elections at Church and Small Christian Communities levels. The functionality of the CCJP are however currently expanding and the Parish Priest is supporting its activities. Despite efforts to expand, CCJP does not have well-articulated Terms of Reference to effectively support its expanding roles, some of which include expansion of counselling services.

Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist

In every celebration of the Eucharist, there should be sufficient number of ministers for the distribution of the Eucharist. Priority for this task is accorded to ordinary ministers (Bishops, priests and deacons). Due to insufficient number of ministers, St. Kizito appointed extra ordinary ministers to assist the Priest in administering the Holy Communion.

Catholic Women Organization

The CWO started in Malawi as one of the Catholic activities of women in response to the 1972 pastoral letter called ‘you too go into my vineyard’ Mt 20v4. In this letter the Bishops requested
…He has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor, proclaim freedom for the captives, restore sight to the blind, set free the downtrodden and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour (Lk 4:18-19).
the laity to take part in church activities, following this request a few women from St. Plus X. parish, Blantyre Archdiocese formed the CWO in order to assist the church in evangelization, charity work, counselling and responding to church activities among others. Currently, the CWO is found in each and every church in Malawi.

Catholic Men Organization

CMO was established with a four-fold agenda:
(i) Provide a forum where members help each other with spiritual growth and strengthen catholic faith and doctrines
(ii) Encourage participation of men in liturgy and other church events
(iii) Facilitate effective evangelization and counselling for the benefit of the members and their families; and
(iv) Respond to the needs of the church

St Vincent de Paul (SVP)

St Vincent de Paul focusses on practical approach in dealing with poverty primarily by working through person to person contact. In addition to provide direct support to individuals, SVP engenders self-sufficiency.

Marriage Encounter

Marriage Encounter is a lay Christian Family Movement of the Catholic Church. The group offers married couples, priests and religious an experience of deepening relationships in a Catholic tradition.

Legion of Mary

The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolic association of Catholics who, with the sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of All Graces, serve the Church and their neighbour on a voluntary basis.