St Jude Mkwanda

HISTORY

St Jude Mkwanda Church was established by Montfort Missionaries from St Joseph Nguludi Parish in 1922. The first Catholics at St Jude Mkwanda Church were baptized by Fr. Louis-Josef-Marie Auneau, who was the Apostolic Vicar of the then Shire Vicariate whose headquarters was at St Joseph Nguludi Parish. The first Catholics used to congregate in one of the classrooms at Mkwanda Catholic School (now Goleka Catholic Primary School), which was also founded by the Montfort Missionaries. So, originally, St Jude Mkwanda Church was an outstation of St Joseph Nguludi Parish. Later in 1928, the Montfort Missionaries established a new Parish at Limbe and it was at this time that St Jude Mkwanda Church became an outstation of Limbe Parish. Subsequently, Limbe Parish became a Cathedral when Blantyre Archdiocese was created in 1959 by Pope John XXIII with the late His Grace Jan Baptist Hubert Theunissen as the first Archbishop.

As the number of Catholics at St Jude Mkwanda Church increased, the classroom at Mkwanda Catholic School was too small to accommodate all the congregants. So, in 1976, one of the church members donated his land to the Church for construction of a proper Church. Church members then bought bricks. A Catholic Priest from Holland, they started constructing the first Church which was completed in 1978. The Church was consecrated in December 1978 by the late Fr Saulos Nkata, who was the Parish Priest of Limbe Cathedral Parish then. The first Church building is the current Hall at St Jude Mkwanda Church.

As years went by, the number of Catholics kept increasing until the Church Leaders decided to construct a bigger Church on the same land which was donated by a well-wisher, where the first Church was built. Molding of bricks for the construction of the second Church was initiated in 1994 and the Church was built by Montfort Brothers led by Bro Matthias from Holland. The church building was completed in 1996 and it was opened by His Grace the late Archbishop James Chiona in October 1996. This is the same Church building which is being used by the congregants at St Jude Mkwanda Church.

CATHOLIC POPULATION AND PASTORAL ACTIVITIES

Currently, St Jude Mkwanda Church has approximately 7,000 Catholics and 19 Small Christian Communities (SCC). The Church’s catchment area stretches from Chiradzulu Turnoff along the Limbe-Zomba Road to Namala along the Chiradzulu Road. The Church has one resident Catechist by the name of Mr. Francis Chiwoko, who does pastoral work.