Having a homily viewed by 30,000 people daily is no small feat but for Fr Khohi Mbwi, this is in addition to his day job.
Fr Mbwi is National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (Catholic Mission) in Taiwan, and also oversees training for Sunday school teachers, works with a youth program, and takes care of two schools in remote areas.
But for one minute each day at 6am local time, he gives a one-minute homily to tens of thousands of waiting listeners on social media.
“One minute. Why? Because we have some friends who can’t go to the daily Mass,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“They drive their kids to school, they go to work or anywhere, so you give them one minute.”
Fr Mbwi said the goal was for the homily to be as convenient as possible for those on the go, who could play it and hear the Word during the week—but stressed it was not a replacement for Mass.
“This is the way we try to attract people, to keep us in contact, but to remind them that on Sunday they still have to come to Mass,” he said.
Fr Mbwi says he gives his daily homily in Mandarin and people all over the world tune in to listen, with most being located in America and Canada.
“They are following me every day and I try to be on time,” he said.
On his duties with Catholic Mission, he says he wishes to foster greater collaboration with the other national directors and educate the people of Taiwan.
“We also try to do something with the population,” he said.
“We use the parish space for the teaching of the Catechism, Bible sharing, and also trying to take care of people who are in need nearby.”
Fr Mbwi was in Sydney for the first intercontinental meetings of 18 National Directions of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Asia and Oceania, representing more than 20 countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The aim was to join forces and find solutions together to respond to local challenges, said meeting organisers, with the theme Pope Francis’ invitation to be “missionaries of hope among the peoples,” his message for World Mission Sunday 2025.
Participants sent a message of solidarity in prayer to the pope, who was being treated for bilateral pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. They also gathered for Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral celebrated by cathedral dean Fr Don Richardson.
National Director for Australia Fr Brian Lucas said our country has “very strong relations” with its immediate neighbours and “this opportunity for personal exchange provides an excellent basis for cooperation.”