About Us

The Malawian Catholic Relief Fund is a federally tax exempt 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit corporation formed to provide financial assistance to the priests and Catholic Diocese of Mzuzu, Malawi to meet the spiritual and material needs of the church there and her members. All contributions to it are tax exempt to the full extent permitted by law. It was founded and is administrated by Brian Norkett, a supporter and practicing attorney in Chicago, Illinois. All administrative and other expenses of the Malawian Relief Fund are donated and thus 100% of your donation is used to support the people and the diocese of Mzuzu, Malawi.

Malawi is a small, land-locked country of 21 million people located in southeastern Africa south of Tanzania. While the people and the spirit of Malawi are strong, Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries with most of the population engaged in subsistence farming or small-scale trade. Malawi’s climate is subtropical and harsh, often suffering from both droughts and flooding and other natural disasters. Malawi’s per capita income is only $567.00 (USD).

The church in Malawi is healthy and growing. A third of the population of Malawi are Catholic with most of the rest practicing different forms of Protestantism. Malawi is comprised of eight dioceses with the diocese of Mzuzu located in the northernmost region of the country. The diocese of Mzuzu was established in March 1961 and has been opening new parishes and spreading the faith since then. The diocese has 22 parishes served by 56 priests with an additional 28 students in major seminary studying for the priesthood. Most of the parishes are in rural, difficult to reach areas and thus the priests who serve them must do so by travelling great distances over rough roads by motorcycle or SUV.

Fr. Petros Mwale and Fr. Edmond Nyoka serve as priests in the diocese of Mzuzu and both have large social media presence comprised of thousands of followers on X and Facebook, principally from the United States and Europe. They both hold online rosary and prayer services. Father Mwale is currently serving as the parish priest of St, Martin De Porres, a newly formed parish of some 35,000 people where he is assisted by another priest and five catechists at 49 outstations or prayer centers. Fr. Nyoka was recently appointed to head St. Patrick’s Seminary, a minor seminary with a current enrollment of 145 students who are preparing to enter the major seminary on their journey to the priesthood. He also assists at St. Denis and St. Joseph Mkasa Parishes on the weekend.

With funds already raised thanks to your generous support, Fr. Mwale and Fr. Nyoka have already been able to build churches and primary schools, drill wells to provide fresh drinking water as well as feed the needy during the frequent times of famine. Funds raised have also paid the school fees of children to enable them to stay in school or attend college and provided for the purchase of pastoral SUVs and motorcycles in order to reach rural parishioners over the rough terrain of Malawi.

But the need in Malawi is much greater still. With your generous support, we can expand our mission to help build God’s kingdom here on earth and spread our Catholic faith. We can continue to build and repair churches, prayer centers, and schools, as well as drill wells to provide fresh drinking water to rural villages. We can also help train farmers in the latest farming techniques to withstand the ravages of the frequent natural disasters which afflict Malawi. No amount is too small. A modest contribution goes far in Malawi. With very little, you can do much to relieve suffering there and make God’s light shine brighter in this our world.

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