A Brief History
Established in 1961 with the approval of the Holy See, the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB) has until now been an assembly of eight Catholic dioceses: Blantyre, Chikwawa, Dedza, Karonga, Lilongwe, Mangochi, Mzuzu, and Zomba. With its mission “To bring about the Kingdom of God in Malawi by teaching and promoting unity, development, justice, peace and solidarity” (MCCB Strategic Plan, July 2006 – June 2011, p. 18), the Catholic Church in Malawi celebrated 100 years of existence in July 2001.
Currently, there are over five million Catholics, representing approximately 25 percent of the country’s population. This number continues to grow each year.
The MCCB has its General Secretariat, the Catholic Secretariat, in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Originally, the Secretariat was located in Blantyre but was moved to Lilongwe in 1979 to strategically serve all dioceses more effectively. The Secretariat’s core function is to implement the resolutions of the Bishops’ Conference, as well as to facilitate and coordinate socio-pastoral programs implemented by the dioceses as part of the Church’s evangelization mission.
The Catholic Secretariat also serves as the meeting place for the Bishops, who meet twice a year for scheduled plenary sessions lasting one week each. The Bishops also convene at the Secretariat at various times of the year for study sessions, committee meetings, Board of Governors meetings, and ecumenical meetings.
Vision and Mission
Vision
“A Family of God filled with the Holy Spirit, living in harmony, peace and solidarity.”
Mission
“The Catholic Church is committed to providing holistic evangelization through teaching the Word of God and facilitating development work.”