OUR VISION
The vision of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mbeya is to lead all people to spiritual, physical, and conversion that expand God’s kingdom on Earth.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to proclaim and show forth to all people Jesus’ Good News of how to live a fully human life as images of God as individuals and community with due observance of the laws of justice and love.
Our History
Archdiocese of Mbeya is located at the South West of Tanzania bordering Malawi and Zambia on the South West respectively. The Malawi Zambia high way crosses Mbeya town and diverts to Malawi and Zambia accordingly. Mbeya Region is now divided into two regions known as Songwe region and Mbeya. Hence Mbeya Archdiocese cover almost both of the regions. According to the National census of 2022 the population of Mbeya region is 2,343,754. The Catholics is 316,471. The total area coverage is 60,348 sq km of which 97.2% is land and only 2.8% is water. 80% of the inhabitants are subsistence farmers who cultivate maize, beans, sunflower, groundnuts, paddy for food and coffee in some places, cocoa in some places and banana for cash. In general, the majority are poor who depend on subsistence farming and a bit of cattle keeping. Main tribes of Mbeya are Safwa, Nyakyusa, Wanyiha, Bungu, Kimbu, Nyamwanga, Wasangu and Ndali. Mbeya has attracted some people from far like sukuma, Masai, Kinga, Hehe and others who migrated in the area for farming and cattle keeping. The Archdiocese has 65 parishes which are scattered all over the Archdiocese serving total population 2,343,754, while Catholics are 316,471. On the other side the Archdiocese has a total number of about 141 priests, while out of that about 35 are working or studying outside the Archdiocese. Hence the total number of priests working in the Archdiocese is 106. It is the expectation of the Archdiocese that this year 2025 we will have thirteen (13) ordinations.
OUR CORE VALUES
Faith
Hope
Love
Option for the poor
Diligence and
Discipleship
OUR OBJECTIVES
- To foster an experience of conversion and renewal in the heart of every believer, leading to a more active living of Catholic life.
- To foster an appreciation of God’s Word in the lives of all Catholics.
- To make the evangelizing dimension more explicit.
- To foster an appreciation of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and all of the Sacraments, the sacred signs of Catholic life.
- To foster a deeper sense of prayer among Catholic people.
- To foster a renewed understanding of faith among Catholics.
- To foster active and personal religious experience through participation in basic Christian communities and other communal experiences in which the Good News is shared, experienced, and applied to daily life.
- To foster an experience of conversion and renewal in every parish.
- To foster a sense of the domestic Church within households in which families, individuals and groups reside.
- To promote and develop a spirituality for the workplace.
- To foster a greater appreciation of the enculturation of the Word of God.
- To make every Catholic institution, especially parishes, more welcoming.
- To develop within families and households the capacity to share the Gospel.
- To equip and empower active Catholic members to exercise their baptismal call to evangelize.
- To cultivate an active core of the baptized persons to serve as ministers of evangelization in their parishes, dioceses, neighbourhoods, workplaces and homes.
- To involve the Catholic Church in social and economic activities and programs aimed at improving the social and economic lives of the people. To realize this objective, the Church will undertake the following activities:
- Construct, own and operate schools, colleges and other education institutions and centres;
- Construct, own and operate hospitals, health centres and or dispensaries;
- Establish, own, manage and operate financial institutions
- Invest in any other social or economic sector as the Church Authority may deem appropriate.
- To undertake any other actions that may support the achievement of the above aims and objectives, either jointly or individually.