(Pictured) Alinafe Yohane is a form 4 student who will receive tuition aid this year from our parish’s 2023 Malawi Fund donations. Also pictured are this year’s nine new postulants in the first step to becoming a sister.

Dear Parishioners,

   I consider it one of the great blessings of my priesthood to have been assigned to me a priest from Malawi, Africa when I served as pastor in Edmonds, WA. His name was Fr. Dominic and we lived in the same Rectory and ministered together for three years. He was very delightful, humble and a good priest, and I got to learn a lot about his country, his culture and the practice of the faith there. It was through Fr. Dominic that we developed a sister parish relationship with a parish in his diocese in Malawi, and we led two mission trips from our parish to his country. It was during these mission trips that I really got to have a personal experience and knowledge of the deep and beautiful faith of the African people. 

  As the church is declining in the West, my experience of Fr. Dominic and Malawi gave me great hope to see a church that is very much alive and growing. They used to say that the African church is the future of the church. But it's actually the Church of the present. 94% of African Catholics attend mass on Sunday, sometimes traveling great distances on foot to attend Mass. 

   One thing I noticed about Fr. Dominic and other Africans is their innate supernatural view of the world. I think in the West, because of our very rational approach to everything with our science and technology originating from the Enlightenment, we have lost a sense of the supernatural and mystery. I think this is one of the lessons we can learn from the African church. Also, the African church is very clear about moral teachings that here in the West, for decades now, there have been attempts to water down, and even change Church teaching. The Church in Africa is also a suffering church. Just in Nigeria alone in the past 15 years, 50,000 Nigerians have died for their faith and 18,000 churches have been burned. They have suffered for their faith.  

   Next Sunday, Nov. 10, after the 10:00 Mass we will have an opportunity to hear from two special guests who will share their experiences about Malawi. Hannah Graves has spent two years in Malawi, teaching at the girl's school, which we have financially supported for the past two years. And Christine Landerholm has helped organize two mission trips to Malawi.  

   Hannah and Christine will share their experiences with a slide presentation. It is a hope of ours to also lead a mission trip to Malawi from our parish in the future. Fr. Dominic is now stationed back in his home diocese in Malawi, and he will be happy to host and be with us if we can come. I can tell you that for anyone who goes to Malawi, it will be a life-changing experience, especially for the young. Please join us next Sunday after the 10:00 am Mass at St. Mary’s parish hall for this special presentation.