Today, St. Kizito Parish bid an emotional farewell to Fr. Francis Taylor, who has been reassigned to Lusaka, Zambia, after 40 years of service in Malawi. He shared his mixed emotions, saying he was going to Lusaka with “excitement and a bit of fear.” However, Fr. Taylor is certain that God has arrived there before him and will guide his next assignment.
In recognition of Fr. Taylor’s long and dedicated service to the St. Kizito community, Fr. Martin Mulholland announced that the St. Kizito Parish Hall has been officially renamed the Fr. Francis Taylor Hall.
Planting a garden
Following the unveiling of the plaque at the hall, at a short reception, Fr. Taylor shared a meaningful Chinese proverb:
If you want to be happy for a week, get married.
If you want to be happy for a month, slaughter a pig.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, plant a garden.
He went on to say that he will be “planting a garden in Lusaka, full of beautiful flowers.” These flowers, he clarified, won’t be the ones we see outside, but rather happy people who will live joyfully and bring light to each other.
Tributes
In their remarks, Mr Clement Stambuli, Chair of the Parish Council, and Mr Patrick Chingati, Chair of The Friends of St. Patrick’s Society, both thanked Fr. Taylor for his tireless missionary work in the parish and country. They applauded him for spearheading several key developments during his time as parish priest.
Fr. Taylor holds the distinction of being St. Kizito Parish’s longest-serving parish priest. He left St Kizito Parish in 2022 and has been the parish priest for St Augustine Mtengowanthenga Parish in Dowa.