By Joseph Kayira
Bishop of the Diocese of Mangochi, His Lordship Montfort Stima, has urged church institutions to invest in evangelization as a focal point for encouraging Catholics to take part in activities of the diocese which in the long run can help to expand the scope of the church’s work in a diocese he described “as the most privileged when it comes to communication work”.
Bishop Stima made the call on Thursday June 13 on his familiarization tour of church institution in Balaka where among others he visited Montfort Media, Luntha Television, Andiamo Youth Cooperative and secondary schools that are under the Diocese of Mangochi.
Speaking when he visited Montfort Media, a printing and publishing house which complements the Catholic Church in the work of evangelization, Bishop Stima said through modest investment, the church can greatly improve in its pastoral work.
“You publish books, magazines and newspapers at Montfort Media. You are doing commendable work despite the challenges. Challenges are everywhere. Just like many other institutions of the Catholic Church you need to invest to achieve your goals. You will recall that politicians invested a lot to get elected in the May 21 Tripartite Elections. Of course, some are crying but others are smiling because their investments reaped the desired fruits. We should be doing the same if we are realise our goals,” Bishop Stima said.
Bishop Stima said it was also imperative that Montfort Media should embark on research and evaluation of its operations as one way of improving for the better.
He added: “The questions you should be asking could be: are we achieving our goals in mission? How sure are you that what you are publishing is being read out there? Such questions should be part of the evaluation, which I feel ought to be carried out regularly. Also think about creating incentives for the people you serve. It could boost your sales.”
Father Piergiorgio Gamba, managing director of Montfort Media said Montfort Media was poised to come close where people are through its different publications including – The Lamp magazine, Together youth magazine and Mkwaso newspaper.
Fr Gamba said while the company was struggling to make ends meet it would continue to evangelize and proclaim the beauty and joy of sharing the Good News through different publications it publishes.
He hailed Montfort Fathers for taking up the challenge of evangelization beyond “job and business to a charisma.”
“We are committed to a mission. Just was the case with the 1992 Pastoral Letter ‘Living Our Faith’ we are committed to living our desire of knowledge. Through the work that we publish we aim to get closer to the people with knowledge,” Father Gamba said.
General Manager of Montfort Media, Father Blaise Jailosi said the harsh business and economic environment has forced the company to make reposition itself.
“The challenges are many but we believe that through proper planning and partnerships we will deliver. We are already adjusting to make sure that we survive the harsh realities in the ground. With support from partners we can get there,” he said.
Montfort Media publishes three inhouse publications – The Lamp, Together and Mkwaso. The media house also publishes different books on education, religion, agriculture, health and social issues, just to mention a few.
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