HISTORIA YA PAROKIA

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PARISH HISTORY Maramba Parish has been erected under the foot of eastern Usambara Mountains along a rural road which connects the village of Mabokweni along Tanga-Mombasa highway to Korogwe Township via Daluni, Mashewa, and Magoma. Maramba was initially an outstation of St. Anthony Cathedral parish. This area and its surrounding areas are comprised of a number of sisal and cocoa plantations. Cocoa plantations can be found in the villages of Maramba and nearby Mwele while sisal plantations can be seen in Lugongo and Kwamtili. When the priests were coming to Maramba from Tanga, they would visit Lugongo and Mwele where there were small church buildings in the workers’s camps used by the Catholic members who worked in the plantations. In early 1970, Rev. Fr. Moris Reen, I.C got a good size plot of land to build a church in Maramba. As he was building a church, he went on building a priests’ house (rectory). The Catholic community and surrounding villages contributed Tsh.12,000.00 in cash as well as their labor in the construction of the church as well as the priests’ house. The construction of the church was completed in 1972 the current church was ready for liturgical services. Before building the priests’house, Fr. Moris and the priests who visited Maramba for services resided in a sisal manager’s house in Lugongo Farm. In 1970, the Most Rev. Maurus Komba (R.I.P) the second bishop of the diocese conducted his first confirmation liturgy in the diocese in Maramba. More than 800 people attended the ceremony and it was conducted in the air since there wasn’t a church big enough to accommodate all those people. Those who attended the ceremony were Catholics, Christians from other denominations, and non-Christians. The native priests of Maramba Parish are; Martin Maganga (1972), Sylvester Nitunga (1999), Diomedi Nitunga, I.C. (2005), and Odillo Shedafa (2006).

Parokia ya Maramba imejengwa chini ya milima ya Usambara mashariki kandokando ya barabara ndogo ichepukayo toka barabara kuu ya Tanga - Mombasa kwenye kijiji cha Mabokweni na kuelekea mji wa Korogwe kupitia Daluni, Mashewa na Magoma. Hapo awali Parokia ya Maramba ilianza kuwa kigango cha Parokia ya Mtakatifu Antoni wa Padua iliyopo jijini Tanga. Eneo la Maramba na vijiji vya jirani yake ni maeneo ya mashamba makubwa ya mazao ya kokoa na mkonge. Wananchi wa asili wanayo mashamba yao binafsi wanayolima mazao ya chakula. Mashamba makubwa ya kokoa yanaweza kuonekana katika vitongoji vya Maramba na Mwele wakati mashamba ya makubwa ya mkonge yapo katika vitongoji vya Lugongo na Kwamtili.
Mapadre wamisionari wa ki-Rosmini toka Parokia ya Mtakatifu Antoni Kathedra Tanga wamekuwa wakifika maeneo ya Maramba kwa huduma za kichungaji hata kabla ya miaka ya 1970. Inasemekana kwamba wakati mapadre hawa walipokuwa wakifika sehemu za Maramba kwa huduma za kichungaji, waliweza kupata ukarimu wa kujihifadhi kwenye nyumba ya meneja wa shamba la mkonge la Lugongo.Walipofika Maramba kwa misa na uchungaji, walivitembelea vijiji vya Lugongo na Mwele vilivyokuwa na ukulima wa mkonge kwa huduma za misa. Uongozi wa mashamba ya mkonge ya Lugongo na Mwele waliweza kujenga vikanisa vidogo katika kambi za watumishi wa mashamba hayo kuwawezesha wafanya kazi wao kupata sehemu ya kuabudu.
Katika miaka ya awali ya 1970, mheshimiwa padre Moris Reen, I.C. aliweza kupata eneo la kujenga kanisa katika kitongoji cha Maramba. Alianza ujenzi huo mara moja. Mara baada ya kukamilisha ujenzi wa kanisa, padre Reen alijenga nyumba ya padre. Inasemwa kwamba katika harakati za ujenzi wa kanisa la Maramba, waumini wa Maramba na vitongoji vyake walihamasika mno. Pamoja na kuchangia nguvu zao katika ujenzi wa kanisa, waliweza kuchanga juml ya shilingi 12,000.00 kwa ajili ya ujenzi wa itakayokuwa parokia yao. Ujenzi wa kanisa la Maramba na nyumba ya mapadre ulikamilika 1972 ambapo Mhashamu Baba Askofu Maurus Komba alifika kulibariki kanisa hili. Katika mwaka 1970, Mhashamu Askofu Maurus Komba, askofu wa pili wa jimbo la Tanga alifanya ibada ya misa kutoa Sakramenti ya Kipaimara kwa mara ya kwanza jimboni katika kitongoji cha Maramba. Kwa kuwa hakukuwa na jengo la kanisa, ibada hiyo iliyohudhuriwa na watu zaidi ya 800 kutoka katika vitongoji mbalimbali vya Maramba ilifanyika nje. Wale waliohudhuria ibada hii walikuwa siyo wa-Katoliki tu, bali pia wa-Kristu wa madhehebu mengine na hata wa-Islamu.

Mapadre wazawa wa Parokia ya Maramba ni: Msgr. Martin Maganga (1972) (R.I.P), Sylvester Nitunga (1999), Diomedi Nitunga I.C. (2005), na Odillo Shedafa (2006).