About Religious Congregations
Founded in 1925 by Bishop Louis Auneau – a French Montfort missionary. The charism of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary is to lead a holy life deepened in humility of serving God. The sisters embrace holy poverty to emulate Mary in sharing and living together in community. Their spirituality is simplicity of Mary the handmaid of the Lord who accepted to do the will of God by becoming the mother of God.
Their headquarters is Mary View at Nguludi, Chiradzulu district. Their first profession of the congregation took place in 1928. Currently they have three communities St Felix in Chikwawa, ST Martin in Molere and St Matthews in Nchalo.
The congregation started on 3rd November 1842 in Munster Germany. It was founded by Fr Edward Michelle’s, a Diocesan priest from Germany. The sisters came to Malawi on 6th July 1960 and settled at Muona in Nsanje, where their mother house is up to date. In Malawi, the regional house is in Chinyonga. Their charism is “helping the poor both physically and spiritually so that they may experience God’s love”.
In the Diocese they have community in Muona, Trinity community and mother Virginia formation house. They celebrate their feast on Holy Trinity Sunday.
It was founded in Ireland in 1815 by Mary Akenhead. The congregation came to Malawi in October 2011 and set up a community at Konzalendo in Chikwawa Diocese. Their motto is “caritas urget nos”: The love of Christ urges us on. The founding grace for the congregation is the story of Lazarus in the scriptures, whose sermon moved the founder to give her life in service of the poor.
Sisters of the congregation take a fourth vow of charity. Their international headquarters is in Dublin Ireland. Apart from Malawi, they also serve in Nigeria, Ireland, England,Scotland and Carlifonia
The association was founded in 1999 by Late Bishop Felix Mkhori. There were two pioneer girls who were accompanied by Teresian sisters. These girls took their final vows in 2011. Their first community as an association was in Nsanje parish. From 2013 to 2019, these pioneer sisters were assisted by Good Shepherd sisters from Chipata Diocese in Zambia in recruiting and formation of girls to sisterhood. Their charism is “Compassion for the poor”
They have community houses at St Lawrence girls Secondary School, Nchalo, the Bishop’s residential area where there is a Postulate, and Bangula, a novitiate.
Also known as Sisters of Our Lady, Sisters of Our Lady of Amersfoort were founded on 29th July 1822 in Amersfoort in Holland. The founders were motivated by zeal to serve young people and poor children living under oppression through education.
The founders of the congregation were: Fr Matthias Wolff, SJ, Maria Stichters- Sr Matthia, Maria van Werkhoven – Sr Ignace and Martha Pijpers – Sr martha. The purpose of the congregation is for the glory of God, sanctification of members and the education of young people and the poor. They are found in Netherlands, Indonesia, Philippines and Malawi. Their communities in Malawi are at Stella Maris in Blantyre, Jacaranda in Blantyre, St Julie convent in Lilongwe and Bangula convent in Chikwawa Diocese.
The sisters arrived in the Diocese of Chikwawa in 1970 at the invitation of Bishop Vrouemen and devoted themselves to serve the needs of the poor at Bangula and surrounding areas.
Charism
Featured News
Thu
2
Jul 2026
The Vatican has declared that six bishops associated with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (SSPX) have incurred automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication after carrying out unauthorized episcopal ordinations in Écône, Switzerland, on 1 July 2026. In a decree issued on 2 July, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said the ordinations were conducted without papal approval and against the will of the Pope, describing them as “an act of a schismatic nature.” The decree, signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, states that Bishops Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, who performed the consecrations, together with the four newly ordained bishops—Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier—have all incurred automatic excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See. The Vatican said the canonical penalty took effect immediately upon the unlawful consecrations, which took place during a ceremony in Écône on 1 July.
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Tue
16
Jun 2026
On June 14, Mitondo Parish was filled with overwhelming joy as St. Monica ( Mpama II)Church Outstation celebrated a major milestone in its history. His Lordship Bishop Peter Musikuwa presided over the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new church building, marking the beginning of a permanent place of worship for the community. The ceremony was followed by a Holy Mass, also led by Bishop Musikuwa alongside the Parish Priest, Fr. Patrick Nkula. Parishioners, clergy, and community leaders gathered in large numbers to witness the event, with singing and thanksgiving echoing throughout the grounds. St. Monica Church Outstation was established in 2015 under Fatima Parish before later becoming part of Mitondo Parish. The small but vibrant congregation has grown to about 200 members. For the past 11 years, the community has worshipped in a small temporary structure that parishioners often described as “hats” due to its size. Praying there was especially difficult during the rainy season, with leaking roofs and limited space forcing many to stand outside. The new church building promises both joy and a new face for the outstation, as the chairperson of the building committee highlighted in his speech. With a permanent structure underway, St. Monica’s members will finally have a dignified space that can shelter them from the rains and accommodate their growing numbers. Bishop Musikuwa commended the community for their faith, unity, and sacrifice in making the project possible. He encouraged them to continue building not only with bricks, but also with love and service to one another. For St. Monica Outstation, June 14 marks more than a ceremony. It’s the start of a new chapter where years of patience and perseverance are giving way to hope.
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Mon
15
Jun 2026
Bishop Peter Musikuwa of the Diocese of Chikwawa has called on religious sisters under the Association of Women Religious in Malawi, serving in the Diocese to spare time to pray for the Diocese as it faces numerous challenges in its mission. The call was made on Saturday 13th June 2026 when a new executive for AWRIM in the Diocese was presented before him at his residence. In her words before the bishop, the newly elected chairperson, Sr Monica Ichife, stressed the need for the new leadership to rely on God’s help and providence for the success of their mission. The full committee of the AWRIM – Chikwawa Diocese leadership is as follows: Sr Monica Ichife of the Religious Sisters of Charity is the chairperson. She is deputized by Sr Shiji Mathew of SMMI sisters. Sr Catherine Boloma of Sisters of Divine Providence is the secretary, with Sr Victoria Yohane of MCA sisters as her vice. The treasurer is St Maureen Chalamanda from the Sisters of Our Lady. Sr Elizabeth Namuthuwa from the Divine Providence Sisters is the committee member. Earlier in the day Sr Monica Ichife made a presentation to her fellow sister on issues of human trafficking. She reminded members of the enslaving nature of human trafficking noting that it is carried out by means of threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, deception and abuse of power. Currently, there are six religious congregations of sisters in the Diocese.
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Mon
18
May 2026
His Lordship Peter Musikuwa, Bishop of the Diocese of Chikwawa has condemned in strong terms recent actions of mob justice that has left 8 people dead and a number wounded, having allegedly been accused of being the cause for some people’s private parts missing. The Bishop expressed his sentiments during the 60th commemoration of World day for Communications, on Sunday 17th May 2026, at Our Lady of Fatima parish in Nsanje. In recent days, communities in the lower Shire districts of Nsanje and Chikwawa have lived in fear after some people allegedly claimed that their private parts were missing. This resulted in the killing of the suspects without proper proof of the claims. It is widely believed that these claims are baseless, false, and medical experts who managed to examine the claimants have not found any validation of the claims. Therefore, the Bishop expressed shock and said that the continued attacks on innocent people are unlawful, inhumane, and a serious violation of human rights and the rule of law. Celebrated under the theme “Preserving human voices and faces”, this year’s commemoration is a call and reminder to the world to use digital platforms and the Artificial intelligence responsibly to avoid misinforming the public. The misuse of these platforms also destroys the dignity of the human person.
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