Parishioners in Burlington, Foxboro, Canton, and Arlington in the Archdiocese of Boston will recognize the smiling bishop pictured here as he visited each place in the month of June as part of the Missionary Cooperative Plan.

Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Malawi came to Boston for the first time as part of the educational program administered each year by The Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Bishop Vincent spoke movingly about the lives of the faithful he serves, calling the partnership between his Archdiocese and our Pontifical Mission Societies, "a living testament to the Gospel in action."

Serving over 1.1 million active Catholics spread across forty-nine parishes in an area almost four times the size of the Archdiocese of Boston presents many logistical challenges. Lack of infrastructure makes travel difficult; priests receive no salary. It's hard to put fuel in your vehicle's tank for pastoral visits when your parishioners are so poor that the Mass stipends they offer are often chickens or vegetables.

There is good news, too. Bishop Vincent is especially grateful for help received to build a children's ward in the local hospital and provide faith formation education materials for rural parishes. These two projects help to build both the physical and spiritual Body of Christ in Lilongwe.

Along with the children's ward at the hospital, the Archdiocese of Lilongwe runs 19 rural health clinics for vulnerable children. Many face serious but preventable illnesses like malaria, anemia, and malnutrition. The clinics struggle to get regular supplies of medicine and equipment for treatment. Through its Catholic Health Commission, the Archdiocese of Lilongwe has identified ten of the neediest clinics and is launching a project to improve diagnosis and treatment of the children treated at them. The project will include pediatric medicine and child-sized basic medical equipment. The goal is to reduce child illness and death by increasing access to quality care for over 15,000 children under five each year. Lives will be saved in Malawi by donations from the Boston area.

Bishop Vincent is rarely without a smile on his face. He loves his priesthood and wants to share his people's stories with the world. It is in that spirit that he now welcomes our staff Mission Education Coordinator, Daria Braithwaite -- also pictured, smiling -- to the missions of Malawi. Daria will return ready to inspire the children of our Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs through the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) to pray and sacrifice for their fellow members in Malawi and around the world.

MCA is a program that's vibrant in Lilongwe, Malawi, too -- as universal as our faith itself!



- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.