ST MARY`S CATHEDRALtgy

Brief History

Foundation stone laid and blessed on 25 March 1903. Extended in 1957. Dedicated to the Immaculate Conception on 22 November 1959.

Centenary celebrations held on 3 August 2003 led by the current Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Joseph Edward Adams.

1903 – 1930 administered by the Society of Jesus (SJ).

1930 – 1990 administered by the Congregation of Marianhill Missionaries (CMM).

Priests and Religious

Presbytery of diocesan priests.

Convent of AMR Sisters, the local diocesan congregation.

Convent of Dominican Sisters of the Sacred Heart. At present made up of 6 Zimbabweans and 4 Germans.

Institutions

Dominican Convent Primary School.

Dominican Convent High School.

Established in 1892.

Masses  

Sunday       8.30 am 

                 10.00 am

                 6.00 pm  

Mon – Sat       6.30 am 

Tue & Thu      5.15 pm   

Friday            1.10 pm

NB. All Masses celebrated in English save the Sunday 10 am which is done in IsiNdebele, local language.

Two Mass Centers    1. Body and Blood of Christ Sunday 8 am

                               2. St Henry’s 10.15 am

Confessions

Saturday       9.00 am – 10.00am

Thursday      4.45 pm – 5.15 pm  

Sunday         7.45 am – 8.15 am

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Wed & Sat       7.00 am – 5.00 p.m.

Catechism

Sunday Bible School for Children ( 12 years and below).

3 Children Classes – Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation.

1 Adult Catechism Class

Separate Bible Class

Associations

 Catholic Women’s League (CWL), St Anne’s, Sodality of Our Lady, Sacred Heart, Catholic Youth Association (CYA), Focolare Movement, Christian Life Group (CLG), Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement (CCRM), Legion of Mary, Catholic Men’s Society (CMS), St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), St Stephen’s Guild of Altar Servers.

Statistics

Total Number of Catholics        4 716

Baptisms                                12 565

Marriages                               3 519

Confirmation                           6 335

Currently has 6 Seminarians – 2 with Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), 1 with Congregation

of Marianhill Missionaries (CMM), 1 with Carmelites (O`CARM) and 2 for the diocesan clergy.

Currently the Cathedral has produced one religious Sister Congregation of Precious Blood

Sisters (CPS). 

HOLY TRINITY, COWDRY PARKtgy

Holy Trinity Catholic Parish -

Established 2001.

BACKGROUND

Holy Trinity Parish is a new Catholic Community in a new Suburb of Cowdry Park. The Church land that was bought by the local community for the purpose of the construction of the church, Priest’s, and a Primary School, in total measures, 6,2684 ha. The township of Cowdry Park is destined to be the biggest in Bulawayo with a total number of 40 000 houses. To date, 30 000 houses have been built for low-income group to medium group. The church has a membership of 2 550 people.

PARISH INFRASTRUCTURE

At present, the Parish has only a single structure i.e. the Parish Hall which is used for worshipping purposes and the Hall does not create an atmosphere conducive for Divine Services. The Caretaker’s house has been converted into the priest’s house though small.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARISH INFRASTRUCTURE

The need for the Church, Priest’s house and Primary School is critical. The Budget prices made with Angelo Stipinovich Contractors for the development of the Parish Infrastructure on 14 /12 /05 stands as follows +/- Z$ 27,5 Billion which equals to +/ - US $3,4 Million. Touched by the need for these basic Parish Structures, a local based missionary from Australia has pledged to mobilize the people of his home country to develop the parish and only one third of the money has been raised and the missionary Priest is advanced in age, i.e. 79 years old. A combined effort in funding the new Parish is necessary .The Municipality of Bulawayo has granted the Parish Development Permit and the Ministry of Education has granted the permission to construct the school. All the necessary paper work has been done and all the drawing plans have been approved.  

No one can fail to be stirred by the volumes of work, which treat the birth and the growth as well as the tide to currents that have confronted Empandeni Mission.

Empandeni Mission, the oldest Catholic Mission in Zimbabwe is a former Jesuit mission located about thirty-two (32) kilometers South of Plumtree town. Empandeni Mission dedicated to St. Francis Xavier is in Mangwe District and it is in agricultural region five.

Father Prestage S. J. Founded Empandeni Mission in 1887 after a long wait for the permission from King Lobengula, son of Mzilikazi. At first Lobengula was opposed to missionary work but after Father Prestage had persistently pleaded with him, Lobengula exclaimed; “ Go to Empandeni and teach the people there...” These words marked the birth of Empandeni Mission. It was on the 11^th of January 1885 that Father Prestage left KwaBulawayo the King’s kraal and set for Empandeni.

In the 1930, the Congregation of the Marianhill Missionaries took over from the Jesuits. Empandeni Mission consists of six (6) departments, namely the clinic, farm, vocational training school, convent, the primary and secondary schools. It has eight (8) out centres, the nearest being six kilometers while the furthest mass centre is seventy-eight (78) kilometers away from the Mission.

The faithful of this Mission are people of good will in spite of the fact that Empandeni is a place prone to drought. If resources were permitting, Empandeni Mission would not be able only to sustain itself, but also other missions and parishes within and outside the Diocese.

One of the first Catholic Missions to be established in Zimbabwe (1902). About 140 km away from the second largest city in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo. It is a Mission which grew out of Empandeni Mission, the first Catholic Mission to be established in Zimbabwe.

Geographically it is located in a drought prone region in Matabeleland South. This Mission has broadcast the Catholic faith for the past century. Presently it has eight out stations. The out stations are served on monthly basis by priests coming from the Mission (Sacred Heart).

Included in the Mission is a hospital, a High School and a Farm. In years past the Mission was self-reliant. However as years ran this Mission relied heavily on the Archdiocese for its finances.

With the prevailing economic trend, the Archdiocese of Bulawayo has encouraged Missions / Parishes to try to be self reliant. In retrospect, this Mission relied on farming to be self reliant. Currently most of the land is under utilized due to some militating factors. However, if these are addressed, it is possible that the Mission can be self reliant.

It is believed that if this Mission is helped with equipment such as irrigation pipes, sprinklers (there are a few, there is a dam used for flood irrigation is in place) ploughing discs, a tractor, fencing, capital and good management; it would be self reliant in the near future. Already there is a project of beef cattle in the farm.

The third and youngest is the St Augustine’s Regional Major Seminary and was opened in Bulawayo in the year 2000 to help house and train the then growing number of seminarian candidates in their philosophical and vocational formation for ministry. All three seminaries are administered and staffed by the ZCBC: the eldest since 1975, the middle since 1972, the youngest since 2000. All three are overseen by the ZCBC Seminaries` Commission, whose chairman at present is Archbishop Pius A. Ncube, Archbishop of Bulawayo in whose diocese the latest built, St Augustine’s, was opened in 2000.