Lilongwe Archdiocese in fundraising campaign

The Archdiocese of Lilongwe on Saturday officially launched fundraising activities for the construction of a new cathedral.

The launch took place at Maula Cathedral podium in Lilongwe with a eucharistic celebration led by Archbishop Tarsizio Gervazio Ziyaye, head of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.

A statement co-signed by the diocesan financial administrator Father Gerald Kubetcha and the Cathedral Fundraising Committee chairperson Wilfred Dodoli says the current cathedral is too old and cannot contain the growing Catholic population in the archdiocese.

“In addition, it does not have facilities that are characteristic of a cathedral. It is against this background that the archdiocese has decided to construct a new cathedral, which will be a big, spacious and modern structure with all the characteristics of a cathedral,” it says.

A member of the fundraising committee, Peter Kulemeka, told The Nation in an earlier interview that the archdiocese has since lined up a number of initiatives to raise financial and material resources for project.

“Among others, the committee has lined up a number of fundraising activities, including luncheons, dinner and dance, football and golf tournaments as part of the initiatives to raise the needed resources. Teams interested to participate in the golf tournaments will be required to pay registration fees of K200 000 each,” he said.

The current Maula Cathedral was constructed in 1954 and was created as a diocese by Pope John XXIII in 1959. It got its present status in 2011 under Pope Benedict XVI.

Before its elevation in 2011, the Archdiocese of Lilongwe belonged to the Ecclesiastical Province of the Archdiocese of Blantyre.

Currently, it oversees dozens of deaneries and parishes in the Central Region.