► FRIARIES
Mwanga via Moshi
St. Francis friary in Mwanga - the address:
Conventual Franciscan Friars
P.O. Box 184, MWANGA VIA MOSHI, Tanzania
Email: Mwanga e-mail
Mwanga via Moshi in the diocese of Same (Region of Kilimanjaro) is the first mission in Tanzania, where Franciscans arrived on 10 October 1988. The majority of the population in this region are Muslims. At the beginning the Eucharist was celebrated in one of the classrooms of the primary school, then in a garage and finally in the church, which was consecrated on 5 February 1995.
Apart from the church, the parish has also eight outstations in surrounding villages (Kiwanja, Kagongo, Bora, Handeni, Kiomo, Kileo, Kalimani and Kifaru), to which the missionaries go on every other Sunday or once in three weeks to celebrate the Eucharist. Most of the people in the villages are poor, but even poverty has not extinguished the spirit of joy in them.
In April 2006, the church in Mwanga was declared the Diocese Sanctuary of Divine Mercy (Yesu Mwenye Huruma) by the Bishop of Same. The event was a great experience for both the parishioners and guests from the entire region. Since that time the faithful of the diocese and from other places started to make pilgrimages to the new sanctuary.
There is also a kindergarten in Mwanga whose patron is St. Therese of Lisieux. It is very popular because with such large number of children, every village wants to have its own kindergarten. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems is the shortage of money in this region, especially in villages. That's why - for example - in one of the villages (in Kalimani) there is a kindergarten "in the shadow of trees".
Missionaries working in Mwanga:
fr. Piotr Bujnowski – superior and parish priest
fr. Ryszard Bednarz
fr. Benson Mapunda