Daughters of the Redeemer Receive Four New Novices
The Daughters of the Redeemer (DOR) have received four new novices into their congregation. Precious Mubanga, Harriet Phiri, Esnart Mwale, and Sarah Phiri were received as novices on Saturday, February 15, 2025, during a ceremony at Mt. Zion. Speaking when he delivered the homily, Reverend Fr. Peter Chileshe, OFM Cap, commended the four novices for answering God’s call. Fr. Chileshe reminded everyone that God’s grace builds on nature. ”The fact is that God works with what we have. He does not send anyone away because there is something each one has to give, ”he said. Fr. Chileshe challenged all to introspect on what they have to offer to God every day. He referred to the Gospel of the feeding of the four thousand, where our Lord Jesus asked everyone to sit down and listen to Him. ”Our role as Christians is to stand in the gap, learn to sit down and listen from the Master, who is the God of multiplicity. Trials may come, but let us trust in God at all times,” he said. Speaking on behalf of the Superior General, Reverend Sr. Brenda Nachula congratulated the new novices. ”We, the Daughters, are very grateful to receive you, our novices. We wish you well in your formation journey,” Sr. Nachula said. She reminded the sisters to remember that no one is too poor to receive or to give. ”We are all called to give of our talents and gifts,” Sr. Nachula stated. She thanked everyone who came to witness the celebration, as well as Fr. Chileshe and the Capuchin Friars for their unwavering support.
SR. PRISCILLA MWANZA (DOR) HAILED
The Daughters of the Redeemer have laid to rest Sr. Priscilla Mwanza at Mt. Zion following her passing at the Cancer Disease Hospital in Lusaka on Monday, 30 September 2024. Speaking in his homily during the burial Mass, Very Reverend Fr. Andrew Simpasa SJ, Vicar General of the Lusaka Archdiocese, urged all Christians to be energized by the spirit of our Lord Jesus and dedicate their lives to the service of God and others. “This fragile life of ours must be disposed at the service of others. Let our Lord Jesus Christ be at the center of our lives so that we use our talents for the service of God and the gospel,” Fr. Simpasa said. He encouraged Christians to put their trust in Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life. “The mystery is that Jesus is the owner of time and space. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life,” the Vicar General stated. During the tributes, Sr. Odilia Chilombo, a companion in formation, described Sr. Priscilla as prayerful, dependable, respectful, and a light-hearted friend who valued opinions and boundaries of others. ”You stood firm in your faith through community prayer, Charismatic prayers and devotion to Our lady of Kibeho. You showed us that the best stories are told through raw, unfiltered realities, Sr. Odilia said. ”No matter the circumstances, you gave yourself fully and whole heartedly.” And Dr. Gracilia Mukumba, a Charismatic member, honoured Sr. Priscilla as a companion in the work of evangelisation in the Parish missions and a mentor who helped the group to grow spiritually. Dr. Mukumba also appreciated the Daughters of the Redeemer for pouring their love and care to Sr. Priscilla when she was being nursed. In addition, Reverend Fr. Steve Likucha, a representative from Malawi praised Sr. Priscilla for her motherly heart and example of total commitment to the church in her apostolate when she served in Zomba Diocese in Malawi. ”She interacted very well with everybody and was ever present for the church and Jesus’ mission. She was very loving, supportive and generous to all of us at the Bishops’ office,” Fr. Steve said. Meanwhile, Fr. Leonard Namuhumba, the Secretary for Education of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), described Sr. Priscilla during the vigil mass as a Sister who did small simple acts with love and commitment. Sr. Priscilla Mwanza was born on 4th April, 1958 and was put to rest at the Flower Garden of Jesus the Redeemer burial site in Mt. Zion.
DAUGHTERS OF THE REDEEMER (DOR) TOAST DUAL CELEBRATIONS
The Daughters of the Redeemer (DOR) Sisters had a mutual celebration of the feast of “the Exaltation of the cross” as well as the Silver Jubilee for Sr. Martha Doreen Kaseba on Saturday 14 September in Mt. Zion. The Mass was celebrated by the Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Simpasa SJ, the Vicar General of Archdiocese of Lusaka. In his homily, Fr. Simpasa said that the feast of the cross reminded us of the love of God for humanity. He encouraged the Christians to continue trusting in the Lord Jesus who is the ultimate victor and always walks with us in all our trials. ”Whatever we go through in life, be it trials or temptations, God has the final say. We never walk alone. If we preserver in doing good works, we will see the light of day,” Fr. Simpasa said. The Vicar General emphasized that for Christians to be true disciples, they need to pick up their cross and follow the Lord. ”If we deny to carry our cross, we are not worthy to be his disciples. Jesus transformed the cross which was a symbol of terror and fear into a symbol of life,” he stated. He urged all to continue serving the Lord with love in their life. In giving the reflection of her life, Sr. Kaseba presented a symbol of the praying hands and a candle signifying the presence of God in her life who always listened to her prayers whenever she called upon him. She summarised her faith journey as one of surrender and gratitude to the Almighty God. Sr. Martha has served the Church as a lecturer at the Catholic University in Kalulushi and currently Heads Mpelembe Secondary School in Kitwe. And Sr. Prisca Matenga, Superior General, thanked Sr. Martha’s parents for allowing her to become a religious sister during her vote of thanks. She also acknowledged Sr. Martha’s giftedness to the Congregation and appreciated everyone who helped make the celebration colorful. Among those present were many Christians from Lusaka Archdiocese, Ndola Archdiocese and Kabwe diocese where Sr. Martha hails from. Others were the Daughters candidates, aspirants, Postulants and novices. The Daughters of the Redeemer celebrate the “Exaltation of the cross “as the feast day of the Congregation.
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DAUGHTERS OF THE REDEEMER ORGANIC FARMING
The Catholic sisters in Zambia are engaged in different activities and apostolates. The Daughters of the Redeemer who have been in existence for more than 50 years have taken up an organic vegetable farming initiative under the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation sisters blended value programme. The organic vegetable farm, which started slightly earlier before the Conrad N. Hilton foundation’s blended value program is as a result of the congregation’s experience during the advent of the covid-19 pandemic. The Daughters of the Redeemer projects coordinator Sr. Matilda Mubanga has disclosed that during covid-19, the congregation’s enterprises, a school and conference centre, which were a source of income were closed. She says as a result, the congregation had to come up with an alternative enterprise as a source of income to sustain the congregation. During the covid-19 pandemic, the savings of the congregation were getting depleted because we fell back on what we had saved, so now, we were saying, what next, if we deplete our reserves, so the idea of coming up with a vegetable garden was discussed, we said since we have land which had not been utilised, we could put it to use and see how it could help the congregation and that’s how the organic vegetable farm started. Sr. Matilda Furthermore, she adds that the congregation also looked at how it could help the members of the community who were also struggling just like them during covid-19. She says the congregation therefore, decided to employee single mothers from the neighbouring N’gombe compound who were facing financial difficulties. And Sr. Rose Nyondo, one of the founding members of the Daughters of the Redeemer, says she is elated to be part of the farming enterprise which has been helped by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. She says that when the congregation started, it did not have much, so going into farming is one way of improving the congregation’s financial base. She adds that the farming project is one of the projects the congregation is running not only to help them but also the people they work with. Part of our charism is to work with Jesus in the poor. We work with women and subsistence farmers who start their projects on a very small piece of land and then they expand on it. Sr. Rose Nyondo Meanwhile, Daughters of the Redeemer assistant superior general and councillor in charge of projects Sr. Grace Fundafunda says that the initiative has enriched the congregation as it has given the sisters vital knowledge they need in farming. Sr. Grace notes that the sisters are now able to showcase the skills they have gained by putting into practice what they have learnt. I would like to thank and appreciate Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ACWECA and Strathmore university for coming up with this initiative that has really helped us as a congregation. When the sisters were writing the business plan you could see their involvement, the knowledge they were gathering and after the training how dedicated they are to their work so much that even those of us who did not go for the training, are benefiting from the knowledge they have acquired. Sr. Grace And the farm Manager, Sr. Rosemary Bwalya, who is one of the sisters who took part in the training says that before the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation sisters blended value training, the farming practices they were using on the farm were not good, as such the training programme has helped them to acquire the knowledge and skills, they need in running the farm using the best farming practices. She adds that the training has brought about immense improvement on the farm as the sisters now have the knowledge on how to manage the crops, identify when to plant certain crops and when they are needed. She notes that the training has also helped her realise the importance of networking, working with different people, sharing of ideas, planning and working as a team. And Sr. Namakau Lilandwe who is also one of the trained sisters and congregational bursar explains that, at the beginning they started with one hector on a land that is about eight hectors, on which they planted about 2,000 cabbages, some tomatoes and different vegetables and from the sales of these crops they were able to pay the women they are working with, buy some farming equipment and also sink a second borehole at the farm. She adds that they have moved from one hector to four hectors, and they are able to plant different types of crops and also employee more women. She says there is an income coming in every month which has helped the congregation to support other activities such as the formation houses and buy farming inputs.