MALAWI IN JUBILATION AS BISHOP GEORGE TAMBALA IS INSTALLED ARCHBISHOP OF LILONGWE
It was all smiles at both Our Lady of Africa Maula Cathedral and Civo Stadium , on Saturday 27th November 2021, where multitude of people from all corners of Malawi and some from Eastern Province of Zambia Chipata witnessed the installation of Bishop George Desmond Tambala, formerly Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Zomba, as Archbishop of Lilongwe Archdiocese.
The spiritually enriching ceremony through harmonious singing and well-coordinated liturgical dancing team, which saw papal envoy to Zambia and Malawi, His Excellency Gianfranco Gallone, President of the Republic of Malawi and his vice, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima respectively, gracing the occasion, remains historical in the Church of Malawi as third Archbishop has been instituted after Archbishop Remi-Ste Marie Archbishop emeritus of Lilongwe and Archbishop Tarsisius Ziyaye who passed on 13th December, 2020.
Speaking during the function, the Apostolic Nuncio asked the newly installed Archbishop to take care of all the Clergy, Religious and Laity just as Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd did during his ministry when he was sent by God the Father to redeem the world.
“ Be like the bread that has been broken for all the people under your care for you are now a Good Shepherd for all the Clergy, Religious and Laity of Lilongwe Archdiocese and the Church of Malawi.’ Said the Papal Envoy.
Apart from telling the new Archbishop to be courageous in carrying out his duties, the Papal Envoy also reminded him to be a conscience for all people particularly the voiceless in the country.
The Pope Representative also addressed and encouraged all the Catholics and people of goodwill in Malawi to receive the vaccination for Covid-19. He said that the only way to deal out with this pandemic, of which another deadly wave is said to be around us, is to receive the vaccination.
During the Homily, Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Dedza reminded the congregants that we are all called by God to do his work and not our work and fulfil his plan and not our plans. He said that during such a mission work we shall encounter good and bad situations, challenging and encouraging situations but the Lord God shall always be with us. He called for humility in all the efforts we do since any success from the effort we do comes from the Lord God Himself.
In his remarks new Archbishop of Lilongwe Archdiocese said he has come to Lilongwe as a servant for all the Clergy, Religious and Laity including the Youth themselves.
“I accepted the responsibility just as Apostles did in witnessing to Jesus Christ to different people..I come as a servant and helper to you all. We all need to work together for the growth and progress of the Archdiocese whose strong foundations were already well laid down by my predecessors.”
The Archbishop, quoting Exodus 17:11 called upon the Religious to continue praying very hard so that the Archdiocese should make tangible progress in self-reliance, self-propagating and self-ministering as they continue to be open to mission work in the new evangelisation process. He called upon improvement relationship between the Clergy and himself so that the good relationship between both parties should eventually bear lasting fruits in the Archdiocese.
He thanked the Holy Father for the support to the Archdiocese and encouragement to him. He was very grateful to the Diocesan Administrator Msgr. Patrick Thawale for the work well done in the absence of the Archbishop in Lilongwe Archdiocese. He expressed gratitude to the State President and his vice for continued support and he pledged to support the government in her development efforts. He extended sincere thanks to the Clergy, Religious and Laity of Zomba Diocese for the unlimited support and best wishes during his five year tenure of service in the diocese.
Representing the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Bishop Martin Anwell Mtumbuka, Bishop of Karonga Diocese and Vice President of ECM welcomed the new Metropolitan for Lilongwe and pledged total support to him while asking him to embrace all people and different projects in Lilongwe Archdiocese.
Speaking earlier Msgr Patrick Thawale welcomed the new Archbishop on behalf of all the flock of Lilongwe Archdiocese. He concurred with Dr. John Paul, the Laity Chairperson for Lilongwe Archdiocese, that the Archdiocese was very much eager and ready to collaborate with him. The former Diocesan Administrator also thanked the Clergy and Laity for preparing very well the liturgy of the day.
Among others present during the ceremony were Bishop Peter Musikuwa of Chikwawa Diocese, Bishop Montfor Stima of Mangochi Diocese, Bishop John Ryan of Mzuzu Diocese, Bishop-emeritus of Mangochi Diocese Alexander Pagani, Archbishop emeritus of Lilongwe Archbishop Remi Ste-Marie, Bishop George Zumaili Lungu of Catholic Diocese of Chipata in Zambia, superiors of various congregations, scores of Clergy, Religious, Government officials and Political officials.
Archbishop George Tambala hails from Tambala Village in Zomba District. He was born on 18th November, 1968, studied at Nankhunda Minor Seminary in Zomba before proceeding to Inter Congregational Seminary in Balaka for philosophy under Discalced Carmelite Congregation. He studied Theology at Tangaza College in Kenya after his postulancy in Enugu Nigeria. He was ordained priest by the late Archbishop Ziyaye on 13th April 1996 at Chiphaso Parish of Kasungu in Lilongwe Archdiocese.
On 15th October 2015 he was appointed Bishop of Zomba Diocese while serving as a General Councillor for the Carmelite Congregation whose consecration took place on 30th January 2016 and was appointed Archbishop elect on the same 15th October 2021 to be the Metropolitan for Lilongwe Archdiocese. The Archbishop will still be serving as Apostolic Administrator for the Catholic Diocese of Zomba.