Vice President Saulos Chilima on Saturday urged Christians to remain faithful and vigilant in preaching the word of God.

Chilima was speaking at Maula Roman Catholic Parish in Lilongwe during Golden Jubilee Celebrations to mark 50 years of the existence of the Association of Men Religious in Malawi (AMRIM) and Association of Women Religious in Malawi (AWRIM).

AWRIM and AMRIM were officially formed in 1966 to bring together men and women in catholic religious communities working in Malawi.

“I would like to urge all Christians to be faithful and preach the word of God to Christians to enable them to be followers of Jesus Christ,” he said.
He thanked religious organisations in the country for preaching the word of God and spearheading development activities aimed at uplifting people’s spiritual lives.

Chilima spelt out the need for Christians to remain united and work together in spreading the word of God.

On health, Chilima asked people to practise modern family planning methods to avoid maternal deaths and child-related illnesses.

“It is high time people took seriously issues of family planning to ensure a healthy nation,” he said.

Chilima thanked various religious leaders in the country for the role they play in development activities and preaching the word of God.

The Golden Jubilee Celebrations mark years of AWRM and AMRIM’s dedicated service to the nation.

Both AWRIM and AMRIM men and women make three vows—obedience, poverty and chastity. They are under the leadership of a Superior, Provincial or Superior General. Their life is also characterized by living in a community,” says a brochure on the celebrations.

It says that “over the years, the successes and achievements of the Catholic Church in Malawi cannot be discussed without the contribution of AMRIM and AWRIM to education and health sectors and charity work in various forms.”mana